Qualla: Raid on Saint-Paul

Raid on Saint-Paul: Introduction

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Before dawn on September 21, 1809, the British frigate Nereide entered the bay of Saint-Paul on the French colony of Isle Bonaparte -- the island we now call Reunion -- and landed 368 soldiers without being seen from shore. By the time the sun was fully up, the batteries overlooking the harbor had been seized, the French frigate Caroline was under fire from an entire British squadron, and warehouses on the docks were burning. Inside those warehouses: over 500,000 pounds worth of silk that Caroline had captured from British merchant ships. The raiders chose to destroy it all rather than leave it. The entire operation was over in three days.

Read more: Raid on Saint-Paul on Qualla

Raid on Saint-Paul: Frigates and Silk Routes

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The French colonies of Isle de France and Isle Bonaparte -- modern Mauritius and Reunion -- served as fortified bases from which French frigates raided British trade routes across the Indian Ocean during the Napoleonic Wars. In late 1808, a squadron of four frigates under Commodo...

Read more: Raid on Saint-Paul on Qualla

Raid on Saint-Paul: A Lesson from 1806

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Rowley's plan was shaped by failure. Three years earlier, in November 1806, British warships had attacked Saint-Paul's harbor without infantry support, targeting the frigate Semillante. Neither ship could pass the heavy shore batteries, and the attack was abandoned. This time, Ro...

Read more: Raid on Saint-Paul on Qualla

Raid on Saint-Paul: Three Days at Saint-Paul

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The landing at Pointe des Galets went undetected. By dawn, the British had stormed the harbor batteries, and Rowley's warships swept into the bay, pouring fire into Caroline and every vessel in range. The French ships were outnumbered and outgunned. Rowley's crews refloated groun...

Read more: Raid on Saint-Paul on Qualla

Raid on Saint-Paul: Rehearsal for Invasion

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The British withdrew on September 23 with their prizes and their experience. The raid had accomplished everything Rowley intended: the recapture of valuable East Indiamen reduced the impact of French raiding in the Indian Ocean, and the loss of Caroline weakened Hamelin's squadro...

Read more: Raid on Saint-Paul on Qualla