Siege of Pensacola (1707)
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Pensacola was two separate attempts in 1707 by English-supported Creek
Indians to capture the town and fortress of Pensacola
, then one of two major settlements (the other was St. Augustine
) in Spanish Florida
. The first attempt, in August 1707, resulted in the destruction of the town, but Fort San Carlos de Austria successfully resisted the onslaught. In late November 1707 a second expedition arrived, but dissension among its members led to its withdrawal a few days later.
at the time was fairly small. Since its founding in the 16th century, the Spanish had set up a network of missions
whose primary purpose was to pacify the local Indian population and convert them to Roman Catholicism. The founding in 1670 by the English of Charles Town (present-day Charleston, South Carolina
) in the recently established (1663) Province of Carolina
heightened tensions. Carolina traders like Anthony Dodsworth and Thomas Nairne
had established alliances with Creek
Indians in the upper watersheds of rivers draining into the Gulf of Mexico
, who they supplied with arms and purchased slaves and animal pelts from. These traders penetrated into Spanish Florida, leading to raiding and reprisal expeditions on both sides.
In 1700, Carolina's governor, Joseph Blake
, threatened the Spanish that English claims to Pensacola
, established by the Spanish in 1698, would be enforced. Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
, the French founder of Mobile
, in January 1702 warned the Spanish commander at Pensacola that he should properly arm the Apalachee
Indians and engage in a vigorous defense against English incursions into Spanish territory. D'Iberville even offered equipment and supplies for the purpose. However, an attempt at a punitive expedition against the Creek resulted in a rout
of the Spanish and their Apalachee allies in October 1702. After a failed English assault
on St. Augustine
, Spanish mission towns were severely reduced by numerous raids
by Carolina-led Indians against the Spanish mission network from 1703 to 1706. A French-organized 1706 expedition
against Charles Town was a failure but motivated Carolina authorities to again target the Spanish at Pensacola and the French at Mobile. Thomas Nairne proposed a major expedition, involving as many as 1,500 Indians, to capture Mobile, but political divisions in Carolina prevented execution of the plan.
Extant records do not describe the composition of the forces that attacked Pensacola in August 1707 beyond "several hundred Tallapoosas and a few South Carolina traders". The siege began on August 12 with the arrival of a band of 20 to 30 Indians, who began terrorizing the Indians living in the town outside the fort. The took prisoners (including some women and children) and began burning houses. Governor Moscoso fired one of the fort's cannons, scattering the attackers; some of their captives managed to escape to the fort in the confusion. Two days later, ten men sent out of the fort to do laundry disappeared. On August 14 an estimated 300 Indians appeared before the fort and engaged it in a battle lasting several hours. The next day the attack resumed, as did the pillaging of the town. Activity quieted down until the 18th, when an English flag was raised over a house near the fort. This prompted Moscoso to open fire from the fort, beginning a battle that raged until dark. That day, the attackers burned down the rest of the town.
This marked the end of active assaults on the fort. However, the area beyond the range of the fort's guns was unsafe for at least the next month, as people disappeared (either by kidnapping or by fleeing) if they ventured too far from its vicinity.
Word of the attacking force had reached the French at Mobile on November 24. Governor Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville
raised a force of 100 Frenchmen and 400 Indians. They reached Mobile on December 8, only to learn that the siege had been lifted a week earlier.
from the Spanish in 1719, during the War of the Quadruple Alliance
, but it was returned to Spain after the war.
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
Indians to capture the town and fortress of Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, then one of two major settlements (the other was St. Augustine
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
) in Spanish Florida
Spanish Florida
Spanish Florida refers to the Spanish territory of Florida, which formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and the Spanish Empire. Originally extending over what is now the southeastern United States, but with no defined boundaries, la Florida was a component of...
. The first attempt, in August 1707, resulted in the destruction of the town, but Fort San Carlos de Austria successfully resisted the onslaught. In late November 1707 a second expedition arrived, but dissension among its members led to its withdrawal a few days later.
Background
English and Spanish colonization efforts in southeastern North America began coming into conflict as early as the middle of the 17th century. The Spanish population of FloridaSpanish Florida
Spanish Florida refers to the Spanish territory of Florida, which formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and the Spanish Empire. Originally extending over what is now the southeastern United States, but with no defined boundaries, la Florida was a component of...
at the time was fairly small. Since its founding in the 16th century, the Spanish had set up a network of missions
Spanish missions in Florida
Beginning in the second half of the 16th century, the Kingdom of Spain established a number of missions throughout la Florida in order to convert the Indians to Christianity, to facilitate control of the area, and to prevent its colonization by other countries, in particular, England and France...
whose primary purpose was to pacify the local Indian population and convert them to Roman Catholicism. The founding in 1670 by the English of Charles Town (present-day Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
) in the recently established (1663) Province of Carolina
Province of Carolina
The Province of Carolina, originally chartered in 1629, was an English and later British colony of North America. Because the original Heath charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid, a new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors, in 1663...
heightened tensions. Carolina traders like Anthony Dodsworth and Thomas Nairne
Thomas Nairne
Thomas Nairne was a Scots trader and the first Indian agent of the Province of Carolina. He is best known for recording Native American customs and practices in the 1690s and 1700s, and for articulating visions and policies that guided colonial policy toward Indians...
had established alliances with Creek
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
Indians in the upper watersheds of rivers draining into the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, who they supplied with arms and purchased slaves and animal pelts from. These traders penetrated into Spanish Florida, leading to raiding and reprisal expeditions on both sides.
