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ST. AUGUSTINE
Florida's Colonial Capital
By J. T. VAN CAMPEN
[Illustration: Castillo de San Marcos]
Third Printing 1971
C. F. Hamblen, Inc.
P. O. Box 1568
St. Augustine, Florida
Published By
THE ST. AUGUSTINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
_Copyright 1959 by J. T. Van Campen_
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
Contents
I Settlement 3
The Spanish Treasure Fleets 4
The Huguenots Occupy Florida 6
Don Pedro Menendez 8
The Rival Fleets 10
The Turn of the Tide 12
Capture of Fort Caroline 12
The Victor Returns 14
Fate of the Shipwrecked French 14
Other Difficulties 16
Gunpowder Versus Arrows 16
Menendez Goes to Spain 18
On the Brink of Failure 18
Death of Menendez 19
II The Years Accumulate 20
First English Visit 20
Saving of Savage Souls 23
Another Crisis 26
Capital of La Florida 26
III The English Threat 29
A Midnight Raid 29
A Stone Fort at Last 30
Settlement of Pensacola 32
Border Conflict 32
The Shipwrecked Quakers 32
The Castle's First Test 34
The Capital's Defenses 35
Palmer's Raid 36
Oglethorpe's Siege 37
Further Hostilities 40
IV Under British Rule 43
British Rule Begins 44
The New Smyrna Colony 46
During the Revolution 49
Another Treaty 50
V Spanish Rule Returns 52
The North Florida Republic 55
A Bit of Spain 56
Ceded to the United States 57
VI Under the United States 58
Visitors Begin to Arrive 58
The Freeze of 1835 59
The Seminole War 61
A Peaceful Interlude 62
During the Civil War 64
Tourist Industry Resumed 65
Its Isolation Broken 66
The Flagler Influence 66
The Changing Scene 69
St. Augustine Today 71
PUBLICATIONS 73
[Illustration: _Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, the great Spanish
admiral, who founded St. Augustine and made Florida a Spanish
province._]
CHAPTER I
Settlement
It all began at a little bay on the east coast of Florida during
September of 1565. Two large galleons rode at anchor outside the harbor
entrance, while three smaller craft with sails furled and pennants
flying from each masthead were moored within. The ships were a part of
the fleet of Don Pedro Menendez. They brought an expedition from Spain
to establish settlements in Florida and drive out the French Huguenots,
who had a fort near the mouth of the St. Johns River in this
Spanish-claimed territory. The French colony, named Fort Caroline, lay
only some thirty-five miles up the coast from the point where the
Spanish ships were anchored. There on this very same day Jean Ribault,
who had just arrived from France with reinforcements, was preparing to
attack the Spaniards before they could finish landing and fortify their
position.
During the late forenoon, Menendez and a group of his officers
transferred from the larger of the two galleons offshore to a smaller
boat alongside. Aided by a strong incoming tide, the boat entered the
inlet and advanced across the bay toward the mainland, heading for a
little creek that wound among the marshes to higher ground. As it neared
this point, the roar of cannon and the blare of trumpets startled huge
flocks of marsh birds into noisy flight.
On shore curious Indians looked out upon the scene with mingled fear and
wonder. A Spanish detachment, which previously had disembarked, was
drawn up along the bank to greet the landing party. From their ranks a
robe-clad priest emerged holding aloft a cross and singing in a clear
voice the Latin words of the _Te Deum Laudamus_.
"On Saturday, the 8th [of September]," relates the priest, Francisco
Lopez de Mendoza, Chaplain of the Spanish fleet, "the General landed
with many banners spread, to the sound of trumpets and salutes of
artillery. As I had gone ashore the evening before, I took the Cross and
went to meet him, singing the hymn _Te Deum Laudamus_. The General,
followed by all who accompanied him, marched up to the Cross, knelt and
kissed it. A large number of Indians watched these proceedings and
imitated all they saw done. The General then took formal possession of
the country in the name of his Majesty, and all the captains took the
oath of allegiance to him as their leader and Governor."
