Captain Morgan takes the Castle of Chagre, with four hundred
men sent to this purpose from St Catherine’s.
Captain Morgan sending this little fleet to Chagre, chose for
vice-admiral thereof one Captain Brodely, who had been long in those
quarters, and committed many robberies on the Spaniards, when Mansvelt
took the isle of St. Catherine, as was before related; and therefore
was thought a fit person for this exploit, his actions likewise having
rendered him famous among the pirates, and their enemies the
Spaniards. Captain Brodely being made commander, in three days after
his departure arrived in sight of the said castle of Chagre, by the
Spaniards called St. Lawrence. This castle is built on a high
mountain, at the entry of the river, surrounded by strong palisades,
or wooden walls, filled with earth, which secures them as well as the
best wall of stone or brick. The top of this mountain is, in a manner,
divided into two parts, between which is a ditch thirty feet deep. The
castle hath but one entry, and that by a drawbridge over this ditch.
To the land it has four bastions, and to the sea two more. The south
part is totally inaccessible, through the cragginess of the mountain.
The north is surrounded by the river, which here is very broad. At the
foot of the castle, or rather mountain, is a strong fort, with eight
great guns, commanding the entry of the river. Not much lower are two
other batteries, each of six pieces, to defend likewise the mouth of
the river. At one side of the castle are two great storehouses of all
sorts of warlike ammunition and merchandise, brought thither from the
island country. Near these houses is a high pair of stairs hewn out of
the rock, to mount to the top of the castle. On the west is a small
port, not above seven or eight fathoms deep, fit for small vessels,
and of very good anchorage; besides, before the castle, at the entry
of the river, is a great rock, scarce to be descried but at low tides.
No sooner had the Spaniards perceived the pirates, but they fired
incessantly at them with the biggest of their guns. They came to an
anchor in a small port, about a league from the castle. Next morning,
very early, they went ashore, and marched through the woods, to attack
the castle on that side. This march lasted till two of the clock in
the afternoon, before they could reach the castle, by reason of the
difficulties of the way, and its mire and dirt; and though their
guides served them very exactly, yet they came so nigh the castle at
first, that they lost many of their men by its shot, they being in an
open place without covert. This much perplexed the pirates, not
knowing what course to take; for on that side, of necessity, they must
make the assault: and being uncovered from head to foot, they could
not advance one step without danger: besides that, the castle, both
for its situation and strength, made them much doubt of success. But
to give it over they dared not, lest they should be reproached by
their companions.
At last, after many doubts and disputes, resolving to hazard the
assault and their lives desperately, they advanced towards the castle
with their swords in one hand, and fireballs in the other. The
Spaniards defended themselves very briskly, ceasing not to fire at
them continually; crying withal, “Come on, ye English dogs! enemies to
God and our king; and let your other companions that are behind come
on too, ye shall not go to Panama this bout.” The pirates making some
trial to climb the walls, were forced to retreat, resting themselves
till night. This being come, they returned to the assault, to try, by
the help of their fire-balls, to destroy the pales before the wall;
and while they were about it, there happened a very remarkable
accident, which occasioned their victory. One of the pirates being
wounded with an arrow in his back, which pierced his body through, he
pulled it out boldly at the side of his breast, and winding a little
cotton about it, he put it into his musket, and shot it back to the
castle; but the cotton being kindled by the powder, fired two or three
houses in the castle, being thatched with palm-leaves, which the
Spaniards perceived not so soon as was necessary: for this fire
meeting with a parcel of powder, blew it up, thereby causing great
ruin, and no less consternation to the Spaniards, who were not able to
put a stop to it, not having seen it time enough.
The pirates perceiving the effect of the arrow, and the misfortunes of
the Spaniards, were infinitely glad; and while they were busied in
quenching the fire, which caused a great confusion for want of water,
the pirates took this opportunity, setting fire likewise to the
palisades. The fire thus seen at once in several parts about the
castle, gave them great advantage against the Spaniards, many breaches
being made by the fire among the pales, great heaps of earth falling
into the ditch. Then the pirates climbing up, got over into the
castle, though those Spaniards, who were not busy about the fire, cast
down many flaming pots full of combustible matter, and odious smells,
which destroyed many of the English.
The Spaniards, with all their resistance, could not hinder the
palisades from being burnt down before midnight. Meanwhile the pirates
continued in their intention of taking the castle; and though the fire
was very great, they would creep on the ground, as near as they could,
and shoot amidst the flames against the Spaniards on the other side,
and thus killed many from the walls. When day was come, they observed
all the movable earth, that lay betwixt the pales, to be fallen into
the ditch; so that now those within the castle lay equally exposed to
them without, as had been on the contrary before; whereupon the
pirates continued shooting very furiously, and killed many Spaniards;
for the governor had charged them to make good those posts, answering
to the heaps of earth fallen into the ditch, and caused the artillery
to be transported to the breaches.
