The Only Time in History When Men on Horseback Captured a Fleet of Ships
The French Revolutionary Wars lasted a decade, but their strangest moment may have lasted just a few days.
The Battle of Texel remains the only instance in history where a cavalry troop — horse-riding soldiers — captured a fleet of ships. It happened on this day in 1795, though it wasn’t exactly a battle. The winter of 1794-1795 was extremely cold in Holland, and when a storm rolled in, a Dutch fleet anchored in the strait of Marsdiep tried to shelter by Texel Island until the storm blew over, but then found themselves iced in, writes author David Blackmore. At the time, the French were fighting against the Dutch Republic as well as alongside revolutionaries within the Netherlands who supported the ideas of the French Revolution.Continue Reading (2 minute read)