EXPEDITION AND RETALIATION OF DE GOURGES.
While Menendez was occupied in Spain in forwarding the interests of his
colony, in France plans were being formed and a secret enterprise
undertaken for an attack on the Spanish posts in Florida.
Most inflammatory and exaggerated accounts of the massacre at Fort
Carolin had been published throughout France.
One account says of the Spaniards that, after taking the fort, “and
finding no more men, they assailed the poor women, and after having by
force and violence abused the greater part, they destroyed them, and cut
the throats of the little children indiscriminately, ... they took as
many of them alive as they could, and having kept them for three days
without giving them anything to eat, and having made them undergo all
the tortures and all the mockings that could be devised, they hung them
up to some trees that were near the fort. They even flayed the king’s
lieutenant and sent his skin to the King of Spain, and having torn out
his eyes, blackened with their blows, they fastened them on the points
of their daggers, and tried who could throw them the greatest
distance.”[6]
The French king had refused to listen to the appeals of the relatives
and friends of the Huguenots who had been exterminated 57 in Florida;
but, distressed by the destruction of their countrymen and the harrowing
accounts of the massacre, many of the nation had long felt it a
mortification that an outrage so gross should have received neither
redress nor rebuke.
Among those whose jealous regard for the national honor was touched by
the conduct of the French king, and in whose breast burned fiercely the
fires of revenge, was the Chevalier Dominique de Gourges. Appearing as
he does in history as the avenger of the sad destruction of his
countrymen, in an expedition undertaken without solicitation, at his own
expense, and at the risk of forfeiting his life by the command of his
king, even if he should be successful, it is but natural that his
character should have been extolled and his virtues exalted by all
writers who have admired his chivalrous courage.
De Gourges was born of noble parentage, at Mount Marsan in Guienne, and
was said to have been a Catholic, though this is denied by the Spanish
historians. His life had been spent in arms in the service of his king
in Scotland, Piedmont, and Italy. His career was that of an adventurer,
ever ready to risk life to acquire honor and reputation, and having
little desire to amass riches. While serving in Italy against the
Spaniards, he was taken prisoner and consigned to labor as a galley
slave. This ignominious treatment of a soldier of his birth and rank
left in his mind an unappeasable hatred of the Spaniards. His period of
servitude was cut short by the capture of the Spanish galley upon which
he served by Turkish pirates, from whom in turn he was liberated by
Romeguas, the French commander at Malta. His experience during his
imprisonment and escape seems to have opened his eyes to the
opportunities for plunder upon the seas. Soon after his release he
entered upon a marauding expedition to the South Seas, in which he
secured considerable plunder. He had but recently returned home, and
retired to enjoy in quiet the property acquired in his ventures, when
the news of the destruction of Ribault’s colony reached France. Eager to
retaliate by a severe punishment this outrage upon his countrymen, De
Gourges sold his property, and with the sum realized and what he could
borrow on the credit of an alleged commercial venture, purchased and
equipped a fleet of three small vessels, one of which was nothing more
than a launch.
Deeming it impolitic to make known the object of his voyage, he obtained
a license to trade and procure slaves on the coast of Africa. He
enlisted for a cruise of twelve months a force of one hundred and eighty
picked men, many of whom were gentlemen adventurers. He had been careful
to secure one at least of the men who had escaped with Laudonnère from
Fort Carolin. M. de Montluc, the king’s lieutenant in Guienne, a friend
of De Gourges, rendered him valuable assistance in securing his
equipment. On the 2d of August, 1567, he left Bordeaux, but was delayed
by a storm eight days at the mouth of the river Garonne. Afterward,
having put to sea he was driven by stress of weather far out of his
course, and encountered so severe a gale as to nearly wreck the fleet on
Cape Finisterre.
One vessel, in which was his lieutenant, was blown so far out of its
course that for fifteen days it was supposed to be lost, which caused
him all “the trouble in the world,” as his people earnestly besought him
to return. The missing vessel, however, met him off the coast of Africa.
