The first US invasion of East Florida.
- Roland Flores
- 4 days ago
- 9 min read
Ave María! May Our Lady de la Leche, the Immaculate Queen of Florida, bless us with her loving Child, and together with St. Augustine, pray for us! This article is the second part in a five part series, to read the first part click here. Yesterday, 28 August, was the feast of St. Augustine, doctor of the Church, a very significant feast day for Florida and a good opening to continue our discussion. In the last article we learned how a revolt led by US settlers in 1810 allowed the US government to illegally invade and annex Spanish territory in West Florida (today Louisiana). This revolt left a tension between the US government, which was eager to annex more territory, and the undermanned government and military of Spanish Florida. Not satisfied, US officials continued their plans to annex more territory from Spain. In January 1811 President Madison requested Congress to pass legislation authorizing the United States to take "temporary possession" of any territory adjacent to US territory east of the Perdido River, or what was left of West Florida and all of East Florida. This legislation would authorize US officials to accept transfer of territory from "local authorities", or occupy territory to prevent it falling into the hands of a foreign power other than Spain. Congress approved $100,000 for "expenses as the President shall deem necessary." Congress justified this legislation by claiming that Florida could be seized by Great Britain, an ally of Spain at the time. Meanwhile, encouraged by the success in West Florida, Secretary of State Robert Smith wrote to Senator William H. Crawford of Georgia, ordering him to recruit a military officer for operations against East Florida. The mission was too gather information on East Florida and to communicate to any existing rebellion that the US government would aid their cause, with the secret intention of annexing the territory. Senator Crawford would recruit General George Mathews, veteran of the revolution and former Governor of Georgia. General Matthews was corrupt to say the least, he is best knownfor the Yazoo land scandal, a massive real-estate fraud perpetrated,Matthews as Govoner and the General Assembly. In 1793 Georgia politicians sold large tracts of state property, almost 30 Million acresin the Yazoo tribal lands ( Alabama and Mississippi) to poltical insiders and lobbyists at very low prices. Matthews planed to a simialr land grab and sale to his poltical backsers if he speared headed the successful capture of East Florida.
After Congress passed the lesgitaltion in Janaury 1811, General Mathews was comissioned and ordered to fullfill the purpose of the act: to bring Florida into US control. Another officer who was comissioned for the congresstional act was Colonel John McKee, a leader of a Gerogia Milita, a federal indian agent to the Choctaw Tribes, and US ambassador to Spanish East Florida. During Matthew's mission, he initiated secret meetings with five leading East Florida Offials and Georgia plantation owners, among them was John Houston Mclntosh, owner of the Georgia Mclntosh Sugarworks Plantation. Mclntosh represnted a majortity of Southern Plantation owners who not only wanted to expand operations into Florida but also sufferd from escaped slaves who fled into Florida. Since the 1693 royal decree of King Carlos II, Spanish Florida had offically offered Freedom and protection to any esaped Slaves from British Colonies, and this continued after the Revolution of 1776. However, the Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson pressured Spanish Officals to recind the sanctaury laws for escaped slaves and in 1793, passed a law requiring the return of all escaped slaves, indicating refusing to do so would violate nuetrailty laws. Offically, Spanish Florida had stopped giving escaped slaves citezenship but in relaity it did not enforce their return or deny them entrance into the territory. Following the decreesin 1793 escaped slaves conitnued to flee to the villages, swamps and Fransican missions of Florida. Mclntosh wrote in a letter to the Gerogia Govoner: " In order to stop slaves from having a southern escape route, Florida needs to be taken over." General Matthew's would fail to find any general unrest in East Florida and begin recuting a Militain Gerogia, which he named The Patriots. He promised the Militamen atleast 500 acres of land for service if East Florida would be captured. Despite only gaining congressional in January 1811, a detachment of US troops under orders from Leutnant Colonel Thomas A Smithwas alredy encamped in the territroies of East Florida at this time. It was later admitted that they were working with the Patriots and a part of Mathews' plans for Florida. At some point during the summer of 1811, Mathews met with planter John Houston McIntosh and discussed the plan to set up a temporary authority in Florida. This temporary government would overthrow Spanish rule, and then transfer their territory to the US government. That way, the United States could gain parts or the entirety of East Florida while avoiding the appearance that they were directly invading. Mathew turned to