Capture of the Bahamas (1782)

Capture of the Bahamas
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Map of the Bahamas
Date May 1782 Location Nassau, Bahamas 25°03′35.84″N 77°20′42.06″W / 25.0599556°N 77.3450167°W / 25.0599556; -77.3450167 Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	Spain
Commanders and leaders
John Maxwell	Juan Manuel Cagigal y Monserrat Francisco de Miranda
Strength
23 ships 1,400+[1]	59 ships 1,500 sailors 1,588 regulars 50 light infantry 202 militia[2]
Casualties and losses
1,412 captured 77 merchant ships captured 1 frigate captured 4 brigantines captured 5 schooners captured 2 sloops captured 11 privateer ships captured[3][4]	none[5]

The Capture of the Bahamas took place in May 1782 during the American Revolutionary War when a Spanish force under the command of Juan Manuel Cagigal arrived on the island of New Providence near Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. The British commander at Nassau, John Maxwell decided to surrender the island without a fight when confronted by the superior force.