[3] The Dutch believed that the capture of Martinique would enable them to quickly conquer France's other Caribbean colonies and rebuild their own war-ravaged network of West Indian slave plantations, giving them dominance over the entire Lesser Antilles.

[11] The most significant military presence was thus the warship Les Jeux, but this was a small frigate, barely 100 feet from bow to stern, armed with just twenty-eight cannons, and carrying a crew of only 150 men.

[12] The Dutch fleet arrived off Martinique on the afternoon of 19 July 1674, but calm conditions prevented them from starting their attack that day, and allowed the French to make hurried defensive preparations.

[13] Popular accounts claim that many of the Dutch troops lost their discipline as they landed, and turned to looting a warehouse full of rum, but the commanders rallied their remaining men, and made preparations to assault the fortress.

A second Dutch force found a narrow passage leading up through the cliffs into the interior of the fortifications, but their attack was seen by Guillaume d'Orange – unable to use a musket due to old war-wounds, he threw down rocks at the Dutchmen; other soldiers and sailors hurried up to assist him, with Ensign de Martignac, the commander of the naval detachment, shooting repeatedly into the densely packed Dutch ranks at close range, aiming his shots to take down two men at a time.

[14] First, they tried to force the anchorage directly by sending in frigates to attack, but their advance was stopped by the sunken blockships, and their ships were caught in enfilade between the gun emplacements of the fortress on the west, and the broadsides of Les Jeux and Saint-Eustache in the sheltered inner harbour on the eastern side.

[18] The French had suffered only sixteen casualties in total,[14] including their wounded,[19] but they were short on ammunition, and they believed that the Dutch would soon renew their assault: Sainte-Marthe abandoned the fort, and ordered the ships to be burned.

[19] The remaining merchantmen were duly set alight, but Captain Renart decided to ignore the governor's orders for as long as possible, waiting anxiously aboard Les Jeux all night.