Raid on America 1: Overview of the Anglo-Dutch Wars

The History of the Americans

This is the first of three episodes about a daring Dutch raid on the West Indies and the English colonies of North America during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. The extended raid, led by Commander Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest of the Admiralty of the Dutch province of Zeeland and a privateer named Jacob Benckes, was a sideshow in that war, yet its consequences were far-reaching. Among other accomplishments, Evertsen, known to his fans as Kees the Devil, and Benckes, “subdued three English colonies, depopulated a fourth, captured or destroyed nearly 200 enemy vessels, inflicted a serious injury upon the Virginia tobacco trade, wiped out the English Newfoundland fisheries, and caused unending panic in the New England colonies.” They recovered New York for the Dutch to the great if fleeting joy of much of its citizenry, and so demoralized the English that Parliament turned against the war and forced Charles II to sue for peace.

The story is best understood in the context of the Anglo-Dutch Wars, which have been in the background of many of our episodes. This episode, therefore, is a primer on the first two Anglo-Dutch wars, and the run-up to the third, which will feature in the next episode.

Map of the Low Countries at the relevant time (note the corrider denoted the “Bishopbric of Leige” connecting the Dutch Republic to France):

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Useful background episode: https://thehistoryoftheamericans.com/the-fall-of-new-amsterdam-and-the-founding-of-new-york/

Selected references for this episode (Commission earned for Amazon purchases through the episode notes on our website)

Donald G. Shomette and Robert D. Haslach, Raid on America: The Dutch Naval Campaign of 1672-1674

C. R. Boxer, “Some Second Thoughts on the Third Anglo-Dutch War, 1672-1674,” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 1969.

Third Anglo-Dutch War (Wikipedia)

Four Days Battle (Wikipedia)

Raid on the Medway (Wikipedia)