During interrogation the brother of the king, Lord High Admiral James, the Duke of York, inquired about a bullet hole in the top of Cornelis's hat, asking the captain to excuse the English for having damaged his clothing.

John Evelyn recounts how Cornelis was on 24 April 1665 released for his wit by Charles II of England in person: Cornelis having been admitted into the royal bedchamber, His Majesty gave him his hand to kiss, and restored him his liberty; asked many questions concerning the fight (it being the first blood drawn), his Majesty remembering the many civilities he had formerly received from his relations abroad — this was a reference to the support the Evertsen family had given Charles during his exile.

[3] After his return in 1665 Cornelis volunteered to fight in the Battle of Lowestoft aboard his father's flagship; in July he became captain with the Admiralty of Zealand.

That action, which commenced on the morning of March 12, along with the CRA seizing Dutch African Gold Coast slave trading forts and settlements, became the casus belli which started the war.

[8] At the Battle of Solebay Evertsen commanded the Swaenenburgh (44 guns) (the captured English frigate formerly HMS Saint Patrick[9]).

In 1673 (the Swaenenburgh still his flagship), along with Jacob Binckes, their combined squadron of nine warships raided the English and French Antilles from Barbados to Nevis capturing over a dozen vessels.

They reinforced Dutch Surinam with soldiers and supplies and retook Saba and Sint Eustatius which had been seized by the English earlier in the war.

Evertsen and Commodore Jacob Binckes arrived on August 7, 1673, with a combined fleet of twenty-three ships, carrying 1,600 men.

When Manning insisted to see Evertsen's commission, the Admiral replied that it was stuck in the barrel of a cannon, and that the English would soon see it in due course if they did not surrender the fort.

[15][14][16][17] In a proclamation, dated, August 14, 1673, signed by Commanders Evertsen and Binckes, they assured the colonists, "that o" intention is no wise to hurt or spoile any of the good inhabitants but to the contrary to gouerne them as true and ffaithful subjects, prouided they doe undertake nothing in prejudice of the Gouennent."

[21] New York was ceded by the Treaty of Westminster (1674) back to England in exchange for the English abandoning all forts, towns and claims to Suriname, making it exclusively Dutch, as well as ceding the tiny Banda spice islands of Ai and Run to the Dutch giving them a complete monopoly on the Spice Trade.

As commander of the Van, his force made contact with a far superior French force at the beginning of the battle and with only 20 warships he held off the onslaught of 75 French ships with no help from Lord Torrington (the supreme commander of the combined Anglo-Dutch fleet) who was unwilling to commit the main and rear of the battle line in engaging the enemy.

Evertsen saved the majority of his squadron outfoxing the French by suddenly anchoring while under full sail, allowing the enemy fleet to be carried away with the tidal stream before they realized what was happening.