Falklands Expedition: Difference between revisions

Falklands Expedition
	; A map of historic Puerto Soledad.
Date	December 28, 1831 – January 22, 1832
Location	Port Louis, Falkland Islands
Result	Americans rescued; Suspects captured; Island evacuated; Temporary severing of Argentina–United States relations; Indirectly resulted in reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands;
Belligerents
United States	Argentina
Commanders and leaders
Silas Duncan	Matthew Brisbane (POW)
Strength
1 sloop	Unknown
Casualties and losses
None	7 captured
	38 colonists evacuated

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The Falklands Expedition occurred in late 1831 when the United States Navy warship USS Lexington was dispatched to investigate the seizure of three whalers at the settlement of Puerto Luis founded in the ruins of the former Spanish penal colony of Puerto Soledad by Luis Vernet. Vernet had sought to control sealing in the islands and seized the ships alleging they had violated his regulations controlling sealing in the islands (US sealers did not recognise his authority and had ignored them). Finding one of the ships being outfitted with guns, Captain Duncan seized six of the senior officers in the settlement on charges of piracy. The damage done to the settlement is disputed. Duncan reports spiking the guns of the settlement and a powder store. Vernet was to later claim his settlement was ransacked.

The settlers complained of the conditions they were living in and asserted that Vernet had misled them. Duncan offered passage to the mainland and the majority of settlers chose to leave, leaving behind a small party. In late 1832, Argentine warships challenged American sealers in the area again, prompting the US consul to consider a second punitive expedition with orders to sink the Argentine ship ARA Sarandi. This prompted the British to reassert sovereignty over the islands. Historically, the Argentine government has disputed the rights to the islands with the United Kingdom and it culminated in the Falklands War of 1982.^[1]

References

^ Silas Duncan and the Falklands' Incident

External links

SILAS DUNCAN (1788 - 1834)

[1] Silas Duncan and the Falklands' Incident

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|US Naval action}}
-{{Expand Spanish|Ataque del USS Lexington a Puerto Soledad|date=January 2015}}
+{{Infobox military conflict
-{{operational plan
-|name =Falklands Expedition
+| conflict    = Falklands Expedition
-|image =[[File:Puerto-Soledad.PNG|250px]]
+| image       = [[File:Puerto-Soledad.PNG|250px]]
-|caption =''A map of historic Puerto Soledad.''
+| caption     = ''A map of historic Puerto Soledad.''
+| date        = December 28, 1831 – January 22, 1832
-|scope =
+| place       = [[Port Louis, Falkland Islands]]
-|planned =
+| result      =
-|planned_by =
+* Americans rescued
-|objective = Investigate reports of [[piracy]]
+* Suspects captured
-|executed =December 1831
+* Island evacuated
-|executed_by ={{flag|United States}}
+* Temporary severing of [[Argentina–United States relations]]
-|outcome = Evacuation of [[Argentina|Argentine]] colonists from the [[Falkland Islands]]
+* Indirectly resulted in [[reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (1833)|reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands]]
-|casualties =
+| combatants_header =
+| combatant1  = {{flag|United States|1822}}
+| combatant2  = {{flag|Argentina|1829}}
+| commander1  = [[Silas Duncan]]
+| commander2  = [[Matthew Brisbane]]{{POW}}
+| strength1   = 1 [[Sloop-of-war|sloop]]
+| strength2   = Unknown
+| casualties1 = None
+| casualties2 = 7 captured
+| notes       = 38 colonists evacuated
+| campaignbox =
 }}
-The '''Falklands Expedition''' occurred in late 1831 when the [[United States]] [[US Navy|Navy]] warship [[USS Lexington (1825)|USS ''Lexington'']] was dispatched to investigate the plunder of two [[whaler]]s at the small [[Argentina|Argentine]] [[colony]] of [[Puerto Soledad]]. American forces discovered that the settlers were suffering from [[famine]] so they were evacuated in the ''Lexington'' to the mainland. The Argentine colony was then abandoned which left the islands unsettled and open for [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (1833)|acquisition]]. Historically, the Argentine government has disputed the rights to the islands with the [[United Kingdom]] and it culminated in the [[Falklands War]] of 1982.<ref>[http://www.ussduncan.org/silas_page13.htm Silas Duncan and the Falklands' Incident]</ref>
+The '''Falklands Expedition''' occurred in late 1831 when the [[United States]] [[US Navy|Navy]] warship [[USS Lexington (1825)|USS ''Lexington'']] was dispatched to investigate the seizure of three [[whaler]]s at the settlement of [[Port Louis, Falkland Islands|Puerto Luis]] founded in the ruins of the former Spanish penal colony of [[Puerto Soledad]] by [[Luis Vernet]].  Vernet had sought to control sealing in the islands and seized the ships alleging they had violated his regulations controlling sealing in the islands (US sealers did not recognise his authority and had ignored them). Finding one of the ships being outfitted with guns, Captain Duncan seized six of the senior officers in the settlement on charges of piracy.  The damage done to the settlement is disputed.  Duncan reports spiking the guns of the settlement and a powder store.  Vernet was to later claim his settlement was ransacked.
+The settlers complained of the conditions they were living in and asserted that Vernet had misled them.  Duncan offered passage to the mainland and the majority of settlers chose to leave, leaving behind a small party.  In late 1832, Argentine warships challenged American sealers in the area again, prompting the US consul to consider a second punitive expedition with orders to sink the Argentine ship [[ARA Sarandí (1826)|ARA ''Sarandi'']].  This prompted the [[United Kingdom|British]] to [[Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (1833)|reassert sovereignty over the islands]]. Historically, the Argentine government has disputed the rights to the islands with the [[United Kingdom]] and it culminated in the [[Falklands War]] of 1982.<ref>[http://www.ussduncan.org/silas_page13.htm Silas Duncan and the Falklands' Incident]</ref>
-The attack of the USS Lexington to Puerto Soledad, also knowm as Incident Lexington, took place on December 31, 1831, when Silas Duncan, captain of the US Navy, landed on the establishment of Puerto Soledad, in the Islas Malvinas (Falklands Islands for the British) under administration of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, now Argentina. After reducing the authorities, sacked the government offices and private homes, irreparably destroying colony Luis Vernet, and violating the Monroe Doctrine for the first time in history. The Lexington Incident took great historical importance because the process then culminated with the British occupation of the islands
-After the attack, from 1832 to 1843, the two countries did not maintain formal diplomatic relations.
 ==See also==
@@ Line 28: / Line 37: @@
 {{reflist}}
+==External links==
-[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1831|Falklands]]
+*[https://robertson.org/FC_Silas_Duncan.html SILAS DUNCAN (1788 - 1834)]
+[[Category:Maritime incidents in December 1831|Falklands]]
 [[Category:United States Navy in the 19th century]]
 [[Category:History of the Falkland Islands]]