The declaration of war and its beginnings
The French declaration of war took place on December 19, 1770. The french had quickly prepared their fleet in the South Atlantic, and Spain had begun mobilizing troops in Port Louis in the Falklands. Simalarly, the UK, expecting such, had organized troops and ships on boats offshore. When the news of the war reached the Falklands, the British sent their troops onshore and attacked the Spanish army in Port Egmont. The settlers rejoiced in parties that went late into the night. The British continued their solid advances, despite strong resistance from the French and Spanish. By January, the British controlled most of west Falklland, although the east remained in Bourbon control.
The fighting on land was nothing compared to the skirmishes at sea. The french navy was constantly raiding Port Egmont and fighting the english in falkland in Falkland Sound. The war was undoubtably going to be mostly naval, considering the Falklands miniscule population. Because of that, the battles were ferocious. The French concentrated on fighting the British around the island, while the Spanish spent most of their time raiding St. Helena and attacking English ships north of the Falklands.