the local US garrison at Fort Point Pete GA, meaning what president madison had hoped would be an army aiding a revolt turned into an invasion of US milita and federal troops. In March 1812 General Matthews lead his Patriots milita of 125 US volunteers into East Florida. On 16 March 50 more volunteers joined the Milita and the Georgia Volunteers elected John Houston McIntosh as their Milita commander. The following day, 17 March, the Patriots stormed the port town of Fernandina, removed the Spanish flag and raised the "Patriot flag." The town was a thriving port but small and undermanned. Despite Naval commander Commodore Hugh G. Campbell, refusing to support the patriots on paper, 5 US gunboats did anchor on the St. Mary's river and trained their guns on the city while the Patriot group advanced. The Patriots “threatened the inhabitants with a general massacre" if anyone reisted the capture of the town. After the surrender from the post commander, one Patriot officers delivered a speech offering the town up to U.S. Colonel Thomas A. Smith, who was there for the ceremony, and accepted the land on behalf of the U.S. Government.The Patriots guaranteed to honor existing Spanish land grants and offered employment to any Spanish soldiers willing to defect. Just like that the following day the Patriot flag was lowered, the US Flag was raised, and the city was occupied by US regulars. Us forces captured the entire Ameilia Island and the Patriot continued their march south to St. Augustine. Along the way they stormed villages, ranches, and missions, forcing many to flee to St. Augustine for protection. This included the Catholic seminoles living in the few remainign Missions Chapels including Nuetsra Senora de la Leche, Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, and Santa Teresa de Moses for escaped slaves.
By learly April, Mathews' Militia had captured and set up a headquarters at Presidio Santa Teresa de Mose just outside of St. Augustine. Presidio Moses was one of the few places to reisist the invaders by force but abandoned the fort when US gunboats arrived in the area. Presidio Moses was orignally settlement sanctioned as a haven for escaped slaves from Anglo-colonies, which is likley why its population would want to fight against the annexation of Florida. From Presidio Moses the Patriots besieged St. Augustine, forcing the population into the Castillo San Marcos for protection. The St. Augustine Garrison defended the San Marcos fearlessly, despite being extremely under manned, and managed to deny the invaders entrance to the city. Patriot forces, later reinforced by US Army and Marines, surrounded the city and US gunships waited just outside of San marco's firing reach, cloackadeing any ships from entering or exiting. However by this time news of the invasion had spread globally and was met with international outrage by European powers. Not Wanting the other anti-Napoleonic allies of Spain to join in the war against the US, as war with Britain seemed imminent already, Secretary of State Monroe sent a letter decarling that Mathews' actions were "not authorized by the law of the United States." This letter formally ended supplies chains to the troops on east Florida but failed to recall the troops or end the occupation. In fact, Georgia Governor David Mitchell informed the Spanish Governor of East Florida, Juan Jose de Estrada, that any attempt to expel the Patriots would not be tolerated by the United States. General Matthews travled north to Washinton to discuss conflicting information and died along the way of Malaria in Augusta, Georgia. Despite calming international fears, the withdraw of US support only worsened the situation from the population of Floridians. The Patriots began raiding ranches, plantations, and villages across the province. By 18 May over a thousand heads of cattle had been eaten by the patriots or stolen and traded for supplies in Georgia. The situation was worse for St. Augustine, who was surrounded and begining to suffering low rations. However, according to Colonel Smith, five times did US forces attempt to storm Castillo San Marcos, including with Naval bombardment, and all ended in failure. In June a Spanish warship managed to bombbard and destroy the Patriot headquarters at Fort Moses but was forced to retreat before lifting the siege. Meanwhile, the Patriots established the provisional government of the East Florida Republic on 18 July, with a a constitution signed and McIntosh serving as President. While I couldn't find any docuemtation on the treatment of the Churches and Clergy of east Florida, this verse from the first page of the East Florida Republic's conisution gives their sentiments twoards the Church: ""It might have been expected that a people who neither idolized their priest nor could think it an honor to lick the dust from the feet of their oppressors, but who knew that man in whatever garment he might be [clothed], to whatever power he might be elevated, was like themselves, liable to all the imperfections and weaknesses of our common nature, with probably a larger proportion of its vices, would have been the first in the Spanish Territory to have declared themselves free and independent [5]."
