Siege of Pensacola (1707) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Pensacola
Part of Queen Anne's War
Fort San Carlos de Austria, map from 1699
Date First siege: 12–20 August 1707 Second siege: 28–30 November 1707 Location Pensacola, Spanish Florida Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Spain	Province of Carolina Muskogee
Commanders and leaders
Don Sebastián de Moscoso	Unknown; second siege may have been led by Thomas Nairne
Strength
First siege: unknown, under 220 Second siege: about 300	First siege: several hundred Second siege: about 320

The Siege of Pensacola was a series of two attacks in 1707. These attacks were made by Creek Native Americans, who were supported by English colonists. Their goal was to capture the town and fort of Pensacola.

Pensacola was one of the two main Spanish settlements in Spanish Florida. The other was St. Augustine. These attacks were part of Queen Anne's War, a larger conflict in North America. The war was also known as the War of the Spanish Succession in Europe.

During the sieges, much of the town was burned down. Many Native Americans living there had to leave. However, the main fort, Fort San Carlos de Austria, successfully defended itself. The battles often happened at night because of the very hot daytime weather.

The first attack in August destroyed the town. But the fort held strong. A second attack came in late November. The attackers tried for three nights but could not take the fort. Pensacola's governor, Don Sebastián de Moscoso, even got prisoners to help defend the fort.

Why Pensacola Was Attacked

English and Spanish colonies in North America often fought over land. This started in the mid-1600s. Spain had a small population in Florida. They built missions to teach local Native Americans about the Catholic faith.

In 1670, English colonists started Charles Town (now Charleston, South Carolina). This made tensions worse. By the early 1700s, English traders from Carolina had made friends with Creek Native Americans. These traders gave the Creeks weapons. In return, they bought animal furs and captured people.

These traders often went into Spanish Florida. This led to raids and counter-attacks by both sides. In 1700, Carolina's governor, Joseph Blake, warned Spain. He said England claimed Pensacola, which Spain had built in 1698.

In 1702, a French leader named Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville warned the Spanish at Pensacola. He told them to arm the Apalachee Native Americans. He said they should prepare for English attacks. He even offered supplies to help.

However, a Spanish attack on the Creek people failed badly. This happened in October 1702. Soon after, news arrived that England was at war with Spain. After a failed English attack on St. Augustine in 1702, many Spanish mission towns were destroyed. This was due to raids by Creek and Carolina forces.

In 1706, a French attack on Charles Town failed. This made Carolina leaders want to attack Spanish Pensacola and French Mobile. A plan was made to gather 1,500 Native Americans to capture Mobile. But political problems in Carolina stopped this plan.

The First Attack

In 1707, Don Sebastián de Moscoso was in charge of Pensacola. We do not know exactly how many soldiers he had. The fort was supposed to have 220 soldiers. But it was hard to find people to serve there. Many soldiers also left. In 1708, Moscoso said he had about 100 soldiers left.

The soldiers lived in Fort San Carlos de Austria. This was a wooden fort built in 1698. Records do not say exactly who attacked Pensacola in August. They only mention "several hundred Tallapoosas and a few South Carolina traders."

The attack started on August 12. A group of 20 to 30 Native Americans arrived. They began to scare the Native Americans living outside the fort. They took some people prisoner, including women and children. They also started burning houses.

Governor Moscoso fired a cannon from the fort. This made the attackers scatter. Some of their prisoners escaped to the fort. Two days later, ten men from the fort went to do laundry and disappeared.

On August 14, about 300 Native Americans appeared before the fort. They fought for several hours. The next day, the attack continued. They also kept stealing from the town. Things were quiet until August 18. Then, an English flag was put up on a house near the fort.

Moscoso ordered his men to fire from the fort. A battle raged until dark. That day, the attackers burned the rest of the town. Moscoso's men worked hard to stop the fort from burning. On August 19, a Spaniard was captured while checking the ruins. Another person was captured the next day. This ended the main attacks on the fort. But the area outside the fort's guns was unsafe for another month. Many people disappeared if they went too far from the fort.

The Second Attack

The second attack began on November 27. About 20 Carolina traders and 300 Creeks arrived. Most of these Creeks were Tallapoosas and Alabamas.

On that day, a person from Carolina brought a demand for surrender. It was written in English. Since no one Spanish could read it, he was sent away. The demand was then told to them by a French Huguenot. Governor Moscoso refused to surrender. His soldiers were weak from sickness.

The attackers began a weak attack on the fort around midnight. It lasted until morning. Then, they gave a final demand to surrender. Moscoso refused again. To get more fighters, he asked prisoners in the fort's guardhouse to help. He offered them freedom and money.

For the next two nights, the attackers tried again to take the fort. But they did not succeed. On the night of November 29-30, one of the main Creek chiefs was killed. This seemed to make the attackers lose hope. The siege ended the next morning. The attackers were said to have lost many people.

News of the attack reached the French at Mobile on November 24. Governor Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville gathered 100 Frenchmen and 400 Native Americans. They arrived at Pensacola on December 8. But the siege had ended a week before.

What Happened Next

These attacks were the last major ones on Pensacola during the war. However, there were still small fights and kidnappings. Most of the Native Americans who fled during the sieges never came back. Pensacola became little more than a military outpost.

Governor Bienville learned that Mobile was also a target. He improved Mobile's defenses in 1708. But Mobile was never attacked. A village of Mobile Native Americans was attacked in May 1709.

A French force from Mobile captured Pensacola from Spain in 1719. This happened during the War of the Quadruple Alliance. But Pensacola was given back to Spain after the war. Today, Fort Barrancas stands where Fort San Carlos de Austria once was. Fort Barrancas is a National Historic Landmark. Its building started in the late 1700s.

Images for kids

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  Spanish map of the Florida Gulf coast, 1700

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  Aerial view of Fort Barrancas

See also

In Spanish: Sitios de Pensacola para niños