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PART watch them under Colonel Palmer, who had inI. difcreetly, and against orders, lodged themselves,

and continued in the fort of Moofa, which the 1740. general had demolished purpofely that no refuge fhould be taken in fo weak a place. Besides, the, intention of this detachment was for a fcouting party, to prevent the Spaniards from driving cattle into the town, and to fhun any engagement. At Moofa the Spaniards took feveral prifoners, infulted the bodies of the dead, and amongst the prisoners, took an Indian named Nicolaufa, and delivered him over to the Yaeaffee. nation to burn him alive; on which General Oglethorpe fent a drum with a meffage to the governor from the Indian king of the Cherokees, acquainting him, that if he burnt Nicolaufa he would burn a Spanish horfeman whom he had taken prifoner; and the general mentioned, that as the governor was a gentleman and a man of honour, he was perfuaded that he would putan end to the barbarous ufage of that country; and from the generofity of a Spanish gentleman, expected he would prevent infults to the bodies of the dead, and cruelties to prifoners: and he rather wifhed it, least he fhould be forced, much against his inclination, to retaliations, which the governor must know he was very able to make, fince his prifoners infinitely exceeded thofe of the Spaniards. Upon which the governor fubmitted not to hurt Nicolaufa, though they pretended to charge him with defertion; the Indians on both fides were agreed to be treated as prisoners of war, and an end was put to their barbarous cuftom, of burning the unhappy wretches that unfortunately fell into their hands.

THE general continued bombarding the place, and coming over with the regular troops from

Anaftafia

Anaftafia to the land fide, paffed the Carolina CHAP. militia from Cartel to Anaftafia, fince they could V. be there protected by the feamen; and on the 23d of June it was agreed, that Capt. Warren, 1740. with the boats from the men of war, the two floops hired by General Oglethorpe, and the Carolina veffels with their militia, fhould attack the half gallies, and that upon a fignal given, General Oglethorpe should on the land fide attack the trenches. This, though a very desperate measure, was pursued; for the whole troops belonging to the English, including the feamen, were much inferior in number to the garrison; and the town was covered on one fide by a caítle with four baftions and fifty pieces of cannon, from whence they run an entrenchment, flanked with feveral faliant angles to fort Coovo, which lay upon the river St Sebaftian; this entrenchment croffed the neck of land from the river Anastasia to that of St Sebaftian, and entirely covered the town from the land. The general upon this, drew in all the ftrength he poffibly could, fent for the garrifon he had left at Diego, and being joined by them and the Creek Indians, and having made a fufficient number of fafcines, fhort ladders, provided all other neceffaries for attacking the entrenchments, and brought up thirty-fix cohorns, he waited for the fignal, but received notice that the commodore had refolved to delay the attack.

SICKNESS had spread among the troops, and was daily increafing, the weather being fo violently hot that the most hardy among the Indians were unable to fupport it; and the Spaniards had made a fally with 500 men on the land fide, expecting to continue the fuccefs they had gained

PART at Moofa, but were repulfed with confiderable lofs, and only two of the English wounded.

I.

THE general received a meffage from Com1749. modore Peirce, that upon consultation it was refolved, "That it was too rafh an attempt to risk the "boats and feamen, and therefore he had counter

86

manded Capt. Warren; that many neceffaries "were wanting in the fleet, and the feafon of the "year was fuch,that they could not stay longer on "that station, and that the 5th of July was the time they were first limited to leave the coaft, which, as it was near arrived, he thought proper to acquaint the general, that the fleet "muft foon leave the coast, and wished that he "could do him any fervice in the mean time." The general in vain attempted to alter this refolution; but the fickness and wants increasing every day, justified it more and more; nay, the Carolina boats were continually going off, and even Captains of their levies privately left the fervice, and went home with boats and numbers of men.

WHILST these things were doing, Capt. Warren being commanded by the commodore to leave the fhore fervice and go on board his fhip, met with a number of Spanish veffels from Cuba, bringing provifions and men to Auguftine, whom he engaged, run one of them afhore and beat her to pieces, but the reft getting into fhoal water, made their way to Auguftine, by fome channels with which the English were then unacquainted. A party of the Creek Indians furprized one of the boats and brought off four prifoners to the general, who confeffed that there was eleven veffels and 700 men, with a great quantity of provifions got into Auguftine, that they be longed to one of them, and that there had been one more which was funk by an English man of

war.

war. Upon this, all hopes of taking the place CHAP. by famine ceafed; the fquadron failed, the Ca- V. rolina troops marched away, and the general brought up the rear, being at that time fo ill of 1740. a fever as to be carried by men: the garrifon making a fally, were repulfed with lofs, and one of their officers of horfe taken prisoner. The general in his march back, demolished Fort Diego, and nine other of the Spanish forts which were placed on proper paffes to hinder the incurfions of the Creek Indians, whereby all the plantations were destroyed and laid open; fo that the Spaniards never fince could poffefs any thing out of the reach of the cannon of Auguftine. The general gave liberty to the foldiers and Indians to drive off the cattle and horfes, who carried away 500 of their horfes, and feveral thousands of their cattle.

THUS was the general unfortunately difappointed in accomplishing fo material a fervice as the reduction of Auguftine; which, in justice, ought to be principally attributed to the flow and negligent steps taken by the affembly of Carolina, who, instead of the 600 men, and other fuccours promised to the general to be ready in March, fent only 400, and those chiefly too old or too young for the ufe of arms, who arrived at the camp too late to be attended with fuccefs. In the year 1702, Colonel Moor, then governor of South Carolina, invaded Florida with a much greater force than that commanded by General Oglethorpe; and after he had invested Augustine for three months, was obliged to raise the fiege, because the town had received a supply of provifions, which rendered his scheme impracticable. But though General Oglethorpe was defeated in his principal aim, he fucceeded in his

other

PART other views, which were to intimidate the SpaI. niards from invading Georgia or Carolina,

and to give thofe provinces the feasonable and 1740. happy opportunity of enjoying their properties, free and undisturbed from the calamities and defolation of a proud, arrogant, and revengeful enemy; for the Spaniards, inftead of making continual excurfions, dreaded the abilities of fo able a commander, and very gladly remained inactive and content with their own territories, until the year 1742, when they had collected an army, they imagined too powerful, to meet with the leaft oppofition from the English, and were by their numbers encouraged to attempt an invafion on Georgia.

CHAPTER

VI.

The Siege of CARTHAGEN A.

A'

FTER the demolition of Chagre, the brave Admiral Vernon was left a confiderable time in America without orders and fupplies, and was obliged to remain in a state of inactivity till he could receive a neceffary reinforcement. During this interval of action, the admiral, ever industrious to promote the intereft and trade of his country, pofted his cruizing fhips in the most advantageous stations for intercepting the Spanish commerce, and attending the motions of the galleons

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