V.

fels, Capt. Warren defended himself beyond all CHAP. expectation or hope; and the wind, in the morning, fpringing up, he funk one of the gallies, and drove the reft into the port.

GENERAL OGLETHORPE fet out from Charles-Town, greatly difgufted at the dilatory proceeding of the affembly, which was influenced by the Spanish party, and had confined him fo long beyond the proper time for action. On his arrival in Georgia he immediately draughted 500 men out of his regiment, leaving the reft to take care of the coaft, raised a company of 100 men from the highland part of the colony, two troops of rangers of 60 men each, and 100 boatmen from the other inhabitants; and croffing St John's river, with a party of his regiment, and fome Indians headed by Molochi, fon to Brin, late emperor of the Creeks, the Raven war king of the Cherokees, and Tooanahowi, nephew to king Tomo Chachi, landed in Florida on the 10th of May; expecting the arrival of the levies and pioneers, from Carolina, They not arriving, and the first thing neceffary to be done, being the taking of the forts that kept open the communication of the Spaniards with the country; the general, impatient of lofing time, after a march of thirty miles, invested and took Fort Diego, lying three leagues from Auguftine, amongst meadows where there were great ftocks of cattle, and commanded a pass upon the river Diego, half way between Auguftine and the river St Mathea; after a very fmart firing for some hours, the garrifon, confifting of a captain and fifty-feven regular troops, befides Indians and negroes, furrendered prifoners of war, and delivered up the fort with eleven pieces of cannon. Soon after 400 men under Colonel

1740.

PART Vander Duffen arrived from Carolina, but no I. horfe, rangers, nor negroe pioneers; about the

fame time arrived a body of Cherokee Indians, 1740. Capt. Dunbar alfo brought up a party of Chickafaw Indians, and Capt. M'Intofh with 100 of the Highland men, and the rangers from Georgia

arrived about the fame time.

In the mean while, Commodore Pierce in the Flamborough, with Capt. Warren in the Squirrel, Capt. Fanfhaw in the Tartar pink, and Capt. Townfend in the Phenix, of 20 guns, Sir Yelverton Peyton in the Hector of 40 guns, Capt. Laws in the Spence, and Capt. Dandridge in the Woolf floop, arrived off St Mathea, or St John's river; on whom General Oglethorpe had, with great difficulty, prevailed to come down and affift upon the expedition. The general went on board, and upon confultation, they agreed to anchor off Auguftine, and to attempt an entry into the harbour. The general immediately marched by land, and in three days arrived at Moofa, a fort which the Spaniards had built for the deferted negroes from Carolina, and given them fome adjoining lands: he made a forced march with a fmall detachment, by reafon that he received private intelligence from his party amongst the Spaniards, that he might have. the town delivered to him; but the general infifted upon hoftages from them, before he would rifque to fend a party into the caftle to take poffeffion of it; this they had agreed to, and appointed the place of meeting near to Coovo, in a wood, about a mile from Auguftine, and two miles from Moofa: the general went there with a felect party of men; having stayed till the time was long over, and no perfons appearing, he went perfonally to reconnoitre as far as the works

of

V.

of Auguftine, and found that the lines from CHAP. Coovo to the town, were all full of troops, very alert; and finding the defign difappointed, but then not knowing how, he returned to his party, 1740. ordered the Drums to beat, that those who had promifed him might know that he had not failed on his fide, and then marched back to Moofa. Upon the breaking of the morning, the general faw that the men of war did not come into the harbour, and the provifions which were to come up did not arrive, but an excufe was made by the lieutenant colonel, who had charge to conduct them from fort Diego; upon which the general marched back to the head quarters at Diego, and fent on board the men of war to know what had occafioned the difappointment of their not mastering the harbour; when the commodore acquainted him, that there was a battery on the ifland of Anaftafia, which defended the entry, and defired he would fend a body of troops to land, under favour of the men of war, upon the ifland, and he would fend the fmall veffels into the harbour, which was too fhallow to admit of the men of war: upon which the general marched to the coaft, and embarked with a party of 200 men, having before fent the highlanders, rangers, and a party of Indians, under Colonel Palmer, with orders to lie in the woods near Auguftine, and hinder their parties from coming out by land; but with pofitive orders, not to come to any general action, if they could avoid it; nor to lie two nights in the fame place: he alfo pofted the Carolina new raised men, at point Cartel, which makes the mouth of the harbour over against the island of Anaftafia; and this he did, because they were fafe there, being divided from Auguftine, and covered from any fally that

could

I.

PART could be made by the garrison, by the river St. Diego, and marshes then thought inacceffible by the Spaniards. The general came up to the com1740. modore, and having held a confultation, Capt. Warren very generously offered to land with a party of feamen; and to prevent all difficulties of rank, the general gave him a commiffion to command his lieutenant colonel.

THE Spaniards made a disposition to defend the ifland; they had then about 1,100 men in the garrifon, out of which they could pass over as many as they thought proper to the island; but there was not boats enough for the English to land above 500 men at once: notwithstanding which, the general refolved to carry the landing; and feeing the Spaniards very advantageously pofted behind the fand hills, covered by the battery upon the inland and the fire from the half gallies, who lay in fhoal water where the men of war could not come; he ordered the heavy boats to ftay, and feem as if they intended to land near them, whilft he, with Capt. Warren and the pinnaces, rowed with all the fpeed they could to the fouthward for about two miles. The Spaniards ran behind the fand hills to ftrive to prevent them, but before they could come up in any order, the boats got near enough to the fhore: the general, Capt. Warren, a party of Indians and feamen leaped into the water breast high, landed and took poffeffion of the fand hills; the Spaniards being charg in diforder, retired in the utmost confufion to the battery; but being purfued, were drove out of the battery into the fea, fome sheltering themfelves on board the half gallies, who retired under the castle of Auguftine, and the English boats and fmall craft entered the harbour.

-BEING mafters of Anaftafia, it was found that CHAP. the river which runs between that island and the V.

caftle, near which the town lies, was too wide

to batter in breach; but the town was not fortifi- 1740. ed on the fide of the water, the Spaniards ftrongly believing the island of Anaftafia could not be taken from them, and expecting the attack to have been from the land fide. It was then refolved to attempt to cross the river, and land upon the town; and what the general had faid was now evidently proved, that if the attempt had been begun before the half gallies came from Cuba, they might with eafe have landed upon that part of the town where there was no entrenchments; but now the half gallies were a floating battery in a wide ditch, fo that there was no poffibility of landing, without first taking or driving them away. Many confultations paffed for this purpose, but none could take effect, though General Oglethorpe and Capt. Warren offered to attack them with the boats of the fleet. There was now little hopes but from famine; for the Spaniards who were in the Auftrian intereft and intended to deliver that place, had been fufpected if not discovered; perhaps by the means of an officer afterwards punished in England. This was one great difappointment, but the half gallies and fuccours got in from Cuba was a much greater: thirty-fix pieces of cannon, together with planks for batteries, and all other neceffaries, and 400 pioneers were to have come from Carolina, but none of them arrived, only twelve pieces of cannon; which for want of planks for batteries, being obliged to fire upon the fand, foon broke their carriages to pieces, and could not be repaired. The Spaniards on the other fide had furprized the party fent to VOL. I. watch