from the history book

• During the War of Independence, The Bahamas remained loyal to the British government
• The first mission of the small American navy towards The Bahamas in March 1776 aimed to capture all the gunpowder in New Providence to use it in the war on the mainland
• Rebels led by Commodore Ezekial Hopkins approached Nassau Harbour but fled at the sound of cannon, landed at East Point, and captured Fort Montagu without a fight
• Bahamian Governor Browne loaded ammunition supplies on a fast schooner and shipped them out of the colony to prevent the Americans from taking them
• Fort Nassau surrendered to the Americans the following day, who took away guns and any remaining gunpowder
• Captain Rascam led another American attack on Fort Nassau, easily overpowered the sentries, and took the fort
• Colonel Andrew Deveaux of East Florida, a supporter of the British, devised a plan to capture Fort Montagu with a handful of ragged militia and five privateers
• Deveaux's plan involved rowing ashore in sight of the Spanish, hiding in the boat, and repeating the manoeuvre to create the illusion of a larger force, leading to the capture of Fort Montagu
• Deveaux's second plan involved creating the illusion of a large army at Society Hill to convince the Spanish to surrender, which they did, not realizing that the Treaty of Versailles had already returned the Bahama islands to Britain
• Loyalists were settlers in North America who considered themselves more British than American and remained loyal to Britain during the War of Independence
• During the War of Independence, The Bahamas remained loyal to the British government
• The first mission of the small American navy towards The First Bahamas in March 1776 aimed to capture all the gunpowder in New Providence to use it in the war on the mainland
• Rebels led by Commodore Ezekial Hopkins approached Nassau Harbour but fled at the sound of cannon, landed at East Point, and captured Fort Montagu without a fight
• Bahamian Governor Browne loaded ammunition supplies on a fast schooner and shipped them out of the colony to prevent the Americans from taking them
• Fort Nassau surrendered to the Americans the following day, who took away guns and any remaining gunpowder
• Captain Rascam led another American attack on New Providence, capturing Fort Nassau with 28 men landing a mile west of the fort and easily overpowering the sentries
• Colonel Andrew Deveaux of East Florida, a supporter of the British, took action to recapture Fort Montagu from the Spanish with a handful of ragged militia and five privateers
• Deveaux used a trick to deceive the Spanish into thinking he had more men than he actually did, leading to the surrender of the Spanish forces
• The Treaty of Versailles, signed two months before the events, had already returned the Bahama islands to Britain, unbeknownst to Deveaux and the Spanish
• Loyalists were settlers in North America who considered themselves more British than American and remained loyal to Britain during the War of Independence