Beneath the gnarled oaks festooned with moss the Spanish knelt before a
rustic altar to celebrate the first parish Mass on Florida soil.
Menendez had instructed his advance landing party to select a location
suitable for an entrenchment and fort. For this purpose they had taken
over the Indian village of _Seloy_ and the "great house" of its cacique,
which stood close to the river bank. Around it the Spaniards were
hastily digging a trench and throwing up an embankment of earth. Some
cannon were already mounted behind this breastwork. Menendez was well
pleased with what had been accomplished. After holding a council with
his officers he returned to his ships to hasten the unloading of the
rest of his company, artillery, and supplies before the French might
descend upon them.
When he had first come upon this little bay and inlet, chosen for his
base, he gave it the name St. Augustine in honor of the Saint's day
(August 28th), on which his ships first sighted the Florida coast.
_The Spanish Treasure Fleets_
At the time of St. Augustine's founding Spain was the most powerful
nation in Europe. Sailing under her banner, Christopher Columbus in 1492
had initiated the discovery of strange new lands across the sea. Other
intrepid explorers followed--Spanish, French, English, Dutch, and
Portuguese--searching for the coveted sea-route to the Indies. The vast
extent and wealth of the New World began to unfold.
Thus far only Spain, and to a lesser extent Portugal, had taken
advantage of their discoveries. Almost two hundred Spanish settlements
had been established in portions of the West Indies, Mexico, Central and
South America by the time St. Augustine came into being. Fleets of
galleons laden with riches from these colonies began to sail slowly
across the Atlantic to Spanish ports. They became known as the _treasure
fleets_ because they carried fortunes in gold and silver. Spain's
European rivals watched this flow of fabulous wealth with bitter envy,
and pirates preyed increasingly upon it. Some were genuine outlaws;
others were merely adventurers, whose piracy had the tacit approval of
their sovereigns.
The vessels of the treasure fleets usually assembled at Havana, Cuba.
From that point their route, taking advantage of the strong Gulf Stream
current, lay up along the east coast of Florida and Carolina, thence
east to Spain. This was an important lifeline in the then great and
powerful Spanish Empire.
Back in 1513 Ponce de Leon, sailing northwestward from Puerto Rico in
search of rumored wealth and, it was later said, youth-giving waters,
discovered the Florida peninsula. Landing in the vicinity of St.
Augustine, he claimed the territory for Spain and gave it the poetic
name _La Florida_, because he first sighted its green shores during the
Easter season, called by the Spaniards _Pascua Florida_.
[Illustration: _Route of the Spanish Treasure Fleets_]
PACIFIC OCEAN
SOUTH AMERICA
Cartagena
CENTRAL AMERICA
Panama
Portobelo
Treasure carried overland across Isthmus of Panama
CARIBBEAN SEA
RICHES FROM CHILE AND PERU
MEXICO
Veracruz
RICHES FROM MEXICO
SHIPS FOLLOWED GULF STREAM CURRENT
CUBA
Havana
BAHAMA ISLANDS
FLORIDA
St. Augustine
ATLANTIC OCEAN
ROUTE TO SPAIN
Although Florida occupied a strategic location along the route of the
treasure fleets, it remained unsettled for fifty years following its
discovery. Numerous Spanish expeditions, such as those of Narvaez, De
Soto, and Tristan de Luna set out to explore, conquer and colonize
Florida, but instead of gold and silver the conquistadores found only
suffering and death in its wild interior or along its beaches.
[Illustration: _Indians worshipping one of the columns set up by
Ribault, from a drawing by the French artist, Le Moyne._]
During this period of exploration and colonization Europe was the scene
of bitter religious conflict. Spain, which was solidly a Catholic
country, endeavored to stamp out all deviations from its faith. While
neighboring France was predominantly Catholic, there were a number of
Protestants in the country. They were called Huguenots and included some
Frenchmen of noble birth.
