Atlas of Battles

battle, early modern

Battle of the Black River

Battle of the Black River was a battle fought on 13 April 1782 at Mosquitia, in what is now Honduras; it lasted 4 months. It was part of the Anglo-Spanish War, which ran from 1779 to 1783. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 1,400 regulars, marines and sailors against 1,180+ regulars, militia & Miskitos; 12 ships.

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Viceroy Matías de Gálvez y Gallardo
Viceroy Matías de Gálvez y Gallardo. Andrés López (fl. 1763-1811), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought13 April 1782lasted 4 months
WhereMosquitia, Honduras15.946N, 84.930W
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsSpainagainstKingdom of Great Britain
Part ofAnglo-Spanish War1779 to 1783

Where it sits in the Anglo-Spanish War

Capture of Río Hondo, 1779Action of 11 November 1779, 1779Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1780Capture of HMS St. Fermin, 1781Siege of Sant Felip, 1781Battle of Roatán, 1782Battle of the Black River, 1782Action of 6 September 1782, 178217791782Battle of the Black River, 1782
8 placed engagements of the Anglo-Spanish War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date13 April 1782
to 23 August 1782
PlaceMosquitia, Honduras
15.946N, 84.930W
KindBattle, early modern
Strength1,400 regulars, marines and sailors1,180+ regulars, militia & Miskitos; 12 ships
Casualties and losses60 killed; 100 wounded; 750 captured; 400 due to disease,; 1 ship capturedApprox. 50 casualties; unknown losses due to disease
Commanders
  • Matías de Gálvez y Gallardo
  • Tomás Julia
  • Edward Despard
Battle of the Black RiverBattle of the Black RiverBattle of RoatánBattle of RoatánTrujilloPuerto Lempira100 km15.946N, 84.930W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1782

Battle of the Black River is one of 2,009 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 6 in present-day Honduras.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q4872851, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Black River, revision 1370598348, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.