For battles in the same place or in the surroundings, see Battle of Nassau.
Raid on Nassau
Part of The War of the Spanish Succession
Island of New Providence, home to Nassau, in the Gulf of Providence, in the islands of the Bahamas [See further map below for context.]
Date
October 1703
Location
New Providence, Bahamas
Result
Franco-Spanish victory, Nassau is briefly occupied, then destroyed.
Belligerents
Spain France
England
Commanders and leaders
Blas Moreno de Mondragón Claude Le Chesnaye
Gov. Ellis Lightwood (POW)
Strength
2 frigates 300~400 men
300 men
Casualties and losses
few[clarification needed]
100 civilians killed 100 prisoners 22 guns
v
t
e
War of the Spanish Succession South America | West Indies
Santa Marta
Guadeloupe
Nassau
Colonia del Sacramento
1st Cartagena
1st Rio de Janeiro
2nd Cartagena
2nd Rio de Janeiro
Cassard
An 1803 map by Aaron Arrowsmith showing the Island of New Providence (center of map; settlement of Nassau not visible), situated in the Gulf of Providence, with the Providence Channels to the immediate north. Other islands of the Bahamas, e.g., Grand Bahama and Abaco Islands, are further to the north, with Andros Island is to the west, and Eleuthera (island) to the east.
The Raid on Nassau, on the Bahamian island of New Providence, was a privately raised Franco-Spanish expedition against the English taking place in October 1703, during the War of the Spanish Succession; it was a Franco-Spanish victory, leading to Nassau's brief occupation, then its destruction.[1][2] The joint Bourbon invasion was led by Blas Moreno Mondragón and Clause Le Chesnaye, with the attack focusing on Nassau, the capital of the English Bahamas, an important base of privateering for English corsairs in the Cuban and Saint Domingue's Caribbean seas.[not verified in body] The town of Nassau was quickly taken[3] and sacked, plundered and burnt down.[2][3][4] The fort of Nassau was dismantled, and the English governor, with all the English soldiers were carried off prisoners.[1] A year later, Sir Edward Birch, the new English governor, upon landing in Nassau, was so distraught at the ruin he found, that he returned to England after only a few months, without "unfurling his company-issued commission".[2][5]
The RaidonNassau, on the Bahamian island of New Providence, was a privately raised Franco-Spanish expedition against the English taking place in October...
The Raid of Nassau (March 3–4, 1776) was a naval operation and amphibious assault by American forces against the British port of Nassau, Bahamas, during...
RaidRaidonNassau, a 1703 Franco-Spanish raid during the War of the Spanish Succession RaidonNassau (1720), a Spanish expedition against Nassau during...
Fort Montagu is a small fort of four cannon on the eastern shore of New Providence Island (Nassau) Bahamas. Peter Henry Bruce oversaw the construction...
Northwest Cay Noss Mangrove Island Nun Jack Cay Nurse Cay Nurse Channel Cay Nassau O'Brien Cay Ocean Cay Old Yankee Cay Orange Cay Outer Point Cay Over Yonder...
into Nassau or were wrecked on its reefs. These included the Hermosa (1840) and the Creole (1841), the latter brought in after a slave revolt on board...
('I'm the only one who sang') and only Mary one gern Nassau ('Mary is the only one who is going to Nassau') Verb usage in the Bahamianese differs significantly...
back shows a picture of Sister Sarah in the Nassau Straw Market; the $1 shows Sir Lynden Pindling and on the back the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band;...
autonomy in 1964. After the 1972 elections, the territory started negotiations on independence. A search for a national flag began soon after, with a contest...
city Nassau is located, was to be directly governed by the central government. The Act defines the form of government in each district by listing it on either...
Salvador Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, and Mayaguana. Nassau is the capital and largest city, located on New Providence. The islands have a tropical savannah...
governors of the Bahamas. The first English settlement in the Bahamas was on Eleuthera. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the lords proprietors...
of English Puritans and religious Independents who left Bermuda to settle on the island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas in the late 1640s. The small group...
Today, straw work and wood carvings are produced and sold to tourists in Nassau's Straw Market. Beautiful landscapes and the vibrant houses and peoples of...
Commonwealth Brewery in Nassau, which produces Heineken, Guinness, and Kalik beers; and Bacardi Corp., which distills rum in Nassau for shipment to the U...
the British port in Nassau would be poorly guarded and had friends there who would help his cause. The Raid of Nassau, an assault on the British colony...
Americas Afro-Caribbean List of people on stamps of the Bahamas List of residents of the Bahamas "'Rexy' Rolle". The Nassau Guardian. 8 March 2021. Retrieved...
independent of the executive and the legislature and jurisprudence is based on English common law. The multi-party system is dominated by the Progressive...
the command of Commodore Esek Hopkins was returning from a successful raidonNassau when it encountered HMS Glasgow, a Royal Navy dispatch boat. Glasgow...
causing most other member-states to quickly follow suit and declare war on France. These four states[which?] were the leading nations of the Confederation...
"nonclassified", or "unclassified". Classified parties are "major" or "minor" depending on electoral performance and competitive ability. [citation needed] Progressive...
there on December 5, 1861. By the end of the war, 397 ships sailed from the Confederacy to Nassau, and 588 went from Nassau to the Confederacy. Nassau imports...
juridically that 20 years of adverse possession would result in gaining ownership (on Crown land it was 60 years). In the 21st century, undocumented migrants can...
from main roads. The Sustainable Nassau Action Plan published a report in 2022 suggesting the number of new cars on New Providence over course of the...
(5,400 sq mi), with an estimated population of 330,000. Its capital is Nassau. Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap Download coordinates as: KML GPX...
inches) per 1,000 years. The waters of the Bahama Banks are very shallow; on the Great Bahama Bank they are generally no deeper than 25 meters (80 feet)...
have ceased operations are included and noted as defunct. Cruise ships in Nassau Harbour SkyBahamas Airlines Saab-Fairchild SF-340A Container ship MSC Lorena...
Global Information
Spain 
France
England