Battle of Carrickfergus (1760)

The Battle of Carrickfergus took place in February 1760 in Carrickfergus, Kingdom of Ireland during the Seven Years' War. A force of 600 French troops landed under the command of the Privateer François Thurot, overwhelmed the small garrison of the town, and captured its castle.[1]

Battle of Carrickfergus
Part of the Seven Years' War
North-eastern side of Carrickfergus Castle
Date 21–26 February 1760 Location Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Ireland 54.71345°N 5.80629°W / 54.71345; -5.80629 Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Ireland
Commanders and leaders
François Thurot	John Jennings
Strength
600	200
Casualties and losses
1 wounded	200 captured

When word of the capture reached Dublin, a small force of dragoons was despatched by the Lord Lieutenant Duke of Bedford, who feared, incorrectly, that it was a feint to draw British forces to the north while a main French force was to attack Cork or Dublin. Therefore, the bulk of the Royal Irish Army remained where it was rather than marching to the assistance of Ulster.

Thurot held the town for five days, menacing nearby Belfast and demanding supplies and a ransom. In the face of the mobilisation of large numbers of local militia under General Strode, and the appearance of a Royal Navy squadron off the coast, Thurot re-embarked his force and departed the town.[2]

Thurot was subsequently killed during the Battle of Bishops Court, but his feat in landing on enemy soil was widely hailed in France and he became a national hero, partly because his perceived daring was in sharp contrast to the incompetence shown by French naval officers at the recent Battle of Quiberon Bay.[3]