‘A view of the entrance of the Harbour of the Havana, taken from within the...

‘A view of the entrance of the Harbour of the Havana, taken from within the wrecks, Havana, 1762’. Coloured engraving by Peter Canot after Elias Durnford, published by John Bowles, 1762. In June 1762, a British force of 12,000 men, commanded by the Earl of Albemarle and supported by naval forces under the command of Admiral Sir George Pocock, landed near Havana. The town surrendered in August, after an eight-week siege. The actual siege operations cost the British less than 1,000 casualties, but a further 5,000 men died from disease during the campaign. At the close of the Seven Years War (1756-63), Britain exchanged Havana for territory in Florida.