| Conflict: | Battle of Tangier (1662) |
| Date: | 3 May 1662 |
| Place: | English Tangier, North Africa |
| Result: | Moroccan victory |
| Combatant1: | Morocco |
| Commander2: | Nathaniel Fines |
| Commander1: | Khadir Ghaïlan |
| Strength2: | 500 men |
| Strength1: | 5,000 men |
| Casualties2: | 300 killed[1] |
| Casualties1: | Unknown |
The Battle of Tangier in 1662 was the first major engagement between the Moroccans, led by Khadir Ghaïlan, and the English garrison, led by Nathaniel Fines. The Moroccans routed the English force.
After the English arrival in January 1662, the Moroccan warlord, Khadir Ghaïlan, disapproved of the English occupation and considered Tangier as part of his territory; however, he didn't have enough army to oust the English, but he did send out small ambushes and raids.[2] On March 24, Ghailan and the Earl of Peterborough concluded a truce, giving 50 barrels of powder to the Moroccans. However, Ghailan later discovered that the English used the truce to expand their colony, taking the lands nearby and building forts on them. Ghailand considered this a violation of the truce and protested to the English; however, seeing no response, he decided to confront them.[3] [4]
On April 1662,[5] Ghailand arrived in Tangier with an army of 5,000 troops,[6] where he tried to force the garrison to leave the fort for a battle.[7] On May 3, an English force of 500 men led by Major Nathaniel Fines left the fort with the goal of driving out the Moroccans from the city. The English made a successful sortie that pushed back the Moroccans and put them en route; however, the English pursued the enemy far from the fort and were ambushed in the Jews River, west of the fort. The English were surrounded by three sides, suffered heavy losses, and had to fight their way back to Tangier. Around one-third of the English force made it out alive to the fort, and their commander, Nathaniel Fines, was killed in the battle. The English did not know the Moroccan forces or their position.[8] [9] [10] [11]
The English suffered a serious setback, which lowered the morale of the garrison. The gates of the city were shut, and no English were sent out of the town. This allowed the Moroccans to take the cattle under the walls.[12] [13] The English governor, Peterborough, was removed from his post and was substituted by Andrew Rutherford.[14] [15] However, Andrew repeated the same mistake made by Nathaniel in 1664.[16]