Atlas of Battles

battle, early modern

Battle of Roatán

Battle of Roatán was a battle fought on 16 March 1782 at Roatán, in what is now Honduras. It was part of the Anglo-Spanish War, which ran from 1779 to 1783. The recorded result: Spanish victory; Spanish occupation of Roatán. Recorded strength: 600 regulars; 3 frigates against 81+ regulars.

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A map of the (now) Honduran isle of Roatán. The map was probably made by a Spanish military engineer after the 1782 Battle of Roatán.
A map of the (now) Honduran isle of Roatán. The map was probably made by a Spanish military engineer after the 1782 Battle of Roatán.. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought16 March 1782
WhereRoatán, Honduras16.383N, 86.418W
OutcomeSpanish victory; Spanish occupation of Roatán
BelligerentsSpainagainstKingdom of Great Britain
Casualties and losses2 killed; 4 woundedand2 wounded; 81 captured
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 Roatán, 1782
8 placed engagements of the Anglo-Spanish War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date16 March 1782
PlaceRoatán, Honduras
16.383N, 86.418W
KindBattle, early modern
Strength600 regulars; 3 frigates81+ regulars
Casualties and losses2 killed; 4 wounded2 wounded; 81 captured
Commanders
  • Matías de Gálvez y Gallardo
  • Gabriel Herbias
  • Enrique MacDonnell
  • Edward Marcus Despard
Battle of RoatánBattle of RoatánBattle of the Black RiverBattle of San Fernando de OmoaCapture of Cayo CocinaBattle of St. George's CayeBattle of the Black RiverBattle of San Fernando de OmoaSan Pedro Sula100 km16.383N, 86.418W
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 Roatán is one of 2,126 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 7 in present-day Honduras.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q4872193, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Roatán, revision 1370587600, 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.