Sometimes nature can play the decisive role in winning a battle. Other times it can cause more casualties than the deadliest battles. The latter was the case early in the history of the U.S. The deadliest hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean caused a death toll of 20-22,000.
On this day October 9th, in 1780, the Great Hurricane of 1780 begins amassing around Barbados with rain. The hurricane would hit the Caribbean the next day with winds up to 200 mph.
This storm decimated both French fleets and British Fleets, both of whom were vying to gain control over the very lucrative colonies in North America. British General Admiral George Rodney had his entire fleet scattered, and 8 of the 12 warships under his command were completely destroyed. To this day, no hurricane comes close to the level of destruction that year.