_The Huguenots Occupy Florida_
Admiral Gaspard Coligny, leader of the French Protestants, or Huguenots,
dreamed of establishing colonies in the New World that might rival
Spain's in riches and importance. An attempted settlement in Brazil in
1555 was destroyed by the Portuguese. In 1562 he sent out a small
expedition under an able Huguenot navigator, Jean Ribault. These
Frenchmen, after exploring a portion of the north Florida and lower
Carolina coast and setting up columns claiming the land for France,
built a small fort near Port Royal, South Carolina, which was soon
abandoned by the small garrison left there.
During the next two years fighting broke out in France between the
Catholics and Huguenots, preventing further colonizing activity. When
peace was restored Coligny sent out a second and larger expedition in
1564, consisting of three vessels, under Rene de Laudonniere, who had
accompanied Ribault on the first voyage. These colonists chose as a site
for their settlement a point near the mouth of the St. Johns River in
present-day Florida. There they built a fort, named Fort Caroline in
honor of their boy king, Charles IX.
[Illustration: _Rene de Laudonniere._]
After searching the area in vain for evidences of gold and silver, the
Frenchmen ran short of provisions and were forced to subsist mainly on
food bartered or seized from the Indians. Meanwhile, some of their
number mutinied and sailed away to attack Spanish shipping in the
Caribbean. The rest were on the point of returning to France when Sir
John Hawkins, an English freebooter, happened by and sold them one of
his ships and needed supplies. They were again about to embark for
France, when sails appeared off the river's mouth. They were the ships
of Jean Ribault bringing strong reinforcements.
[Illustration: _Admiral Gaspard de Coligny._]
When Philip II of Spain and his advisors learned of these French
Huguenot activities in Florida, they were greatly alarmed. The French
fort, if allowed to remain so close to the route of the treasure fleets,
would constantly expose them to attack. Manrique de Rojas was dispatched
from Cuba to investigate. During May of 1564 he sailed up the Florida
coast looking for signs of a French settlement, but found only one of
the columns left by Ribault, the abandoned fort and a French boy at Port
Royal. Laudonniere did not arrive on the coast until late June of that
year.
[Illustration: _Philip II, the King of Spain, who commissioned
Menendez to settle Florida, and later supervised the colony during
its early years._]
The sovereigns of Spain and France were at the time allied by marriage.
The wife of Philip II of Spain was the daughter of the Queen Regent of
France, the crafty Catherine de' Medici. Philip protested to Catherine
through his minister concerning the presence of her subjects in Florida,
but received only evasive replies to the effect that they had merely
gone to a land called _Newe France_, discovered many years before by
French seamen. It became increasingly clear that to safeguard its claim
to the territory, and protect the route of the treasure fleets, Spain
would need to establish forts of its own in Florida and expel the French
trespassers from its shores.
_Don Pedro Menendez_
The man destined to establish the first permanent settlement in Florida
and expel the French Huguenots was a Spaniard of noble lineage, Don
Pedro Menendez. Born in 1519 in the little seaport town of Aviles, on
the northern coast of Spain, he was one of a large family and upon the
death of his father was sent to be reared by relatives. Against their
wishes he went to sea while still in his teens to fight the pirates, or
corsairs, who lurked along the nearby French and Spanish coasts. Within
a few years he learned to command and navigate a vessel of his own. The
sea was in his blood.
His courage and expert seamanship caused him to rise rapidly in royal
favor. He soon advanced to the most important naval post in Spain, that
of Captain-General of the armada, or guard of heavily armed ships that
accompanied the treasure fleets on their long voyages to and from the
New World through pirate-infested waters, receiving this appointment
directly from the King. But his rise to prominence also created jealous
enemies. Among these were officials of the _Casa de Contratacion_, or
Board of Trade, who formerly had appointed and controlled the armada's
commander, and deeply resented loss of this authority.
