The British chose a practicable landing point away from the strongest resistance rather than attempt a direct opposed assault. Monckton's roughly 8,000 troops faced about 1,000 French regulars, 7,000 militia, and 4,000 privateers. Once ashore, the mixed British force assembled and advanced while Rodney's fleet threatened additional moves along the coast. Because French defenders had to keep watching the ships, they could not concentrate all their troops against the British army. This paired a secure landing with continuing strategic mobility: the fleet could shift pressure more quickly than French land forces could redeploy. Martinique fell between early January and 12 February, after which British forces took Saint Lucia, Grenada, Saint Vincent, and Tobago.
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Rodney's amphibious conquest of Martinique
Rodney and General Robert Monckton combine a secure landing, fleet mobility, and pressure on French defenses to capture Martinique and neighboring islands.