Fort Royal, Guadeloupe, 1759

Engraving by Grignion after Lieutenant Archibald Campbell, published by John Bowles, and others, 1759.

Guadeloupe was the richest of the French islands in the Caribbean and a favourite refuge for French privateers during the Seven Years War (1756-1763). In April 1759, a British force captured the island after a series of actions which gradually wore down the French defenders. This is a north view of Fort Royal when in the possession of British Forces. British casualties during the fighting were comparatively light but, by the end of 1759, fever had killed some 800 officers and men on Guadeloupe.