Editing Invasion of Java (1811) (section)

==Invasion==
[[File:The Boats of H.M.S Sloop Procris (10 guns) engaging French Gunboats off the mouth of the Indramayo, Java.jpg|thumb|Captain Robert Maunsell capturing French Gunboats off the mouth of the [[Indramayu|Indramayo]], July 1811]]

The British force, initially under the command of Vice-Admiral [[William O'Bryen Drury]], and then after his death in March 1811, under Commodore [[William Robert Broughton]], assembled at bases in India in early 1811.<ref name="James26">{{cite book |last=James|title=The Naval History of Great Britain|volume=6|page=26}}</ref> The first division of troops, under the command of Colonel [[Rollo Gillespie]], left [[Madras]] on 18 April, escorted by a squadron under Captain [[Christopher Cole (Royal Navy officer)|Christopher Cole]] aboard the 36-gun {{HMS|Caroline|1795|6}}. They arrived at [[Penang]] on 18 May, and on 21 May the second division, led by Major-General [[Frederick Augustus Wetherall]], which had left [[Calcutta]] on 21 April, escorted by a squadron under Captain [[Fleetwood Pellew]], aboard the 38-gun {{HMS|Phaeton|1782|6}} joined them.<ref name="James26"/> The two squadrons sailed together, arriving at [[Malacca]] on 1 June, where they made contact with a division of troops from [[Bengal]] under Lieutenant-General [[Samuel Auchmuty (British Army officer)|Sir Samuel Auchmuty]], escorted by Commodore Broughton aboard the 74-gun {{HMS|Illustrious|1803|6}}. Auchmuty and Broughton became the military and naval commanders in chief respectively of the expedition.<ref name="James26"/> 

With the force now assembled Auchmuty had roughly 11,960 men under his command, the previous strength having been reduced by approximately 1,200 by sickness. Those too ill to travel on were landed at Malacca, and on 11 June the fleet sailed onwards. After calling at various points en route, the force arrived off [[Indramayu]] on 30 June.<ref name="James27">{{cite book |last=James|title=The Naval History of Great Britain|volume=6|page=27}}</ref> On 31 July Captain Maunsell commanding the sloop the ''Procris'', discovered a convoy of 40 or 50 [[proas]], escorted by six French gunboats in the mouth of the Indromayo river. Launching boats they were able to board and capture five of the French gunboats in quick succession; the sixth blew up. Meanwhile, however, the convoy escaped up the shallow muddy river.<ref>{{cite web |title=Captain Robert Maunsell capturing French gunboats off Java, July 1811 |url=https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-15631 |website=Royal Greenwich Museums |access-date=27 February 2022}}</ref>

There the fleet waited for a time for intelligence concerning the Dutch strength. Colonel Mackenzie, an officer who had been dispatched to reconnoitre the coast, suggested a landing site at [[Cilincing]], an undefended fishing village {{convert|12|mi|km}} east of Batavia.<ref name="James31">{{cite book |last=James |title=The Naval History of Great Britain |volume=6 |page=31}}</ref> The fleet anchored off the Marandi River on 4 August, and began landing troops at 14:00.<ref name="Woodman107">{{cite book |last=Woodman|title=The Victory of Seapower|page=107}}</ref> The defenders were taken by surprise, and nearly six hours passed before Franco-Dutch troops arrived to oppose the landing, by which time 8,000 British troops had been landed.<ref name="Woodman107"/><ref name="James32">{{cite book |last=James|title=The Naval History of Great Britain|volume=6|page=32}}</ref> A brief skirmish took place between the advance guards, and the Franco-Dutch forces were repulsed.<ref name="James32"/>

