In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

CHAPTER 5 War Comes to Darien: The Battle at Fort Mosa With Lawless Force, and yet pretended Right, They [Spain] search'd, seiz'd, plunder'd, and condemn'd at Sight: The wretched TRADER'S, doom'd to endless Fears Of plunder'd Treasure, and the Loss of Ears. —Britannicus [Samuel Martin of Antigua?], "A Letter from Don Thomas Geraldino, in Answer to Don Bias de Lezo's, at Cathagene. Faithfully translated by Britannicus" THE BEGINNING OF 1737 brought renewed fears of impending danger to the colony of Georgia and to the settlement of Darien. In February, reliable reports of Spanish preparations in St. Augustine"to invade and unsettle the colony of Georgia" were sent to Savannah from Lieutenant-Governor Thomas Broughton of South Carolina.1 Additional information about the military buildup of the Spanish invasion forces from Cuba came to light when Governor Richard Fitzwilliam of New Providence, Bahama Islands, sent a letter, along with several dispositions from English seamen who were prisoners in Cuba, to the Duke of Newcastle.2 The Spanish laid in "quantities of Corn and Provision" and additional firearms, and numbers of regular troops from Havanawere sent to St. Augustine.3 The proposed attack was to be led by John Savy, a former Indian trader from South Carolina who "styles himself Col. Wall," now in the service of the king of Spain.4 The invasionwas set for March.5 The colony of Georgia immediately busied itself in preparation for war. Efforts were made to ensure that the Indians in Georgia remained faithful allies, and the various settlements set about shoring up their fortifications. In a letter to Thomas Causton on 23 March 1737, Harman Verelst im- The Battle at Fort Mosa 69 pressed upon the people in the province that "defense is the business of the inhabitants of Georgia."6 This advice, along with the frequent alarms from other sources, according to Benjamin Martyn, "drew the People off from their Labor in the Sowing-Season, . . . and they were obliged to make Preparations for their Defense."7 The Highlanders at Darien built a fort and mounted twelve pieces of cannon .8 Dariens inhabitants were determined to defend themselves while attempting to maintain some air of normality. Crops were planted and a sawing operation set up. The Scots were making the most of the poor soil around them.9 However, Mohr Mackintoshwas also vigilant in his duties as military leader. In a letter to Harman Verelst dated 15 November 1737, Mackintosh averred that "arms and ammunition are the soul of any place that wants to defend itself as we do" and requested more munitions along with a gunsmith for the settlement.10 The threatened Spanish invasion of Georgia never materialized in March and things were relatively quiet for Darien until the end of April, when the Spanish began forays into Georgia testing the defenses of the colony. Captain James Gascoigne, commander of the sloop Hawk, informed Oglethorpe that thirty Spaniards on board a launch had come to Amelia Island and had landed sixteen of their number. They were discovered and fired upon by the Highlanders garrisoned on the island. The Spanish immediately retreated to their boat.11 Shortly after the incident, shots were fired at the outguards at Darien.12 William Horton reported that "everyone of Mr. Mackintosh's people were within the fort at the time the sentries affirm they saw seven men, four of whom went under the cover of bushes one way and three another ,"13 The Highlanders within the fort returned fire and one of the Scots told Horton that he thought he had wounded one of the intruders. They could not tell whether the snipers were white, Indian, or a combination of the two.14 These encroachments kept the Scots in a constant state of alarm. The Earl of Egmont, although hearing good reports of the progress of Darien, predicted that taking men from their farms to make soldiers of them would be damaging to the settlement.15 Apparently he feared that the pressures of continual military preparedness combined with limited provisions could cause a civil revolt among the settlers, and that is exactly what happened . After a good harvest in the early spring of 1737, the weather turned so dry "as to burn up all that has been planted."16 To add to the settlers' woes, as Mohr Mackintosh complained, "our being confined in such a small place as our fort brought a great number of rats and mice which have...

Share