Manila Ransomed
The British Assault on Manila in the Seven Years War

By Nicholas Tracy

Subjects: British History, Maritime Studies

About the Book
Contents
Reviews
Author Biography

In 1762, at the end of the Seven Years War, a small but technically proficient force of British Army regulars and East India Company soldiers, supported by the ships and men of the East Indies Squadron of the Royal Navy, sailed from Madras to capture Manila. Commanded by General William Draper and Vice-Admiral Samuel Cornish, they captured the greatest Spanish fortress in the western Pacific and attempted to establish a trade with China.

List of illustrations, vii; Preface, ix; Portraits, xi; Maps, xiii; 1. The Plan, 1; 2. The Siege of Manila, 29; 3. The Occupation, 57; 4. The Reckoning, 109; Reference notes; List of abbreviations employed, 129; Reference notes, 130; Bibliography of sources consulted; Documentary sources, 144; Published contemporary records, 147; Reference works, 148; Analytic works, 148; Unpublished theses, 150; Index, 151.

“A fine treatment of a neglected event, explained within the context of the times by a scholar who is intimately familiar with the sources and the issues." (The Northern Mariner) “This a short book . . . but one that is nevertheless effective and the product of much scholarship, including archival research in both Britain and Spain.” (War in History, vol. 5, No. 2, 1998) “Nicholas Tracy, making use of a large number of British and some Spanish documents, has in Manila Ransomed written what is probably the definitive account in English of the British capture and occupation of Manila during the Seven Years War. Manila Ransomed is a worthy addition to the Exeter Maritime Series.” (Mariner's Mirror, vol. 82, 1996)

Nicholas Tracy is Adjunct Professor at the University of New Brunswick. He has undertaken numerous studies for the Canadian Departments of National Defence and of External Affairs and his published work includes books and articles on British naval history, international affairs and strategic studies.

Publication Details:

BIC Code:

1FMP, 3JF, JWL

Imprint:

University of Exeter Press