===Fall of Batavia===

On learning of the successful British landing, Janssens withdrew from Batavia with his army, which amounted to between 8,000 and 10,090 men, and garrisoned themselves in Fort Cornelis.<ref name="James32"/> The British advanced on Batavia, reaching it on 8 August and finding it undefended. The city surrendered to the forces under Colonel Gillespie, after Broughton and Auchmuty had offered promises to respect private property.<ref name="James32"/><ref name="Woodman108">{{cite book |last=Woodman|title=The Victory of Seapower|page=108}}</ref> The British were disappointed to find that part of the town had been set on fire, and many warehouses full of goods such as coffee and sugar had been looted or flooded, depriving them of [[prize money]].<ref name=Fregosi321/> On 9 August 1811 Rear-Admiral [[Robert Stopford (Royal Navy officer)|Robert Stopford]] arrived and superseded Commodore Broughton, who was judged to be too cautious.<ref name=Fregosi321>{{cite book|last=Fregosi|title=Dreams of Empire|page=321}}</ref><ref name="James33">{{cite book |last=James|title=The Naval History of Great Britain|volume=6|page=33}}</ref> Stopford had orders to supersede Rear-Admiral [[Sir Albemarle Bertie, 1st Baronet|Albemarle Bertie]] as [[Cape of Good Hope Station|commander in chief at the Cape]], but on his arrival he learnt of Vice-Admiral Drury's death, and the planned expedition to Java, and so travelled on.<ref name="Woodman108"/>

===British advances===
General Janssens had always intended to rely on the tropical climate and disease to weaken the British army rather than oppose a landing.<ref name=Fregosi321/> The British now advanced on Janssens's stronghold, reducing enemy positions as they went. The Dutch military and naval station at Weltevreeden fell to the British after an attack on 10 August. British losses did not exceed 100 while the defenders lost over 300.<ref name=yourarchives>{{Cite web |url=http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Java_Expedition_1811 |title=nationalarchives site |access-date=2010-01-28 |archive-date=2012-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305085009/http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Java_Expedition_1811 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In one skirmish, one of Janssens's French subordinates, General Alberti, was killed when he mistook some British riflemen{{cn|date=August 2023}} in their green uniforms for Dutch troops. Weltevreeden was six miles from Fort Cornelis and on 20 August the British began preparing fortifications of their own, some 600 yards from the Franco-Dutch positions.<ref name="James33"/>

===Siege of Fort Cornelis===
[[File:Post Meester Cornelis Batavia 1744.jpg|thumb|left|Diagram of Fort Cornelis, Batavia.]]
Fort Cornelis measured {{convert|1|mi|m}} in length by between {{convert|600|yd|m}} and {{convert|800|yd|m}} in breadth. Two hundred and eighty cannon were mounted on its walls and bastions. Its defenders were a mixed bag of Dutch, French and East Indies troops. Most of the locally raised East Indian troops were of doubtful loyalty and effectiveness, although there were some determined artillerymen from [[Sulawesi|Celebes]]. The captured station at Weltevreeden proved an ideal base from which the British could lay siege to Fort Cornelis. On 14 August the British completed a trail through the forests and pepper plantations to allow them to bring up heavy guns and munitions, and opened siege works on the north side of the Fort. For several days, there were exchanges of fire between the fort and the British batteries, manned mainly by [[Royal Marines]] and sailors from [[HMS Nisus (1810)|HMS ''Nisus'']].<ref>{{cite book|last=Fregosi|title=Dreams of Empire|page=322}}</ref>

A sortie from the fort early on the morning of 22 August briefly seized three of the British batteries, until they were driven back by some of the Bengal Sepoys and the [[69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot|69th Foot]].<ref name=yourarchives/> The two sides then exchanged heavy fire, faltering on 23 August, but resuming on 24 August.<ref name="Woodman108"/><ref name="James34">{{cite book |last=James|title=The Naval History of Great Britain|volume=6|page=34}}</ref> The Franco-Dutch position worsened when a deserter helped General Rollo Gillespie to capture two of the redoubts by surprise. Gillespie, who was suffering from fever, collapsed, but recovered to storm a third redoubt. The French General Jauffret was taken prisoner. Two Dutch officers, Major Holsman and Major Muller, sacrificed themselves to blow up the redoubt's magazine.<ref name=Fregosi323>{{cite book|last=Fregosi|title=Dreams of Empire|page=323}}</ref>