When Menendez and his brother, Bartolome, returned from a voyage to the
New World with the treasure fleet in 1563, they were met by armed
officers of the _Casa_, arrested and imprisoned on vague charges related
to smuggling or accepting bribes. Soon after this occurred, Menendez
learned that his only son, Don Juan, had been shipwrecked on the coast
of Florida, or vicinity of Bermuda, while returning with a portion of
the fleet. He hoped and prayed that some day he might find his son
alive, possibly held captive by the coastal Indians.
After over a year's delay Menendez was finally brought to trial and
fined. Upon his release from prison, he immediately sought an audience
with King Philip II to secure his permission for a voyage to Florida in
search of his lost son, and to further explore its coast on which many
Spanish ships were being wrecked. Philip II not only granted permission
for his voyage, but welcomed this opportunity to commission him to
undertake the settlement of Florida, and the task of dealing with the
French Huguenots, who had gained a foothold there. Gratefully Menendez
knelt and kissed his monarch's hand. Here was an opportunity to recoup
his fallen fortunes.
As customary in such matters, a royal _asiento_, or contract, was
executed. By it Menendez was bound to establish three fortified posts in
Florida at his own expense, and within a specified time. In return he
was to receive a substantial share of any riches that might be found
there, certain privileges of trade, and the title of _Adelantado_ and
Governor of the Province of Florida in perpetuity.
The contract also provided that Menendez should make every effort to
convert the natives of Florida to Christianity, and for that purpose
several priests were assigned to the expedition and others were to be
brought over later.
[Illustration: _A Spanish galleon Florida-bound._]
_The Rival Fleets_
With characteristic vigor Menendez began collecting ships and recruiting
followers for his Florida expedition. In the midst of his preparations,
intelligence reached Spain that a strong French fleet under Jean Ribault
was being readied to sail for Florida to reinforce Fort Caroline. More
arms and soldiers would be needed. The royal arsenals were thrown open
and the King agreed to furnish one vessel and three hundred soldiers at
his own expense. By late June, Menendez had assembled a formidable
armada of some nineteen ships and 1,500 persons, most of it concentrated
at the Spanish port of Cadiz. There were scenes of parting from loved
ones, the last solemn Mass at the Cathedral. Anchors were weighed and on
June 29, 1565, the expedition set sail, but was driven back by a storm
and put to sea several days later.
Meanwhile, the rival French fleet under Jean Ribault had sailed a month
earlier, leaving the port of Dieppe, France, on May 28th, but
unfavorable winds delayed its progress. The Spanish fleet put in at the
Canary Islands for wood and water, and to take a muster of its forces.
After leaving the Canaries, it ran into a severe Atlantic storm, which
damaged some of the vessels and drove others far off their course. As a
result, Menendez reached San Juan, Puerto Rico, on about August 10th
with but one-third of his original force.
[Illustration: Fleet at sea.]
A council of war was held. Should they go on or wait until the rest of
the fleet might arrive? Menendez convinced his officers that it would be
best to press on before the French had time to further strengthen their
position. Sailing northwestward, the Spaniards sighted the shores of
Florida on August 28th. It was St. Augustine's day and _Te Deums_ were
sung. On the same day Ribault's fleet reached the mouth of the St. Johns
River.
Ignorant of the location of the French fort, the Spanish ships crept
cautiously up the Florida coast, sailing by day and anchoring at night.
On the fifth day Indians were sighted on shore. A party landed, followed
by Menendez himself, and learned from the Indians that the French fort
lay thirty leagues (90 miles) to the north. Continuing on up the coast,
the Spaniards paused at the inlet and harbor of St. Augustine, where
Menendez decided to establish his base. They sailed northward again the
next day, and about three in the afternoon their lookouts sighted four
ships on the horizon. A sudden thunder shower obscured them temporarily
from view, followed by a calm that lasted until evening. Then a light
breeze enabled the Spaniards to bring their ships within hailing
distance.
