Raid on Sumatra
| Raid on Sumatra | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War | |||||||
Admiralty Chart of Dutch Padang on west coast of Sumatra. Inset shows Poolo Chinco. Both surrendered to the British on 18 August 1781 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| British East India Company | Dutch East India Company | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Henry Botham | Jacob van Heemskerk | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
6 ships 100 troops |
2 fortifications 800 troops | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | All forts, stores and vessels captured | ||||||
The Raid on Sumatra was a military event which took place during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War in August 1781. A fleet of the British East India Company set forth to capture the Dutch settlements on Sumatra including Padang. The raid which was more a bluff, was highly successful and netted much profit for the East India Company; in addition the raid also compelled the Dutch to give trading rights to the British after war.