The Third US Invasion of Florida.

Ave Maria! May Our Immaculate Lady, together with St. Augustine, and St. michael the Archangel, pray for us.

On 15 January 1815, British forces withdrew from New Orleans, after a failed invasion meant to capture the Mississippi River during the War of 1812. The British fleet  fled Louisiana i40 February  and sailed toward Dauphin Island AL at Mobile Bay. British forces then captured US Fort Bowyer on Mobile Bay after a brief battle. Meanwhile, General Andrew Jackson made plans to attack the British at Mobile Bay and continue from there with his plans to annex Florida. The British fortified the position and discussed assaulting Mobile when news of the Treaty of Ghent arrived on the Gulf Coast. The War was over, and the situation was the same as it was before the war.  The British departed US territory and sailed to the West Indies. This peace between Britain and the US left Spanish Florida, weakened by the British betrayal, in the sight of Jackson.

The Third Invasion of East Florida.

With The British gone, Jackson returned his gaze to Florida and specifically to a a settlement of escaped slaves This first target was a place called African Fort, the largest structure between St. Augustine and Pensacola. Originally a trading post in Florida's Creek territory built by Scottish traders working for  John Forbes and Company,.African Fort was turned into a Fort in May 1814 by British forces during the war of 1812. Since the early 1800s, African Fort, along with a neighboring Fort San Marcos on the Appalachia bay, had been an important site for Slaves escaping their masters in the US territories. If the slaves reported to Fort San Marcos, they would be granted Spanish citizenship, given land, and offered Conversion to the Catholic faith. Hundreds did Convert in the San Marcos Chapel and hundreds did not, choosing to live among the Creek and Seminole tribes or in their own villages. By 1814 hundreds of escaped slaves lived in villages along the Apalachicola river. After the end of the War in 1815, British forces withdrew from African Fort and abandoned the villages of Escaped Slaves that they had promised to aid if US forces would invade. Nonetheless, many of the escaped slaves and seminoles were set on defending their Florida home from US occupation. When word reached the villages along the Appalachia of Jackson raising an Army to capture Florida, many fled further into Florida's wilderness and others chose to fight. At African Fort, Escaped Slaves, many of whom had served with the British against the US, flew the British flag over Fort African. Spanish officials at San Marcos pleaded with militia to flee into the wilderness and to lower the British flag, since if they flew the British flag they could not claim Spanish citizenship but they refused. US forces were aware of the African Fort from April 1816. US forces illegally began operations in Spanish Florida and were attacked by African Fort's forces, killing four sailors. This gave Jackson his needed excuse to invade, and sent a letter to the Spanish governor to destroy the fort since it was flying the British flag or he would have to assault African Fort and assault Pensacola for betraying its agreement to expel British forces from Spain's territories. To the dismay of Jackson, Spanish Governor José Masot wrote to Washington DC informing them that  African Fort was on the territory of East Florida, not West, and that he had forwarded to St. AUgustine. Masot continued that since the inhabitants had decided to fly the British flag, he could send a unit from the Pensacola garrison to aid in Jackson's destruction of the Fort once Jackson obtained the permission from St. Augustine to invade. This shattered Jackson's wish to capture Pensacola, as he planned to accuse them of arming a British force. Jackson knew his participation in the invasion could be politically  desatorious so before Washinton could reply, he ordered his Brigadier general Edmund Gaines of Fort Scott GA to destroy the Fort. A ground force of 260 Army regulars marched south and 2 gunships from New Orleans set sail to Appalachia bay on 20 July 1816. Along the way US forces engaged in several skirmishes with the forces of African Fort and on 27 july the US force besieged African Fort. Inside, over 360 escaped slaves took refuge and despite only having a dozen rifles, 10 cannons kept US forces at bay. After African Fort refused to surrender, US gunships opened fire and a massive explosion followed when a US cannonball struck a crate of blackpowder. About 270 of the inhabitants of African Fort were killed in the bombardment, with another group being executed by Jackson and another group being ritualticall killed by the Creeks under jackson. A good number of the escaped slaves were re enslaved, including one named Polypore, who Jackson took for himself and enslaved on his Hermitage plantation. Once the Fort was completely destroyed, US forces left Florida but opned the door for conflict. Both Pensacola and St, Ausgutine protested the invasion, and the  subsequent destruction of the Fort gave the green light for US slave catchers to begin raids into Florida. These raids began encroaching not only into Villages of escaped slaves but also ino Seminole towns. US raiders began