In 1700, Carolina's governor, Joseph Blake
Joseph Blake (governor)
Joseph Blake , the nephew of British Admiral Robert Blake, was governor of colonial South Carolina in 1694 , and from 1696 to his death 1700.-References:*-See also:*List of colonial governors of South Carolina...
, threatened the Spanish that English claims to Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, established by the Spanish in 1698, would be enforced. Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1702 (probable)was a soldier, ship captain, explorer, colonial administrator, knight of...
, the French founder of Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, in January 1702 warned the Spanish commander at Pensacola that he should properly arm the Apalachee
Apalachee
The Apalachee are a Native American people who historically lived in the Florida Panhandle, and now live primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Their historical territory was known to the Spanish colonists as the Apalachee Province...
Indians and engage in a vigorous defense against English incursions into Spanish territory. D'Iberville even offered equipment and supplies for the purpose. However, an attempt at a punitive expedition against the Creek resulted in a rout
Battle of Flint River
The Battle of Flint River was a failed attack by Spanish and Apalachee Indian forces against Creek Indians in October 1702 in what is now the state of Georgia...
of the Spanish and their Apalachee allies in October 1702. After a failed English assault
Siege of St. Augustine (1702)
The Siege of St. Augustine was an action in Queen Anne's War during November and December 1702. It was conducted by English provincial forces from the Province of Carolina and their native allies, under the command of Carolina's governor James Moore, against the Spanish colonial fortress of...
on St. Augustine
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
, Spanish mission towns were severely reduced by numerous raids
Apalachee Massacre
The Apalachee massacre was a series of brutal raids by English colonists from the Province of Carolina and their Indian allies against a largely pacific population of Apalachee Indians in northern Spanish Florida that took place during Queen Anne's War in 1704...
by Carolina-led Indians against the Spanish mission network from 1703 to 1706. A French-organized 1706 expedition
Charles Town expedition
The Charles Town expedition was a combined French and Spanish attempt under Captain Jacques Fefebvre to capture the capital of the English Province of Carolina, Charles Town during Queen Anne's War .Organized and funded primarily by the French and launched from Havana, Cuba, the...
against Charles Town was a failure but motivated Carolina authorities to again target the Spanish at Pensacola and the French at Mobile. Thomas Nairne proposed a major expedition, involving as many as 1,500 Indians, to capture Mobile, but political divisions in Carolina prevented execution of the plan.
First siege
In 1707, Pensacola was under the command of Don Sebastián de Moscoso. The exact size of his garrison in 1707 is not known. The authorized strength of the garrison was 220, but it rarely reached that strength owing to the difficulty in recruiting soldiers for what was viewed as a highly undesirable posting and a fairly high rate of desertion. Moscoso reported in 1708 that the garrison numbered about 100, having been reduced by the events of 1707.Extant records do not describe the composition of the forces that attacked Pensacola in August 1707 beyond "several hundred Tallapoosas and a few South Carolina traders". The siege began on August 12 with the arrival of a band of 20 to 30 Indians, who began terrorizing the Indians living in the town outside the fort. The took prisoners (including some women and children) and began burning houses. Governor Moscoso fired one of the fort's cannons, scattering the attackers; some of their captives managed to escape to the fort in the confusion. Two days later, ten men sent out of the fort to do laundry disappeared. On August 14 an estimated 300 Indians appeared before the fort and engaged it in a battle lasting several hours. The next day the attack resumed, as did the pillaging of the town. Activity quieted down until the 18th, when an English flag was raised over a house near the fort. This prompted Moscoso to open fire from the fort, beginning a battle that raged until dark. That day, the attackers burned down the rest of the town.
This marked the end of active assaults on the fort. However, the area beyond the range of the fort's guns was unsafe for at least the next month, as people disappeared (either by kidnapping or by fleeing) if they ventured too far from its vicinity.
Second siege
The second siege began with the arrival on November 27 of a contingent of about 20 Carolina traders and 300 Creeks, primarily Tallapoosas and Alabamas. The English leader made a demand for the fort's surrender, which Moscoso rejected, even though his garrison was depleted by disease. In skirmishing the next day one Spaniard was killed and three were wounded. More skirmishing took place on the 29th, and on the 30th a captive taken during the first siege came to the fort reporting that the attackers had left. The attackers were reported to have suffered significant casualties, including the loss of one of the Creek leaders.Word of the attacking force had reached the French at Mobile on November 24. Governor Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville
Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville
Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienvillepronounce] was a colonizer, born in Montreal, Quebec and an early, repeated governor of French Louisiana, appointed 4 separate times during 1701-1743. He was a younger brother of explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville...
raised a force of 100 Frenchmen and 400 Indians. They reached Mobile on December 8, only to learn that the siege had been lifted a week earlier.
Aftermath
These attacks were the last major assaults on Pensacola in the war, although there continued to be minor skirmishes and kidnappings. A French force from Mobile captured PensacolaCapture of Pensacola (1719)
The Capture of Pensacola took place in May 1719 during the War of the Quadruple Alliance when a French force led by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville took and occupied the settlement of Pensacola in the Spanish colony of Florida. The French occupied Pensacola until August 1719, when a large...
from the Spanish in 1719, during the War of the Quadruple Alliance
War of the Quadruple Alliance
The War of the Quadruple Alliance was a result of the ambitions of King Philip V of Spain, his wife, Elisabeth Farnese, and his chief minister Giulio Alberoni to retake territories in Italy and to claim the French throne. It saw the defeat of Spain by an alliance of Britain, France, Austria , and...
, but it was returned to Spain after the war.