About midnight Menendez ordered trumpets sounded. "Whence comes this
fleet," he demanded, "and what is it doing here?"
"From France," a French spokesman replied, "and it brings infantry,
artillery, and supplies for a fort the King of France has in this land,
and to equip many more."
[Illustration: _The French ships sighted._]
Menendez then informed them of his mission, stating that he had no
choice but to carry out his King's commands. The French Huguenots
answered him with threats and jeers, and dared the Spaniards to come on.
Angered by this, Menendez prepared to board the French vessels, but
instead of waiting to meet the attack the French put to sea. The
Spaniards opened fire, raised anchor, and sailed in pursuit, but could
not overtake them because the masts and rigging of their ships had been
damaged in the Atlantic storm.
The following morning Menendez returned to the mouth of the St. Johns
River to reconnoiter the French position. Finding it too strong to
assault, he sailed back down the coast to the inlet and harbor chosen
for his base. There on September 8, 1565, as previously related, he
landed with fitting pomp to take possession of Florida and found the
fortified settlement of St. Augustine. A French vessel hovered a short
distance out at sea to watch the Spaniards' movements.
_The Turn of the Tide_
Menendez next began the task of completing the unloading of his vessels.
People, heavy artillery, arms, building implements, kegs of powder,
boxes and hogsheads of supplies, casks of wine and olive oil, chests of
clothing and personal effects all had to be transferred to smaller boats
to be brought ashore. Two of his vessels, his _Capitana_ or flagship,
the _San Pelayo_, and another galleon proved too large to enter the
shallow inlet. They were ordered to leave for Cuba to secure
reinforcements as soon as most of their heavy cargo could be removed.
Before daybreak on the morning of September 11th, Menendez watched the
two galleons set sail. With a sloop and smaller craft, loaded with 150
soldiers and supplies, he waited outside the inlet for a favorable
breeze and for the tide to turn. Out of the early morning mist the
ghostly shapes of French ships loomed. Ribault had come to attack St.
Augustine before it was barely three days old. Ordering the anchor
cables of his boats cut, Menendez managed to pilot them to safety across
the dangerous bar, which the French vessels could not navigate until
about flood tide.
On shore the Spaniards prepared desperately to meet the threatened
attack. Then, seemingly, a miracle occurred. The weather, which up to
this time had been relatively fair, abruptly changed. Strong northerly
winds arose, preventing the French from entering the inlet or returning
north to their fort on the St. Johns. One of those northeast storms,
common to this section of the coast in the fall, whipped up high waves
on the bay and sea. A driving rain fell and dark clouds raced overhead.
_Capture of Fort Caroline_
Menendez knew that the French vessels would be driven helplessly before
the raging storm. He also correctly surmised that Ribault had taken
aboard most of the French fighting force, leaving Fort Caroline weakly
garrisoned. He called a secret council of his officers to outline his
next step. Since rough weather made it impossible to reach the French
fort by sea, he proposed the daring course of marching overland to
surprise Fort Caroline before Ribault could return to its assistance.
On the morning of September 16th Menendez and 500 picked men attended
Mass. Then through the wind and rain they plunged into the wilderness,
guided by two Indians who had been at the French fort a few days before.
Menendez and a small party of axmen went ahead to clear a trail and
blaze the trees so that the men following would not lose their way. At
places they waded through swamps flooded waist-deep by the storm, at
night seeking higher ground on which to camp and build a fire. Some
became exhausted; others lost courage and turned back. On the evening of
September 19th the Spaniards reached the vicinity of the enemy fort.
They were drenched to the skin, their powder damp and useless. It was
still raining and the wind whistled weirdly through the pines.
[Illustration: _Fort Caroline, as pictured by Le Moyne, consisted of
a triangular stockade of earth and logs, within which barracks and
other buildings were located._]
With the first light of dawn a Spanish detachment, guided by a French
deserter, advanced into the clearing that surrounded Fort Caroline. A
few Frenchmen quartered outside the stockade fled in alarm. Hearing
their cries, a soldier within opened the wicket, or little door, of the
main gate to admit them. He was quickly killed by the advancing
Spaniards, who broke into a run and poured into the enclosure, shouting
"Santiago! Victory!"