The three redoubts were nevertheless the key to the defence, and their loss demoralised most of Janssens's East Indian troops. Many Dutch troops also defected, repudiating their allegiance to the French. The British stormed the fort at midnight on 25 August, capturing it after a bitter fight.<ref name="Woodman108"/><ref name="James34"/> The siege cost the British 630 casualties. The defenders' casualties were heavier, but only those among officers were fully recorded. Forty of them were killed, sixty-three wounded and 230 captured, including two French generals.<ref name=Fregosi323/> Nearly 5,000 men were captured, including three general officers, 34 field officers, 70 captains and 150 subaltern officers.<ref name="James34"/> 1,000 men were found dead in the fort, with more being killed in the subsequent pursuit.<ref name="James34"/> Janssens escaped to [[Buitenzorg]] with a few survivors from his army, but was forced to abandon the town when the British approached.<ref name="James34"/>

Total British losses in the campaign after the fall of Fort Cornelis amounted to 141 killed, 733 wounded and 13 missing from the Army, and 15 killed, 45 wounded and three missing from the Navy; a total of 156 killed, 788 wounded and 16 missing by 27 August.<ref name="James34"/>

===Later actions===
Royal Navy ships continued to patrol off the coast, occasionally making raids on targets of opportunity. On 4 September two French 40-gun frigates, the [[French frigate Méduse (1810)|''Méduse'']] and the [[French frigate Nymphe (1811)|''Nymphe'']] attempted to escape from [[Surabaya]]. They were pursued by the 36-gun {{HMS|Bucephalus|1808|6}} and the 18-gun HMS ''Barracouta'', until ''Barracouta'' lost contact.<ref name="James35">{{cite book |last=James|title=The Naval History of Great Britain|volume=6|page=35}}</ref><ref name="Woodman109">{{cite book |last=Woodman|title=The Victory of Seapower|page=109}}</ref> ''Bucephalus'' pursued them alone until 12 September, when the French frigates came about and attempted to overhaul her. ''Bucephalus''{{'}}s commander, Captain Charles Pelly, turned about and tried to lead the pursuing French over shoals, but seeing the danger, they hauled off and abandoned the chase, returning to Europe.<ref name="James36">{{cite book |last=James|title=The Naval History of Great Britain|volume=6|page=36}}</ref><ref name="Woodman110">{{cite book |last=Woodman|title=The Victory of Seapower|page=110}}</ref>

On 31 August a force from the frigates {{HMS|Hussar|1807|6}}, {{HMS|Phaeton|1782|6}} and {{HMS|Sir Francis Drake|1805|6}}, and the sloop HMS ''Dasher'' captured the fort and town of [[Sumenep]], on [[Madura Island]] in the face of a large Dutch defending force.<ref name="Woodman110"/> The rest of Madura and several surrounding islands placed themselves under the British soon afterwards.<ref name="James38">{{cite book |last=James|title=The Naval History of Great Britain|volume=6|page=38}}</ref> Suspecting Janssens to be in [[Cirebon]], a force was landed there from {{HMS|Lion|1777|6}}, {{HMS|Nisus|1810|6}}, [[French frigate President|HMS ''President'']], {{HMS|Phoebe|1795|6}} and {{HMS|Hesper|1809|6}} on 4 September, causing the defenders to promptly surrender. General Jamelle, a member of Janssens's staff, was captured in the fall of the town.<ref name="Woodman110"/><ref name="James38"/> The town and fort of Taggal surrendered on 12 September after {{HMS|Nisus|1810|6}} and {{HMS|Phoebe|1795|6}} arrived offshore.<ref name="James39">{{cite book |last=James|title=The Naval History of Great Britain|volume=6|page=39}}</ref>

While the navy took control of coastal towns, the army pushed on into the interior of the island. Janssens had been reinforced on 3 September by 1,200 mounted irregulars under Prince Prang Wedono and other Javanese militia. On 16 September [[Salatiga]] fell to the British.<ref name="James39"/> Janssens attacked a British force under Colonel [[Samuel Gibbs (officer)|Samuel Gibbs]] that day, but was repulsed. Many of the native militia killed their Dutch officers in the ensuing rout.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fregosi|title=Dreams of Empire|page=324}}</ref> With his effective force reduced to a handful of men, Janssens surrendered two days later, on 18 September.<ref name="Woodman110"/><ref name="James39"/>