killing Seminoles villagers and stealing their cattle. Seminole resentment grew and they retaliated by attacking plantations attempting to steal back their cattle. Tensions heightened between US forces and the  Panhandle Seminoles as casualties mounted on both sides. The situation worsened when Chief Neamathla of  Fowltown got into a dispute with the commander of Fort Scott over the use of land on the eastern side of the Flint River in Georgia. The situation was confusing as that land had been signed over to US forces in the Treaty of Fort Jackson by the Creeks but the villages there belonged to the Mikasukis, who were not Creek. The Mikasukisdid not feel bound by the treaty which they had not signed, and did not accept that the Creeks had any right to cede their territory.On 21 November 1817, General Gaines sent a force of 250 US Army Regulars to seize and destroy Fowltown, the capital of the Mikasukis. The first US attempt was repelled but the next day, US forces succeeded in sacking Fowltown.The Mikasukis were driven from their villages and fled south into Spanish Florida.A week later a US Ship carrying supplies for Fort Scott was attacked on the Apalachicola river. The Supply ship was legally within the boundaries of Spanish Florida. There were about forty people on the boat, including twenty sick soldiers, seven wives of soldiers, and possibly children. Most of the boat's passengers were killed in the attack. One woman was taken prisoner, and six survivors made it to Fort Scott.

While General Gaines had been under orders not to invade Florida, he decided to allow short intrusions into Florida. When news of the Scott Massacre on the Apalachicola reached Washington, Gaines was ordered to invade Florida and pursue the Mikasukis but not to attack any Spanish installations. However, Gaines had left for East Florida to deal with pirates and Secretary of War John C. Calhoun then ordered Andrew Jackson to lead the invasion of Florida.

The Fourth US invasion of East Florida

Jackson mobilized his forces at Fort Scott, Georgia, in March 1818. Jacksons forces included 800 Regulars, 2,000 volunteers from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia, and 1,500 Creek [non red stick] warriors. On 15 March, Jackson marched US Forces into East Florida Florida from Georgia, heading south down the Apalachicola River on the East Side. When US forces reached the site of African Fort, in ruins, they constructed Fort Gadsden, a sign that Jackson wanted more than a mere expedition to wipe natives in Florida. From there Jackson made his plans to exterminate the Mikasukis. The Mikasukis built a new capital on Lake Miccosukee, Florida. When the new location of Fowltown became known to Jackson he ordered his Army to advance, leaving a small but well armed garrison behind at Fort Gadsden. While marching east, the Army stormed the abandoned town of Talofa, a seminole village in Tallahassee. The Seminoles abandoned the town when they heard of an approaching US force. Jackson ordered his troops to loot and burn the village, before continuing eastward. Fowltown On Lake Miccosukee was not only the capital of the Mikasukis but also several other seminole villages. On 1 April, US forces numbering 3,000 stormed Lake Miccosukee and met resistance from a confederation of Seminole, Creek, and Mikasukis  warriors. The swamps surrounding the lake made it difficult for US forces to advance swiftly, which allowed most of the natives to escape. When the battle was over, 14 native warriors were dead and only 1 Tennessee volunteer was killed. Both sides considered it a victory, as hundreds of natives, including most all the Mikasukis, escaped. While US forces destroyed over 400 native homes and produced higher casualties. After the battle, instead of following his orders to destroy the Mikasukis, Jackson chose to march against Presidio San Marcos de Apalache. Jackson surrounded San Marcos 6 April and sent a letter to the fort's commander. In the letter, Jackson accused the commander,  Don Francisco Caso, of arming the Seminoles and Mikasukis. Jackson continued that he had captured the wife of the chief who had confirmed this to him and explained that  to prevent that from happening again, the San marcos would have to be guarded by US troops. Don Caso responded, a denying the story that Chief Chennabee's wife had told, claiming that the Seminoles had not taken ammunition from the fort. Despite this denial he openly admitted that he did not have the capability of stopping Jackson's forces and stated that he could not allow him to garrison US troops without the permission from St. Augustine. Jackson seized San Marcos on 7 April, marching his men into the fort. Among those in the fort was  Alexander Arbuthnot, a Scottish trader based out of the Bahamas. Arbuthnot traded with the tribes in Florida and the Spanish. Jackson accused Arbuthnot of selling guns to the Creeks and preparing them for war against the US. The truth was Arbuthnot was selling rifles, but since the maintrade was deer, he often traded hunting rifles to them  since arrows did too much damage on the fur. Jackson found no Creeks living in San Marcos and despite having no evidence that the SPanish were aiding the enemies of the US, he arrested the Spanish Garrison there. Jackson devised a plan where he flew the British flag on a US Ship and tricked Creeks leaders into entering the vessel. Two Creeks chiefs who had previously worked with the US were arrested, and hanged without trial under Jackson's order. Jackson then marched a large force to attack the Seminole villages along the Suwannee river.  On 12 April, en route to the Suwannee theUS forces led by William McIntosh attacked a Red Stick village on the Econfina River. Over 40 Red Sticks were killed, and about 100 women and children were captured. US forces again did not pursue those that fled but destroyed the villages belonging  to Semionles and escaped slaves. Having destroyed the major Seminole and black villages in Florida, Jackson declared victory and ordered  the Georgia militia and the Lower Creeks to return. The remaining US Regulars returned to San Marcos. There they held a military tribunal, and sentenced two British subjects to death. Arbuthnot and Robert Ambrister. a former Officer in the British Marines who was trading Tobacco with the seminoles. Ambrister was originally sentenced to fifty lashes and a year in hard labor Jackson, however, orderd Ambrister's death. Ambrister was executed by a firing squad of American troops on 29 April 1818. Arbuthnot was hanged from the yardarm of his own ship. Jackson left a garrison at San Marcos and returned to Fort Gadsden up the Apalochia river. There he sent the secretary of war a letter stating that he had conquered the enemy, brought peace and  would be returning to Nashville within a few days. This all changed however, when he got reports that seminoles were gathering at Pensacola. The Fourth US Invasion of West Florida. On 7 may Jackson marched west across the Aplochia river into West florida with a force of 1,000 US army regulars. When Jackon's forces arrived he was informed that the Seminoles there were refugees being brought into Missions west of the city. The Governor Masot protested that most of the refugees were women and children, many widows and orphans, and that he had ensured that the men were unarmed. Governor Masot told Jackson it was his Chrisitan duty to render shelter and supplies such as food and clothing for the Seminoles. Governor Masot had hoped to establish a Mission for the general conversion of the Seminoles but  Jackson did not stop his advance. Masot ordered an evacuation of San Miguel to the outlying forts Santa Rosa and San Carlos. Meanwhile, US Militia from Alabama had beat Jackson to the Seminole village, a group of about 120 Seminole refugees living at  Bayou Texar on Pensacola bay. There they had begun to farm and built several cabins, including a Chapel where they had begun to learn religious instruction. US milita attacked this village on 26  April, killing at least 30 Seminoles, including 8 Catholic women and children. This was confirmed by a report from Governor Masot, who sent a priest to bury the dead. When Jackson reached Pensacola on 23 May, US forces consisted of 1,000 US army regulars, while the Spanish consisted of 50 Regulars and about 120 volunteers. Jackson ordered a surrender of all forts and a battle ensued when the Spanish refused. The siege consisted of primarily cannon fire, with a few failed US advancements. When Governor Masot surrendered when he was informed that reinforcements would not arrive and that Jackson had stated he would bomb the fort until they surrendered or died. Jackson ordered for all Spanish officials and loyalists to leave Pensacola, then proclaimed West Florida a territory for the United States.

