[Illustration: The most serious attack on the Castillo took place
when James Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia, arrived off Saint
Augustine on June 13, 1740, with 7 warships and 1,400 troops.
Oglethorpe’s arrival was not entirely unexpected. The English and
Spaniards were rivals in Europe and continued their contest in the
New World, with the Spaniards becoming increasingly restive as the
English penetrated into the lands south of Charleston. By the time
Oglethorpe arrived in Georgia, only about 150 miles north of the
Castillo and on land the Spaniards considered their own, tensions
were high. Oglethorpe wanted to guarantee that his new settlements
would be secure from Spanish attack, so he decided to capture and
occupy Spain’s base in Florida—before they decided to attack him.
Oglethorpe had his work cut out for him, because the Castillo was
superbly sited. Creeks and marshes protected it to the west and
south. On the east the bay stretched to a shallow bar across the
harbor entrance that kept heavy warships out of range. The only land
approach was from the north. An English spy for Oglethorpe reported
that the fort was well supplied and staffed. There were “22 pieces
of Cannon well mounted on the Bastions from 6 pound’rs to 36....
There is a guard of a Lieutenant, a Serjeant & 2 Corporals & 30
Soldiers here who is relieved Every Day.... There is a Mote Round it
of 30 foot wide & a draw Bridge of about 15 foot long, they draw
every Night & Lett it down in the Morning.” With this kind of
information Oglethorpe knew what he was up against and came
prepared. Fortunately for the defenders, the attackers were divided.
Some had landed on Vilano Point and on Anastasia Island, opposite
the Castillo and were setting up batteries there. Some troops were
on the mainland where they had seized vacant Fort Mose, a free black
settlement just north of the Castillo. Though the total British
force outnumbered the defenders, Gov. Manuel de Montiano reasoned
that his forces could attack one segment before it could be
reinforced by the other two. This is exactly what the Spaniards did,
overwhelming the British force at Fort Mose. Undecided about further
land attack, the British then began shelling the Castillo and the
town from their siege batteries in a bombardment that lasted 27
days. But the British mortars and siege guns were too far away to be
totally effective and the damage they did was slight. Some of the
newer stonework was damaged. Only two Spanish soldiers were killed
during the attack and another had a leg shot away. Among the British
there was no agreement regarding another course of action.
Oglethorpe himself was down with a fever, and the troops had become
unnecessarily tired by purposeless maneuvering. With the approach of
the hurricane season, the naval commander refused to continue the
blockade, and British forces left. The Castillo and its defenders
had done what they were meant to do.]
[Illustration: The construction of the bombproof vaults in 1738-40
and 1751-56 provided a substantial room for the guard. Bedding was
laid on the raised platform at left.]
Cuba’s governor was a resourceful administrator eager to meet his
responsibilities. He sent guns, soldiers, artisans, convicts,
provisions, and money. The walls would be raised five feet and masonry
vaults, to withstand English bombs, would replace the rotting beams of
old rooms in the Castillo. Stronger outworks would be built, too. To
supervise the project, Engineer Pedro Ruiz de Olano came from Venezuela.
The work began in April 1738 rather inauspiciously. The master of
construction, one Cantillo, was a syphilitic too sick to earn his
16-_real_ daily wage. Much of his work fell to his assistant, a
12-_real_ master mason. All six stonecutters were Negroes. One was an
invalid, and none of them as yet had much skill with coquina. For moving
stone, there was but one oxcart. The labor gang—52 convicts—was too
small. Nevertheless, quarry and kiln hummed with activity, and in the
Castillo the crash of demolition echoed as the convicts pulled down old
structures and began trenching for the new bombproofs. They started on
the east, because this side faced the inlet where enemy action was
likely.
As usual, misfortunes beset the work. Cantillo’s illness worsened and
Blas de Ortega came from Havana to replace him. Eight convicts working
at the limekiln deserted. Engineer Ruiz moved a crew of carpenters,
sawyers, and axemen from work on the Castillo to rebuild a blockhouse
where the trail to Apalache crossed the St. Johns River.
The oxcart driver broke his arm. Quarrying and stonecutting dragged. The
old quarry played out. Luckily, a new one was found and opened, even
though farther away. And Havana sent two more carts and more
stonecutters and convicts.
It was well into October before the carpenters began setting the forms
for the vaults. The masons followed close on their heels and finished
the first of the massive, round-arched bombproofs before the year ended.
Just a year later all eight vaults, side by side along the east curtain,
were done. Each one spanned a 17- by 34-foot area, and had its own door
to the courtyard. Windows above and beside the door let in light and
air.