Battle of the James River (1667)

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of the James River took place in June 1667 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. A Dutch force of five ships led by Abraham Crijnssen sailed into the James River in Virginia searching for English ships. Merchant ships filled with tobacco were captured, plundered, and burned along with the escort Elizabeth.

During the Second Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch Republic dispatched Admiral Abraham Crijnssen with a fleet of seven ships on December 30, 1666. His mission was to recapture the Dutch colonies in the West Indies and inflict maximum damage on the enemy in the Atlantic region. The expedition was initiated by Pieter de Huybert, the Grand Pensionary of Zeeland, who hoped to force the enemy into peace negotiations through devastation and ruin. Crijnssen's fleet consisted of three frigates, a yacht, a hoy, a fluyt, and a snauw, crewed by 750 sailors and 225 soldiers.

By sailing along the west coast of Africa, Crijnssen reached the "Wild Coast" of South America in early 1667. On February 25, he Captured Surinam. He stayed in the colony for another month to establish governance before departing with five ships to reclaim Berbice and Tobago, bringing both islands back under Dutch control.

Via Martinique, Crijnssen set course for Guadeloupe, attempting to intercept an English war fleet near Nevis on May 20, 1667. Despite joining forces with a French squadron, their efforts proved unsuccessful. Disappointed by the lack of commitment from the French, Crijnssen redirected his course northward.

Fate was kind to Crijnssen. Without being discovered he arrived at the Chesapeake Bay in June 1667. One heavily armed merchantman was taken immediately, as was a ship sailing out of the Hudson River. Those on board told him about a large number of ships loaded with tobacco upstream on James River would lie. With the English flag in the top as a stratagem, the Zeelanders went up the river and found twenty ships there guarded by the English warship Elizabeth. The totally surprised Englishman was overpowered, as well as eighteen merchantmen. About five or six thousand tons of tobacco were divided among eleven ships and van provide a prize crew. With this fleet, the journey home accepted.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of the James River (1667) lies on Lower Old Red Sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of the James River (1667)

Heights of Brae, chambered cairn 375m NNW of Firth View

Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~3.9 mi

Heights of Brae is a Neolithic chambered cairn located in Ross-shire, standing 375 metres north-north-west of Firth View. Built during the Neolithic period, this stone monument represents one of Scotland's earliest substantial architectural achievements, constructed by farming communities who set…

David's Fort,homestead moat,Balavil Wood

Scheduled monument · ~4.4 mi

David's Fort is a homestead moat in Balavil Wood, Ross-shire, in the Scottish Highlands. The monument consists of a defensive earthwork surrounding a residential enclosure, typical of medieval and early modern Scottish domestic fortifications. Such moats provided both practical protection and a v…

Muir of Conon,chambered cairn 630m ENE of East End

Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~5 mi

Muir of Conon is a Neolithic chambered cairn located in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands, situated 630 metres to the east-north-east of East End. The monument occupies a landscape underlain by Middle Old Red Sandstone bedrock, a formation of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone dat…

Dingwall Castle, 20m SW of The Castle House

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~5 mi

Dingwall Castle is a medieval fortification located in Ross-shire, Scotland, situated approximately twenty metres south-west of The Castle House. The castle represents an important stronghold of the medieval period, serving as a seat of power in the northern Highlands and demonstrating the strate…

Dun Fhamhair,fort

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~5.9 mi

Dun Fhamhair is a Iron Age fort located in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The fort sits upon bedrock belonging to the Loch Eil Group, a psammite formation dating to the Neoproterozoic era. This sandy metamorphic stone would have provided a firm foundation for the defensive structures built here durin…

Windhill,standing stone N of

Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~6.1 mi

Windhill is a Bronze Age standing stone in Inverness-shire, northern Scotland. The monument stands upon bedrock formed during the Early Devonian period, when this region lay beneath ancient seas and was subsequently shaped by substantial geological processes. The underlying Old Red Sandstone comp…

Other Jacobite Risings Battles

Battles near Battle of the James River (1667)

Explore the landscape around this battlefield

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in the UK — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

• Battle of the James River (1667) · Wikipedia