Lefebvre's Charles Town expedition facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Charles Town expedition |
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| Part of Queen Anne's War | |||||||
 Detail from a 1733 map showing the North American coastline between Charles Town and St. Augustine |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Pro-Bourbon Spain France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jacques Lefebvre Estevan de Berroa Louis Pasquereau (POW) General Arbousset (POW) |
 Nathaniel Johnson William Rhett |
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| Strength | |||||||
| six privateers 330 French and Spanish regulars 200 Spanish volunteers 50 Indians |
exact number unknown; provincial militia numbered about 900 Several provincial naval forces, including impressed merchant ships | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| one ship captured 42 killed over 350 captured |
unknown | ||||||
The Charles Town expedition in September 1706 was a joint attack by French and Spanish forces. Their goal was to capture Charles Town, the main city of the English Province of Carolina. This event happened during Queen Anne's War, which was a big conflict in North America.
Captain Jacques Lefebvre led the expedition. It was mainly planned and paid for by the French. The journey started from Havana, Cuba. The fleet stopped at St. Augustine, Florida to get more soldiers. When they reached Charles Town, one of their ships, the Brillant, got separated. English militia, led by Governor Nathaniel Johnson, quickly pushed back the French and Spanish troops who tried to land. An English fleet, put together quickly by Colonel William Rhett, captured the Brillant. The other five enemy ships had already left after their defeat.
Contents
Why They Attacked Charles Town
News of the War of the Spanish Succession reached North America in 1702. This war was happening in Europe, but it also affected the colonies. The English in Carolina quickly took action. They tried to capture St. Augustine, Florida, the capital of Spanish Florida, but they failed. After that, they launched many attacks against Spanish and Native American settlements in northern Florida.
French leaders in Mobile, Alabama, a small French settlement, were worried. They were allies with the Spanish, so they feared their own land might be attacked next.
Plans for Revenge
The idea for a combined French and Spanish attack on Carolina came up in 1704. The governor of Florida, José de Zúñiga y la Cerda, talked about it with a French naval captain. They wanted revenge for the Carolina raids.
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, a French explorer and privateer, developed a big plan in 1703. A privateer was like a pirate, but they had permission from their government to attack enemy ships. D'Iberville had caused a lot of trouble for English settlements before. His plan was for a small French fleet to meet a large Spanish fleet in Havana. Then, they would attack Charles Town. He hoped to make other English towns pay a ransom after destroying Charles Town.
It took until late 1705 for d'Iberville to get permission from King Louis XIV of France. The king gave him ships and some soldiers. But d'Iberville had to pay for the expedition himself at first.
Getting Ready for Battle
In January 1706, two small fleets left France. D'Iberville was supposed to lead the expedition. They had 12 ships and 600 French soldiers. They first sailed to the West Indies, a group of islands. They recruited more soldiers at Martinique. D'Iberville also successfully raided Nevis, an island held by the English.
After this, d'Iberville sent part of his fleet away and sailed to Havana. He tried to get the Spanish to help more, but it was difficult. A serious outbreak of yellow fever was happening. The disease killed many soldiers. The Spanish Governor, Pedro Álvarez de Villarín, died on July 6. D'Iberville himself died on July 8. Before he passed away, d'Iberville gave control of the expedition to Captain Jacques Lefebvre.
The Journey to Charles Town
Lefebvre left Havana with five ships. They carried about 300 French soldiers and 200 Spanish volunteers. The fleet first went to St. Augustine. The governor there gave them a sixth ship, 30 more soldiers, and about 50 Native American allies. These Native Americans were from the Timucua, Apalachee, and Tequassa tribes.
The French fleet sailed from St. Augustine on August 31. During the trip, they saw a small, fast ship called a sloop. The Brillant chased it and got separated from the rest of the fleet. The sloop was an English privateer sent by Carolina's governor, Nathaniel Johnson. Its captain quickly returned to Charles Town to warn them about the approaching fleet.
Charles Town was also dealing with a yellow fever outbreak. But the people and the governor quickly prepared. Governor Johnson called out the militia. A militia is a group of citizens who are trained as soldiers but are not part of a regular army. About 900 men from the colony's 4,000 non-slave population joined the militia.
Governor Johnson expected the enemy to land on James Island. This island protected the southern entrance to the harbor. He placed the militia there under Lieutenant Colonel William Rhett. Fort Johnson was on James Island. It had cannons, but they couldn't reach far enough to stop ships from entering the harbor. The militia also quickly put together a small fleet of ships. They even had a fire ship, which was a ship filled with flammable materials meant to be set on fire and sent into enemy ships.
The Attacks Begin
The Spanish fleet arrived near the harbor on September 4. (This date is from English records. It was August 24 on the Julian calendar used by the English, but September 4 on the Gregorian calendar we use today.) The Brillant was still missing. It carried many French soldiers and important supplies like cannons and shovels.
Despite this, Captain Lefebvre and his fleet crossed the harbor bar on September 7. The next day, he sent an ultimatum. An ultimatum is a final demand. He demanded 50,000 Spanish pesos (a type of money) as ransom. He threatened to destroy Charles Town if they didn't pay. Governor Johnson refused. He said the town was worth 40 million pesos and had "cost much blood, so let them come."
Fighting on Land and Sea
On September 9, the invaders landed two groups of soldiers. One large group of about 160 men looted some farms near Charles Town. But Governor Johnson sent militia in boats to stop them, and they were called back. A second, smaller group landed on James Island. They were also driven away by the threat of English resistance.
Late that night, Johnson heard that the first group was still active. He sent Lieutenant Colonel Rhett with 100 men to check. Around daybreak on September 10, Rhett's men surprised the invaders. The invaders ran away after a short fight. About 60 were captured, and around 12 invaders were killed. One English defender also died. On September 11, Lieutenant Colonel Rhett sailed the colonial fleet out to find the invaders. He discovered they had already sailed away.
The next day, the Brillant finally arrived. Its captain didn't know what had happened. He had sailed too far north from St. Augustine before turning back. General Arbousset landed his troops east of Charles Town. But the colonial fleet captured the Brillant. Arbousset and his men surrendered after a short battle with the Carolina militia. About 14 to 30 of them were killed. The prisoners included 90 to 100 Native Americans. Most of these Native Americans were forced into labor.
After the Battle
Carolina officials were very happy about their successful defense. They declared October 17 a day of thanksgiving. However, they had a problem with the large number of prisoners. They sent about one-third of them to Virginia, hoping they would be sent to England. But by the time the prisoners arrived in Virginia, the ships for England had already left. Virginia authorities were not happy about having to keep the prisoners.
After this victory, the people of Carolina led Native American raiding parties. These parties attacked Pensacola, one of the few remaining Spanish outposts in Florida. They also tried to attack Mobile with Native American forces. However, French efforts to make peace with the Native American communities, and false rumors of another French and Spanish attack, stopped these plans.
Images for kids
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A 1733 map showing Charles Town and the area around it. Fort Johnson is at the bottom.
