epresentations induced Major-General Bruce, in conjunction with
Admiral Gardner, to undertake an expedition; and the troops having been
embarked at Grenada in the men-of-war, the armament arrived off Cape
Navire, Martinique,[10] on the 11th of June, 1793. There the general met
the officer commanding the French Royalists, and, as the latter proposed
an attack upon the town of St. Pierre, the 21st Regiment was landed at
Cape Navire on the 14th, and there posted, to enable the Royalists to
concentrate in the neighbourhood of St. Pierre, where the remainder of
the British force joined them on the 16th. "The British troops consisted
of the Grenadiers, Light Infantry, and Marines from the fleet, with the
Black Carolina Corps, amounting in all to about 1100 men."[11] The
Royalists were said to number 800.

On the afternoon of the 17th, the enemy made an attack, but were driven
back by the pickets, with the loss of one officer and three men killed
on the part of the British. An attack on the two batteries which
defended St. Pierre was planned for the morning of the 18th, but failed,
owing to the want of discipline on the part of the Royalists.
Major-General Bruce says: "The morning of the 18th was the time fixed
for the attack, and we were to move forward in two columns, the one
consisting of the British troops, the other of the French Royalists; and
for this purpose the troops were put in motion before daybreak; but,
unfortunately, some alarm having taken place amongst the Royalists, they
began, in a mistake, firing on one another, and their commander being
severely wounded on the occasion, the whole body, refusing to submit to
any of the other officers, retired to the post from which they had
marched."

This conduct showed the general that no reliance could be placed on the
Royalists, and that the attack on St. Pierre, if carried out at all,
would have to be done by the British troops alone, whose numbers were
not equal to the task. He, consequently, ordered the troops to return to
their former positions, and on the 19th they re-embarked. As to have
left the Royalists in Martinique would only have been to leave them to
be massacred by the Republicans, those unfortunate people were embarked
on the 19th and 20th, and the 21st Regiment being taken on board at
Cape Navire on the 21st, the expedition returned to Grenada.

It may be wondered whence came the Black Carolina Corps mentioned by
Major-General Bruce, but it is evident