The surprise was complete. Sleepy-eyed Frenchmen, some still in their
night clothes, became the easy victims of Spanish arms. Laudonniere and
some fifty of the garrison managed to escape to the surrounding swamps,
and thence to French boats anchored in the river. Among them was the
artist Le Moyne, whose drawings of Fort Caroline, and the early Florida
Indians were later engraved and published by De Bry.
Leaving most of his force to garrison the captured fort, which he
renamed San Mateo, Menendez set out with a small detachment to return to
St. Augustine.
[Illustration: Florida Coastline.]
_Atlantic Ocean_
Fort Caroline
_on St. Johns River_
St. Augustine
_Anastasia Island_
Matanzas Inlet
_where French were massacred_
_Ribault's Ships wrecked somewhere along this shore_
Cape Canaveral
_The Victor Returns_
At St. Augustine work continued on strengthening its defenses. A week
passed without news of the attacking expedition. Only exhausted
stragglers returned with terrifying reports of the swamps and other
difficulties encountered. Gloom and despair settled over the camp until
one afternoon a ragged Spaniard burst out of the woodland, shouting
"Victory! Victory! the harbor of the French is ours!"
"Four priests who were there [at St. Augustine] immediately set out,
holding aloft the Cross, followed by all the sea and land forces, the
women and children in procession, singing the _Te Deum Laudamus_. They
received the Adelantado with great rejoicing, everyone laughing and
weeping for joy, praising God for so great a victory. And so they
escorted the Adelantado in triumph to the encampment and settlement of
San Agustin."
_Fate of the Shipwrecked French_
No word had yet been received as to Ribault's fleet, which had been
caught in the storm off St. Augustine. His ships, driven aground many
miles down the coast, were being pounded to pieces in the surf. Most of
the men aboard had reached shore safely with their arms. Hungry and
constantly harassed by Indians, they were endeavoring to make their way
up the beaches back to their fort. How they longed to be back in their
beloved France!
Four days after Menendez returned from Fort Caroline, Indians made known
by signs that a party of men were marooned on the shores of an inlet
fifteen miles south of St. Augustine. He immediately set out with a
small force of soldiers and, on reaching the inlet at dawn, saw two
hundred Frenchmen gathered on the opposite shore. One of their number
swam across the inlet and was told to inform his comrades of Fort
Caroline's fate. They at first refused to believe that the Spaniards
could have taken it, but as proof were shown captured French arms and
clothing. Fruitless parleys followed. Faced with starvation or probable
death at the hands of the Indians, the entire French band
unconditionally surrendered.
A boat was sent over to bring back their weapons and standards. Then the
French captives were ferried across the inlet ten at a time. As each
group landed, their hands were bound behind them with matchcords, and
they were led up the beach out of sight and hearing behind high dunes.
As they reached a fatal line drawn by Menendez in the sand, their
captors slew them with swords and daggers, and then returned to the
inlet to escort another group of ten to their doom. Only a few were
spared.
About two weeks later another party of Frenchmen, who had been
shipwrecked farther down the coast, arrived at the same inlet. Some
eighty, including their brave leader, Jean Ribault, gave themselves up
and were disposed of in the same manner as before. A number refused to
place themselves at the Spaniards' mercy and withdrew to the south. When
Menendez returned to St. Augustine his brother-in-law, Solis de Meras,
observed that "some people considered him cruel, and others that he had
acted as a very good captain should."
The Spanish word _Matanzas_, meaning slaughters, became the name of the
inlet near which the massacres occurred.
[Illustration: _Fort Matanzas stands near the inlet, where the
French were slain._]
_Other Difficulties_
The French attempt to occupy Florida was thus effectively shattered.
