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Highlights
of The Second Anglo Dutch War (1664-1667)
(Source: The
United States and World Sea Power.
Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1955. )
The
Second Anglo Dutch War resulted from two incidents: the first in 1663
when an English squadron captured two Dutch posts in West Africa (because
the Dutch were underselling the English in the slave trade), and the
second incident, the taking of New Amsterdam in 1664.
The
victories in West Africa and New Amsterdam were followed in 1665 by
another victory at Lowestoft by James, Duke of York (the future James
II). However, the Dutch Admiral de Ruyter, Maarten Tromp's
protege and one of the greatest seamen of his time (who had not been
at Lowestoft), captured a merchant fleet and engaged the British in
the Four
Days Battle. (English)
The
battle ended only because of the exhaustion of supplies and both sides
claimed victory.... The English lost 5,000 men and 20 ships, the Dutch
suffered less than half the English casualties and lost seven ships -
however, de Ruyter had withdrawn first.
Several
English victories followed, including the infamous and truly
scandalous sack of Terschelling by admiral Holmes, No military purpose
was served by looting and ransacking the entire island and killing
many of the civilian population. Charles II financial position
strained by the war and further weakend by the plague in 1665 and the
London fire of 1666, he cut back naval operations. Therefore there was
little opposition when the Dutch retaliated in 1667 by attacking Medway,
(English)
or
Dutch
version, wreaking havoc on the English fleet. De Ruyter
controlled the southern coast of England until the Treaty of Breda was
signed on July 31, 1667.
Henry
Morgan, of pirate fame, was also a figure in the Second Anglo-Dutch
War. Morgan commanded the British buccaneers in the Caribbean. During
the war Morgan captured Camagey, Cuba, and sacked Portobelo on the
Isthmus of Panama. In 1671 Morgan, with 36 ships and nearly 2,000
buccaneers, defeated a large Spanish force to take the City of Panama.
If you look at the chronology you'll note this was done, in fact,
after the Second Dutch War was over. Morgan was sent in chains to
England. However, because of increasing tension with the Netherlands
and the outbreak of the Third
Dutch War, Morgan was released, knighted and made
governor of Jamaica.
.........................................
The
Dutch historian, Dr G. Rommelse, has published an extensive study of
the political, economic and military situation of the time, The
Second Anglo-Dutch War, (1665 - 1667)
See chapter <Bibliotheek> Nr.:
63.
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