The Brutal Realities of 18th-Century Military Service in the Caribbean (It Was Not Paradise)

To most people today, the Caribbean conjures images of turquoise waters, lush palm trees, and soft sandy beaches – a paradise for tourists seeking sun and relaxation. But for European soldiers stationed there in the 18th century, the islands were anything but idyllic. Instead of a tropical retreat, the Caribbean was a nightmare of disease, extreme heat, and ceaseless death.

For many soldiers, deployment to the Caribbean was a death sentence. Not because of constant combat – though skirmishes did occur – but because of the brutal climate, rampant disease, and horrifying neglect by their own governments. The Caribbean, as some called it, was a graveyard for European troops, where men perished by the thousands in what was one of the deadliest postings in military history.

Why Did Empires Even Bother?

If the Caribbean was so deadly, why did European empires continue to send their soldiers there? The answer is profit. The islands were the economic lifeblood of the Atlantic world, thanks to sugar, rum, and molasses – luxury goods that made European nations and colonial merchants staggeringly rich.

The sugar trade was so valuable that it outweighed entire continents in strategic importance. For example, while Britain gained all of Canada from France after the Seven Years’ War, it was more interested in keeping the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique because their sugar exports were more profitable than all of North America’s fur trade. This relentless pursuit of wealth meant constant wars over the islands, requiring standing garrisons to defend them from rival powers, pirates, and even the enslaved population.

A Workforce That Couldn’t Sustain Itself

The Caribbean economy of the 18th century was fueled by enslaved labor, and the conditions were so inhumane that entire populations died faster than they could reproduce. Plantation owners prioritized profit over human life, meaning enslaved workers were literally worked to death and then replaced by newly imported captives from Africa.

This same logic extended to the soldiers sent to garrison the islands. Governments didn’t prioritize their survival – they just sent more men as the previous ones perished. The Caribbean’s military units operated on a constant cycle of death and replacement, much like the labor force they were sent to protect.

The Climate Was an Unrelenting Foe

For European soldiers accustomed to the cool, damp climates of Britain, France, and Germany, the Caribbean heat was intolerable. The sun was merciless, dehydration was constant, and shade was scarce. Even simple activities – marching in formation, standing guard, or just existing – became physically exhausting in the sweltering heat.

John Leech, a British officer stationed in the Caribbean, described how soldiers collapsed and died from heat exhaustion during routine marches. In some cases, entire detachments of men would be ordered to move across an island only to have several drop dead before even reaching their destination.

Water Was Scarce and Often Contaminated

Despite being surrounded by water, the Caribbean offered little in terms of fresh, drinkable water. Many islands lacked natural springs, and the few that existed were often brackish and undrinkable.

Rainwater was collected in large cisterns, but during dry seasons, water supplies dwindled, leaving soldiers to ration what little they had. In extreme cases, warships had to sail to other islands just to bring back barrels of drinking water. Unsurprisingly, dehydration was a constant problem, further weakening already struggling garrisons.

Disease Killed More Than Battle Ever Did

More than enemy muskets, it was disease that decimated armies in the Caribbean. Yellow fever, malaria, and dysentery tore through garrisons with terrifying speed. Soldiers often arrived healthy and strong, only to be dead within months.

The arrival of summer meant epidemic outbreaks, and by June, hospitals would be overflowing. The worst of these was yellow fever, sometimes called “the Scourge of Europeans,” which wiped out entire regiments. Some garrisons lost up to two-thirds of their men in a single season. By the end of 1804, one British regiment was so reduced in number that it could barely perform its basic military duties.

Hurricanes and Natural Disasters Wiped Out Forts Overnight

If the diseases didn’t get you, the hurricanes might. In October 1817, a violent storm on St. Lucia destroyed military barracks, scattering supplies across the island and burying soldiers alive beneath collapsing buildings. Even the island’s governor and his entire family were killed, showing that rank and privilege offered no immunity from nature’s fury.

The combination of disease, storms, and starvation meant that soldiers often lasted only a few years before either dying or being shipped home as invalids.

Soldiers Were Abandoned by Their Own Governments

You’d think that with such a high death rate, European governments would have made efforts to improve conditions for their troops. Instead, the Caribbean garrisons were largely ignored.

Provisions – when they arrived at all – were low quality and years overdue. Soldiers’ uniforms were ill-suited to the heat, often falling apart within months. Pay was delayed for years, and when it did arrive, much of it was siphoned off by corrupt officers.

One British officer even reported that the rifles sent to his regiment were so defective that they were “fit for no service.” In many cases, soldiers had to buy their own supplies just to survive, using whatever meager wages they received.

Desertion and Mutiny Became a Means of Survival

It’s no surprise that many soldiers tried to escape rather than accept slow death in the Caribbean. Some simply ran away into the wilderness, hoping to disappear among the islands’ native populations or pirate crews. Others resorted to self-mutilation, hoping that a severe injury would get them sent back home.

When British Highland regiments in Scotland suspected they were about to be shipped to the Caribbean, 100 men deserted on the spot. They were all recaptured, and though only a few were executed, the rest were sent to the Caribbean anyway – as punishment.

Soldiers Weren’t Even Told Where They Were Going

The reputation of the Caribbean was so bad that many regiments weren’t told about their destination until they were already at sea. Some recruits were tricked or coerced into service, only realizing the truth once it was too late.

It was common for a ship to leave port with a full complement of soldiers, only to arrive in the Caribbean with a tenth of its men already dead from disease and starvation. No regiment ever arrived at full strength, and none ever remained intact for long.

A Death Rate of 100% or More

If a regiment was stationed in the Caribbean long enough, it would lose every single one of its original men to death, disease, or injury. Some regiments lost more soldiers than their original size, as reinforcements arrived just to replace the dead.

One British regiment deployed with 2,400 men – and over the course of five years, it buried all 2,400 of them. The only reason the unit still existed was because of a constant stream of fresh recruits, shipped in like replacement parts for a broken machine.

The Caribbean Was No Paradise—It Was a Mass Grave

The 18th-century Caribbean was not a tropical getaway for the soldiers sent there – it was an open-air coffin. Between the sweltering heat, disease, lack of supplies, hurricanes, and sheer governmental neglect, European soldiers stood little chance of survival.

For many, a deployment to the Caribbean meant never coming home. It was a place where entire regiments disappeared, swallowed by the climate, sickness, and indifference of the empires that sent them there.