The Probert Encyclopaedia of Warfare

BATTLE OF CRANEY ISLAND

The Battle of Craney Island was a disastrous British assault upon the approach to Norfolk, carried out on June the 3rd 1813 during the American War. Craney Island, situated in Chesapeake Bay was defended by 737 American soldiers under the leadership of General Robert B Taylor when a British fleet under Admiral Warren was despatched to capture the island. The American defenders opened fire with artillery immediately sinking five of the attacking assault barges, resulting the British making a hasty retreat. The British lost eighty-one troops in the attempt, the Americans none. The defeat frustrated British hopes of capturing Norfolk.
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