April 29th, 1758 - The Battle of the Bay of Bengal

Conflict: Seven Years' War (1756-1763)

Combatants: British vs. French

Location: India

Outcome: Inconclusive

On this day in 1758, Admiral Sir George Pocock (shown) with seven ships of the line attacked eight French vessels near Fort St. David. Although the engagement itself was inconclusive, the French did manage to deliver reinforcements as planned.

Sir George Pocock by Thomas Hudson

Points of Interest:

• The Seven Years' War was known as the French and Indian War in North America.

• The Seven Years' War ended in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris. France was forced to cede Canada to Great Britain and Louisiana to Spain.

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Sources:

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.