Matters seemed hopless for Spanish authroity in Florida and the Spanish Govnernor began negotiations for the surrender of St. Augustine. During these negotiations, in late July, news reached the Patriots of massive attacks on the Georgia front. This began a mass desertion of men returning to defend their homes. These attacks were being perpetuated by bands of Seminoles and militas of escaped slaves. Originally, General Matthews had made several pacts with the Seminoles, to stay out of the conflict with a promise that the US would not bother them. However, after that meeting an escaped slave from Georgia made his way to the Seminoles and informed them of the true goals of the patriots, to have the land annexed into the US, re-enslave the escaped slaves, and expel the Seminoles. This was confirmed when the Seminole chiefs investigated the treatment of the Spanish ranches, missions, and homesteads at the hands of the Patriot militias. Watching the only government on the continent that offered them freedom and protection succumb to their oppressors was enough to unite the Seminoles and escaped slaves against the Patriots. On 26 July the Seminoles began a series of raids on Georgia plantations and homesteads, freeing about 35 slaves and deliberately targeting the landholdings of the Patriots. By 1 August the raids had killed 9 Patriots and liberated over 80 slaves. The Seminoles successfully created a front in the rear of the invaders to divert their attention from the siege of St. Augustine. By mid August the Seminoles raids reached the Patriot encampments outside of St. Augustine. One attack forced the Marines to turn their artillery away from San Marcos, opening the opportunity for accurate fire from the Spanish regulars at San Marcos. In just one day the Seminoles and Spanish snipers killed 10 US Marines.
The raids continued and in late September 1812, two companies, of Georgia militiamen and US Marines, under the command of Colonel Smith were escorting supply wagons headed to the patriot front when they were ambushed. The supply convoy was headed to St. Augustine from the west when the ambush occurred. The Spanish forces conissted Big Prince Whitten, an escaped slave from South Carolina, in command of a milita of 52 escaped slaves and 6 Seminole braves. The ambush killed 11 from the US forces, including Captain John Williams and the milita destroyed or stole all of the supplies. For this vicotry Whitten was later comisioned by the Spanish garrison as a Lietenant and put in charge of a Milita. Whitten, was named Big Prince by his former owner but took the name Juan Bautista at his Baptism in the Chapel of Santa Teresa de Moses. Without the supplies, US forces were forced to abandon St. Augustine but we’re not able to leave the area our of fear of the bands Seminoles further north. On 24 September a US force of 117 under Major Newman, adjutant general of Georgia and commander of Georgia volunteers, marched south to destroy Seminole villages around modern day Gainesville. A battle ensued between 100 Seminoles and the US relief forces, resulting in a Seminole retreat and the US building a fort. This only trapped US forces however, and the fort suffered from constant attacks, forcing a US retreat. General Newman's assult however, served its purpose and US froces trapped in the marshes around St. Augsutine were allowed to flee north with the Seminoles distracted by the battle. Negotionatins continued between US and Spanish officials until it became aapparant that Spanish reinforcments would arrive unless the US troops withdrew. In April 1813, with the promise of amnesty by Spanish officals, US forces retreated from East Florida. The Flag was lowered at Ferdandina and all Patriots were escorted out of Florida. The Church bells rang in celebration and a Solemn High Mass was said at St. Augustine Parish Church in thanksgiving.
Many patriots protested the withdraw but US officals were too pre-occupied with the ongoing war with the British, which was making its way south, to continue a campeign that was hopless. The Spanish, with the help of their seminole and escaped slave allies, had repelled the first US invaion but the war for Florida was far from over and the more important war against Britian would soon come to the shores of Florida.
References:
A Secret Agent in East Florida: General George Mathews and the Patriot War by Paul Kruse, 1952.
Letters of the Invaders of East Florida, 1812
The Ambush of Captain John Williams, U.S.M.C.: Failure of the East Florida Invasion, 1812-1813
4. Church and State in the Spanish Floridas (1783 1822). https://www.jstor.org/stable/30138454?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Patriot Constitution" of the Republic of East Florida, 1812
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