Land was then kept in sight until they reached Cape Verde; “thence
taking the direct route to the Indies, he sailed before the wind upon
the high seas, and having crossed over, the first land which he made was
the island of Dominica.” From thence proceeding he stopped in the
island of St. Domingo to weather a gale, and at the island of Cuba for
water, which he had to take by force, for he says: “The Spaniards are
enraged as soon as they see a Frenchman in the Indies. For although a
hundred Spains could not furnish men enough to hold the hundredth part
of a land so vast and capacious, nevertheless it is the mind of the
Spaniards that this New World was never created except for them, and
that it belongs to no man living to step on it, or breathe in it save to
themselves alone.”
De Gourges had not revealed the real object of the expedition until,
after leaving the island of Cuba, he assembled all his men, and declared
to them his purpose of going to Florida to avenge on the Spaniards the
injury which had been done to the king and to all France. He set before
them the treachery and cruelty of those who had massacred Frenchmen, and
the shame that it was to have left so long unpunished an action so
wicked and so humiliating, and the honor and satisfaction that would
redound to them in removing from the escutcheon of France this foul
blot. The spirit of the address was suited to the French temper, and
they professed themselves ready to fight for the honor of France
wherever the captain should lead. Proceeding on the voyage the fleet
passed the bar of the St. Johns River in sight of the forts which
Menendez had constructed at the mouth of the river. The Spaniards,
mistaking them for their own vessels, fired two guns as a salute, which
was returned by the French, desiring to continue the deception. The
fleet sailed north and entered the St. Mary’s River, where they found a
large body of Indians prepared to dispute any attempt to land. Seeing
this, De Gourges made friendly demonstrations, and sent out the man who
had been with Laudonnère. The Indians readily recognized the Frenchman,
and were delighted to find that the strangers were of that nation, and
enemies of the Spaniards. The chief proved to be Satouriva, the firm
friend to Laudonnère. After learning the purpose of the expedition,
Satouriva promised to join the command at the end of three days with his
whole force of warriors, declaring himself eager to revenge the many
injuries he had himself received as well as the wrongs inflicted on the
French.
Among Satouriva’s tribe was a white child, a refugee from Laudonnère’s
colony, who had escaped at the massacre at Fort Carolin, and been
protected and reared as a son by the old chief, though the Spaniards had
made strenuous efforts to secure possession of him or compass his death.
This child, named Peter de Bré, whom Satouriva had so faithfully
defended, he now brought to the French ships together with his warriors
as he had agreed. Being joined by the Indians, De Gourges set out across
the country under the guidance of the chief, Helecopile, to attack the
two forts at the mouth of the river. The Indians had promised to bring
the command to the fort on the north side of the river by daybreak, but,
owing to the difficulty in following the intricate paths and fording
deep creeks, they were nine hours marching four leagues, and the sun was
rising as they reached the vicinity of the Spanish fort. This fort was
built on Batton Island, near what is now Pilot-town. The other fort was
nearly opposite, in the vicinity of the present village of Mayport. Both
were armed with the cannon taken from the French at the capture of Fort
Carolin.
The Spaniards, not fearing a land attack upon the fort on Batton Island,
had neglected to clear away the woods in the vicinity, so that the
French were concealed until they were close upon the fort. As they
rushed from their cover the Spanish sentinel fired twice, when he was
pierced by the pike of Olotoraca, an Indian chief, nephew of Satouriva.
The Spanish garrison were at breakfast, and before they could be
summoned the fort was filled with the French and Indians. So complete
was the surprise that there was but little resistance. “As many as
possible were taken alive by command of Captain Gourges, in order to do
to them as they had done to the French.”
As soon as the Spaniards whose lives were spared in the attack could be
secured, De Gourges embarked as large a portion of his soldiers as the
boats at his disposal would carry, and hurried to cross the river and
attack the fort at Mayport. The Indians, now wild with excitement, threw
themselves into the water and kept alongside of the boats, swimming with
their bows and arrows held above their heads. The Spaniards in the fort
had by this time begun to realize the situation, and directed the fire
of their guns upon the boats and Indians. Their excitement and alarm
were so great that they did not perceive a difference between the French
and Indians, and seeing so great a multitude approaching, they broke in
terror and fled from the fort before the French reached its walls. The
garrison of the two forts was near a hundred and forty men, all but
fifteen of whom were either killed in the attacks or slain by the
Indians as they attempted to reach the mainland.