Jackson left Colonel William King as the governor of West Florida. Right before Jackson.s invasion Secretary of state John Quincy Adams had attempted to negotiate the purchase of Florida from Spain. However, Spain protested the invasion and later seizure of West Florida and suspended the negotiations. Adams knew Spain did not have the means to retaliate against the United States or regain West Florida by force, so Adams apologized for the seizure of West Florida, said that it had not been an official action of the US government, and offered to return San Marcos and Pensacola. This notably did not include the return of Fort Gadsden. At the same time the British government protested the execution of two of its subjects who had never entered United States territory. However, the British did not want to enter into another conflict in North America. Spain, seeing that the British would not join them in making a strong denouncement of the Florida invasion,  eventually resumed negotiations for the sale of Florida.

Christendom's end in Florida

An agreement was then reached whereby Spain ceded East Florida to the United States and renounced all claims to West Florida. When Congress reconvened in December 1818, resolutions were introduced condemning Jackson's actions.  Jackson was accused of having initiated the war on his own authority for corrupt purposes, such as land speculation in Pensacola and personal profit (capturing slaves).When the charges followed him through his later presidential campaigns he started lying that he had actually been authorized to invade by a secret message sent to him  by James Monroe and that he had later burned the secret message on orders of Monroe during the Congressional investigation. Spain ceded Florida to the United States in 1819 with the Adams–Onís Treaty, and the United States officially  took possession of Florida in 1821. Spanish officials and loyalists fled Florida for Cuba. General Andrew Jackson was appointed governor in March 1821, but he did not arrive in Pensacola until July. He resigned the post in September and returned home in October, having spent just three months in Florida. Pensacola, San Marcos and Pensacola, the three major towns of Florida, were occupied. Perhaps in a tragic but telling scene, CAstillo San Marcos defending St. Augustine, was surrendered to US forces. Castillo San Marcos had fended off every attempt to capture it. Castillo San Marcos was undefeated since its first battle against the British in 1702, then again in 1704, then again in 1740, and finally against the US forces in 1812, then again in 1817. The Seminoles were still a large part of FLorida and subsequent wars would continue on into the mid  1800s. in 1822, it was  estimated that the number of seminoles in Florida was about 22,000 Indians and 5,000 slaves. The surrender of Florida also tragically meant the temporary end of the Mass in Florida, since all the priests left for Cuba. Thus ended Christendom’s rule in Florida.