The fire within the castle still continuing, the pirates from abroad
did what they could to hinder its progress, by shooting incessantly
against it; one party of them was employed only for this, while
another watched all the motions of the Spaniards. About noon the
English gained a breach, which the governor himself defended with
twenty-five soldiers. Here was made a very courageous resistance by
the Spaniards, with muskets, pikes, stones, and swords; but through
all these the pirates fought their way, till they gained the castle.
The Spaniards, who remained alive, cast themselves down from the
castle into the sea, choosing rather to die thus (few or none
surviving the fall) than to ask quarter for their lives. The governor
himself retreated to the corps du gard, before which were placed two
pieces of cannon: here he still defended himself, not demanding any
quarter, till he was killed with a musket-shot in the head.
The governor being dead, and the corps du gard surrendering, they
found remaining in it alive thirty men, whereof scarce ten were not
wounded: these informed the pirates that eight or nine of their
soldiers had deserted, and were gone to Panama, to carry news of their
arrival and invasion. These thirty men alone remained of three hundred
and fourteen wherewith the castle was garrisoned, among which not one
officer was found alive. These were all made prisoners, and compelled
to tell whatever they knew of their designs and enterprises. Among
other things, that the governor of Panama had notice sent him three
weeks ago from Carthagena, that the English were equipping a fleet at
Hispaniola, with a design to take Panama; and, beside, that this had
been discovered by a deserter from the pirates at the river De la
Hacha, where they had victualled. That upon this, the governor had
sent one hundred and sixty-four men to strengthen the garrison of that
castle, with much provision and ammunition; the ordinary garrison
whereof was only one hundred and fifty men, but these made up two
hundred and fourteen men, very well armed. Besides this, they declared
that the governor of Panama had placed several ambuscades along the
river of Chagre; and that he waited for them in the open fields of
Panama with three thousand six hundred men.
The taking of this castle cost the pirates excessively dear, in
comparison to what they were wont to lose, and their toil and labour
was greater than at the conquest of the isle of St. Catherine; for,
numbering their men, they had lost above a hundred, beside seventy
wounded. They commanded the Spanish prisoners to cast the dead bodies
of their own men from the top of the mountain to the sea-side, and to
bury them. The wounded were carried to the church, of which they made
an hospital, and where also they shut up the women. Thus it was
likewise turned into a place of prostitution, the pirates ceasing not
to defile the bodies of those afflicted widows with all manner of
insolent actions and threats.
Captain Morgan remained not long behind at St. Catherine’s, after
taking the castle of Chagre, of which he had notice presently; but
before he departed, he embarked all the provisions that could be
found, with much maize, or Indian wheat, and cazave, whereof also is
made bread in those parts. He transported great store of provisions to
the garrison of Chagre, whencesoever they could be got. At a certain
place they cast into the sea all the guns belonging thereto, designing
to return, and leave that island well garrisoned, to the perpetual
possession of the pirates; but he ordered all the houses and forts to
be fired, except the castle of St. Teresa, which he judged to be the
strongest and securest wherein to fortify himself at his return from
Panama.
Having completed his arrangements, he took with him all the prisoners
of the island, and then sailed for Chagre, where he arrived in eight
days. Here the joy of the whole fleet was so great, when they spied
the English colours on the castle, that they minded not their way into
the river, so that they lost four ships at the entry thereof, Captain
Morgan’s being one; yet they saved all the men and goods. The ships,
too, had been preserved, if a strong northerly wind had not risen,
which cast them on the rock at the entry of the river.
Captain Morgan was brought into the castle with great acclamations of
all the pirates, both of those within, and those newly come. Having
heard the manner of the conquest, he commanded all the prisoners to
work, and repair what was necessary, especially to set up new
palisades round the forts of the castle. There were still in the river
some Spanish vessels, called chatten, serving for transportation of
merchandise up and down the river, and to go to Puerto Bello and
Nicaragua. These commonly carry two great guns of iron, and four small
ones of brass. These vessels they seized, with four little ships they
found there, and all the canoes. In the castle they left a garrison of
five hundred men, and in the ships in the river one hundred and fifty
more. This done, Captain Morgan departed for Panama at the head of
twelve hundred men. He carried little provisions with him, hoping to
provide himself sufficiently among the Spaniards, whom he knew to lie
in ambuscade by the way.