The capture of these two forts occurred on the eve of the first “Sunday
after Easter, 1568.” Crossing to the fort first taken, De Gourges rested
on Sunday and Monday. Scaling ladders and other preparations for an
attack on the main fort were in the meantime being prepared. While here,
a Spanish spy disguised as an Indian was recognized by Olotoraca, and
brought to De Gourges. From him it was learned that the French force
was estimated at quite two thousand men, and that the garrison of Fort
Matteo (formerly Fort Carolin) was two hundred and sixty men.
Hearing this report, De Gourges was more anxious than ever to make an
immediate attack. He directed the Indians to advance, some on each side
of the river, and to take up a position in the vicinity of the fort.
Early on the morning of the next day he moved his forces up the river,
and, as he says, “gained a mountain covered with forests, at the foot of
which was built the fort.” He had not intended to attack the fort until
the day after his arrival, but, while posting his men and the Indian
forces, it happened “that the Spaniards made a sally with sixty
arquebusiers[7] to reconnoiter his forces.”
This body he succeeded in cutting off from the fort and totally
destroying. Seeing the fate of so large a portion of their garrison, the
remainder of the Spaniards left the fort in the hopes that they might
make their way to St. Augustine. Entering the woods they were everywhere
met by the Indians. None escaped, and but few were taken alive. Entering
the fort, the French found a number of fine cannon beside a great
quantity of arms, “such as arquebuses, corslets, shields and pikes.”
The Frenchmen were now upon the scene of the massacre of their
countrymen, and the taunting irony of the tablet erected by Menendez was
before their eyes. The spirit of vengeance was aroused. Ordering all the
Spaniards who had been taken alive to be led to the place where they had
hung the Frenchmen, De Gourges rebuked them in scathing terms. He
declared they could never undergo the punishment which they deserved,
but it was necessary to make an example of them that others might learn
to keep the peace which they had so wickedly violated.
“This said, they were tied up to the same trees where they had hung the
Frenchmen, and in the place of the inscription which Peter Menendez had
put over them containing these words in the Spanish language: ‘I do this
not as to Frenchmen, but as to Lutherans;’ Captain Gourges caused to be
graven on a pine tablet with a hot iron: ‘I do this not as to Spaniards
or mariners, but as to traitors, robbers, and murderers.’”
One of the Spaniards is said to have confessed that he had hung up five
Frenchmen with his own hand, and acknowledged that God had brought him
to the punishment he deserved. The next day while frying fish an Indian
set fire to a train of powder laid by the Spaniards which had not been
discovered, and the whole interior of the fort was thereby destroyed.
Being aware that his forces were too weak to hold the country, and
having accomplished all that he had crossed the ocean to perform, De
Gourges completed the destruction of the forts, and, bidding adieu to
the Indians, sailed away for France. The fleet arrived at La Rochelle on
the 6th of June, after a voyage of thirty-four days. The loss of life in
the enterprise had been but “a few gentlemen of good birth,” a few
soldiers in the attacks, and eight men on the patache or launch, which
was lost at sea. Being received “with all honor, courtesy, and kind
treatment,” by the citizens of La Rochelle, where he remained a few
days, De Gourges then sailed for Bordeaux. The Spaniards being advised
of his arrival and what he had done in Florida, sent a large ship and
eighteen launches to surprise and capture him. This formidable fleet
arrived in the roadstead of La Rochelle the very day of his departure.
The head of De Gourges was demanded and a price set upon it by the King
of Spain, but, though his acts were repudiated by the French king, he
was protected and concealed by Marigny, President of the Council, and by
the Receiver of Vacquieulx, until, after a time, he was the recipient of
marked honors at the French court and died in 1582, “to the great grief
of such as knew him.”
“That De Gourges deserves censure, cannot be denied; but there will
always exist an admiration for his courage and intrepid valor, with a
sympathy for the bitter provocation under which he acted, both personal
and national; a sympathy not shared with Menendez, who visited his wrath
upon the religious opinions of men, while De Gourges was the
unauthorized avenger of undoubted crime and inhumanity. Both acted in
violation of the pure spirit of that Christianity which they alike
professed to revere under the same form.”[8]