Consecutive to the construction of the "De Droite" battery, another defensive component of the Baie de Saint-Paul, test pits were authorised in 2007 by DAC de La Réunion to search for evidence of another battery under a mound of sand.
Battery beneath the sand
A mound of basalt sand covered with vegetation stood on the site where the "De l’Embouchure" battery was thought to have been located. Twelve test pits revealed stone and rubble masonry, some rendered with lime, which were identified as a battery and two buildings: a store house and a powder magazine. The battery had a rammed-earth floor and was accessed through the rear which was either open or closed by a wooden fence of which no trace survives.
British attack in September 1809
The "De l’Embouchure" battery was the first in the Baie to be attacked by the British on the morning of 21 September 1809. Direct evidence of the destruction of the building include fragments of cannons destroyed by an explosion, abandoned cannon balls and scattered masonry rubble. A British cannon, propelled by an explosion, was also found nearby.