Other difficulties threatened the permanence of its settlement and
remained to be overcome--the unyielding wilderness, the treacherous
Indians, the colonists' lust for gold, and hunger, that cause of so many
early colonizing failures. Food supplies diminished with each passing
day. The buildings at Fort Caroline, renamed San Mateo by the Spaniards,
accidentally burned down with all their contents shortly after its
capture. The other vessels of the Spanish fleet, scattered by the storm
while crossing the Atlantic, failed to arrive with expected supplies and
reinforcements. To relieve the situation Menendez decided to go to Cuba
for aid. On his way down the coast he picked up the remaining French
survivors, who were too few to prove a threat and were kindly treated.
At Cuba jealousy and intrigue still dogged his footsteps. The officials
of the _Casa_, by whom he had been imprisoned in Spain, seem to have
succeeded in injuring his prestige and reputation. He was coolly
received by the Governor of Cuba, Garcia Osario, and refused aid. The
belated arrival of several of his ships enabled him to send his Florida
posts some relief. On his way back he visited the Indians of Carlos, or
Caloosa Indians, who then occupied south Florida. They made a practice
of enslaving shipwrecked Spaniards who fell into their hands,
sacrificing some of these victims in their pagan rites. Menendez found
several Spanish survivors among them, but looked in vain for the
familiar features of his son, Don Juan.
During his extended absence from St. Augustine dissension broke out
among his followers. When a vessel arrived with supplies mutineers
seized it and prepared to sail away. A similar situation developed at
San Mateo. Many had joined the expedition only because they expected it
might lead to easy riches. Failure to find any signs of gold and silver
in Florida proved a bitter disappointment. Or, they had secretly planned
to desert it at the first opportunity, and seek passage to other Spanish
colonies from which fabulous wealth flowed to Spain. Now that the French
had been defeated there was little glory to be gained in the hardships
of fort building, and threatened starvation in this distant wilderness.
A number of the mutineers eventually embarked for the Caribbean, and
thence some went to Spain, where they circulated damaging reports of
Menendez and the Florida settlements.
_Gunpowder Versus Arrows_
The Indians meanwhile, though at first outwardly friendly, became an
increasing threat to the new colony. Spanish mutineers at San Mateo
inflamed their hatred by the unprovoked murder of three of their chiefs.
They held a great council and declared their enmity.
Huddled within their stockades, the Spaniards could not venture out in
search of food without fear of attack. The savages lurked everywhere in
the swamps and woodlands, and shot their arrows with such force as to
penetrate a soldier's coat of mail. The crude firearms of the day were
not entirely suited to Indian warfare. When a Spaniard paused to reload
his slow-firing arquebus, an operation requiring several minutes,
Indians rose from their hiding to shower him with arrows. When they saw
the flash of burning powder in the primer of his gun, they crawled
through the tall grass and appeared in another place after it had been
discharged. Over one hundred Spaniards were thus killed by the Indians
during the first year of the colony's existence.
[Illustration: _A Le Moyne drawing, showing Florida Indians
attacking a rival village with flaming arrows._]
Indian attacks became so serious as to cause the removal of the
settlement to another site. One night, when Menendez was absent on an
exploring trip, yelling savages broke through the Spanish lines at St.
Augustine, and set fire to the storehouse with flaming arrows,
destroying precious powder and supplies.
When Menendez returned he called a council of his officers. "It was
resolved that they should move from there and erect a fort at the
entrance of the bar ... because there the Indians could not do them so
much harm ... and there they could better defend themselves against the
vessels of enemies that might want to enter the harbor."
Working in shifts, the Spaniards rushed the construction of a stockade
and fort at the new location.
During the summer of 1566, the lonely Florida settlers were heartened by
the arrival of substantial reinforcements. A fleet of fourteen vessels
under Sancho de Arciniega brought 1,500 persons and welcome supplies.
Part of this force was assigned to bolster the Florida garrisons.
