Raid on Brunswick Town facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raid on Brunswick (1748)
Part of the War of Jenkins' Ear
Mosaic depicting the Spanish Attack
Date 5 September 1748 Location Brunswick Town Result British colonial victory
Belligerents
Great Britain British America	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Captain William Dry III	Vincent Lopez  †
Strength
67 militia	2 ships
Casualties and losses
1 killed 2 wounded	140 killed, wounded or drowned 29 captured 1 ship destroyed

The Raid on Brunswick was an important battle that happened near the end of the War of Jenkins' Ear. It took place from September 3 to 6, 1748. Brunswick Town, a busy port in North Carolina, was attacked by Spanish privateers. Privateers were like legal pirates, allowed by their government to attack enemy ships and towns. The people of Brunswick Town fought back and forced the Spanish away. They even destroyed one of the Spanish ships! This battle was the last fight between Great Britain and Spain in this war. It ended with a victory for the British colonists.

Why the Raid Happened

The War of Jenkins' Ear started in 1739. It was mainly fought in the West Indies and the Americas. By 1748, this war had joined with a bigger conflict called the War of the Austrian Succession. This meant fighting was happening on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Spanish government allowed its forces to attack and steal from English port towns. These towns were in the provinces of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. This time was known as the 'Spanish Alarm'. The British government did not have many regular soldiers in these areas. So, they encouraged the provinces to create their own local groups of fighters called militias. These militias would help protect against Spanish attacks.

Brunswick Town was the busiest port in North Carolina. It sent goods to Europe and the British West Indies. The area around Cape Fear was a perfect spot for the Spanish to attack. Even though a peace treaty, the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), was being discussed in April 1748, news traveled slowly. The people in the American colonies did not know the war was ending yet.

The Attack on Brunswick Town

On September 4, 1748, two Spanish ships arrived near Brunswick Town. Their names were La Fortuna and La Loretta. When the townspeople saw the ships, they quickly ran into the nearby woods to hide. The Spanish then landed their men ashore. They started to raid the town, looking for valuable items and even slaves. Since the town was empty, the Spanish could take whatever they wanted without anyone fighting back.

The next day, Captain William Dry III gathered about 67 men. These men had muskets and pistols. They planned to take their town back. On September 6, Captain Dry, along with William Moore, Schenk Moore, Edward Wingate, Cornelius Harnett Jr., and William Lord, started their counterattack. One slave, who belonged to George Ronalds, also joined the fight.

The Spanish were surprised by this sudden attack. A fight broke out, and the Spanish were slowly pushed back. They soon fled from the town. Ten of the privateers were killed, and thirty were captured. As the Spanish were retreating, one of their ships, La Fortuna, suddenly exploded. Most of the men on board died. The second ship, La Loretta, got confused. Thinking they might also explode, they surrendered. They asked to be allowed to leave.

Some colonists who were on one of the captured Spanish ships managed to overpower their Spanish guards. They then ran the ship aground. That night, Major John Swan arrived with 130 more fighters from Wilmington. Swan's group waited just outside town until morning. They did not want the Brunswick Town defenders to mistake them for Spanish forces in the dark. Meanwhile, the Spanish privateers used the darkness to raise their anchors and sail away. They headed for the mouth of the Cape Fear River and the safety of the open sea. There were no more prisoner exchanges, and the Spanish left the area.

During the fight, some townspeople were hurt. Only one person defending the town died. The slave who joined the fight was killed when a small cannon exploded.

What Happened Next

The remains of La Fortuna were still in the river after the Spanish left. Captain Dry hired sailors to search the sunken ship for anything valuable. They found guns, anchors, and items that had been stolen from the town. Many of the captured Spanish privateers were enslaved for the rest of their lives. This happened because the prisoner exchange did not work out.

The brave actions of the men from Brunswick not only saved their town. They also stopped the Spanish from sailing upriver to threaten Wilmington. The valuable items taken from the Spanish privateers made Brunswick Town one of the richest towns in British North America.

The town was able to sell the captured Spanish slaves and the goods from the sunken ship. The money from these sales was used to build two churches. One was Saint Phillips Church in Brunswick Town. The other was Saint James Church in Wilmington. Among the items found on the ship was a painting called Ecce Homo. It was found in the Spanish captain Lopez's cabin. The North Carolina Assembly gave this painting to Saint James Church in Wilmington when it was finished in 1751. You can still see the painting there today.

Captain William Dry's Militia Company