Menendez was ordered to employ the remainder against pirates, or
corsairs, who were plundering Spanish shipping and colonies in the
Caribbean.
By this time, in accordance with the terms of his contract. Menendez had
established three fortified posts in Florida--St. Augustine in about its
present location, San Mateo near the mouth of the St. Johns River, and
Santa Elena still farther north on the coast of Carolina. He had
thoroughly explored the Florida coasts, and gone up the St. Johns River
almost to its source. He had traveled among the Indians of South
Florida, and of _Guale_, or southeastern Georgia, endeavoring to win
their friendship and subject them to Spanish authority. One of his
lieutenants, Juan Pardo, had penetrated inland with a few soldiers a
distance of 450 miles to the mountains of western North Carolina.
Possibly always in the back of his mind lurked the hope that he might
come upon some news of his lost son and once more embrace him in his
arms.
_Menendez Goes to Spain_
In 1567 Menendez deemed it necessary that he go back to Spain to render
in person a report on the condition and needs of the Florida and West
Indian colonies. The little garrison at St. Augustine continued to cling
precariously to its narrow beach-head. In the spring of 1568 the
settlement shuddered when a small French force under Dominique de
Gourges, aided by Indians, wiped out the Spanish posts near the mouth of
the St. Johns. Captured Spaniards were hanged from the limbs of the
liveoaks in revenge for the Frenchmen killed at Fort Caroline and
Matanzas three years before.
_On the Brink of Failure_
During Menendez' continued absence in Spain, the condition and morale of
Florida posts grew steadily worse. Supplies were dangerously low,
clothing was worn to shreds, and the shelters thus far constructed
afforded little comfort. Efforts to grow corn and other grains in the
sandy soil resulted in discouraging failure.
The summer of 1570 brought no relief. The blazing sun scorched the
beaches and swamps. Mosquitos and other insects made life miserable.
Esteban de las Alas, one of Menendez' trusted lieutenants in charge of
the post at Santa Elena, sailed with 120 men for Spain, arguing that
those remaining would have a better chance for survival on the limited
supplies. The garrison at St. Augustine mutinied, burned its fort, and
began building a crude boat in which to leave. The settlement of Florida
hovered on the brink of failure.
At this crucial point Don Pedro Menendez Marques assumed command. He was
a nephew of the founder and had served with him in the treasure fleets.
In a letter written from San Mateo, he pleaded with the mutineers at St.
Augustine to remain at their post, promising to transport them to Cuba
if supplies failed to arrive by a specified time. His arguments
prevailed and St. Augustine lived on.
_Death of Menendez_
Events in Europe continued to keep Menendez occupied in Spain, or on
voyages to the Caribbean, during which he again visited his Florida
posts. The Low Countries, Holland and Belgium, which had long been under
Spanish domination, were in revolt.
In 1574 Menendez received the crowning honor of his career. He was
chosen by Philip II of Spain to take command of a great armada of ships
and men being assembled in the harbor of Santander, presumably for
operation against the Low Countries, and possibly the English coast. On
the day he assumed this important command he fell ill with a raging
fever. The usual remedies of purging and blood-letting proved of no
avail, and he died on September 17, 1574, at the age of 55.
The day before the beginning of his fatal illness he wrote a letter to
his nephew, Marques, expressing his desire to return to Florida, and
stating that he hoped to do so in the spring, when he was confident the
affair in Flanders would be settled.
"Then," he wrote, "I shall be at liberty to go at once to Florida, never
to leave it as long as I live, for that is my longing and my happiness."
Storms prevented burial in his native Aviles, to which his remains were
later removed. There an inscription on his tomb eulogizes him as "the
illustrious Adelantado of the Province of Florida ... and
Captain-General of the Oceanic Seas."
His death was a blow to Spain. No outstanding naval figure arose to take
his place, and the great armada he was to have commanded never sailed.
[Illustration: _The outer case of Menendez' coffin is on display at
St. Augustine's Mission of Nombre de Dios._]