THE TAKING OF SAN LORENZO
“Well, he certainly was clever for all his cruelty,” said Fred. “But
what a beast he was. Seems to me he was the worst of all the
buccaneers. Even L’Ollonois had some good points.”
“Yes,” agreed Mr. Bickford. “Morgan could have made a name for himself
as a great general, or an admiral, perhaps, if he had turned his
talents to honest purposes. But he was too much of a rascal and too
unprincipled to succeed for long, even in piracy. When he returned from
taking Maracaibo he believed there was nothing he could not
successfully carry out and he began to consider taking even richer and
more strongly fortified spots than those he had ravished.
“At that time the three richest cities in the New World were Cartagena,
Panama and Vera Cruz, and of these the richest was Panama. To Panama
all the wealth and treasure from the western coasts of South and
Central America and Mexico and the Orient were brought, as well as the
fortunes in pearls from the pearl islands, and from Panama, as I have
already explained, the riches were carried over the Gold Road to Porto
Bello.
“But while Panama was so rich, yet it had been free from attacks by
buccaneers owing to its position. It was on the Pacific and in order to
reach it the buccaneers would be compelled either to sail around Cape
Horn; cross the Isthmus overland, or ascend the Chagres River and then
go overland. To cross by the Gold Road meant that the forts at Porto
Bello would have to be taken, and even after that the buccaneers would
be exposed to ambuscades and constant attacks and might well have their
retreat cut off. At the mouth of the Chagres was a most powerful
fort—San Lorenzo—commanding the river mouth, while Panama itself was
very strongly fortified and protected. It seemed impossible that the
buccaneers could ever reach the place and yet that was just what Morgan
planned to do.
“Although it seemed a harebrained scheme, yet so famed had Morgan
become that men flocked to his call, clamoring to go on the hazardous
expedition, and Morgan appointed the Island of Tortuga as the
rendezvous. Here flocked the sea rovers from far and near. They came in
ships, boats, canoes and even tramped overland across hostile
Hispaniola (Santo Domingo) to join him, until the greatest crowd of
buccaneers and the greatest gathering of buccaneer ships the world had
ever seen were assembled at Tortuga on October 24, 1670.
“To provision the fleet, Morgan equipped four ships with four hundred
men and dispatched them to La Rancheria near the present port of Rio de
la Hacha in Colombia. His plan was for them to raid the coast towns,
seize what maize and cattle were required and come back with supplies
and salted meat, thus obtained free of cost. In this the ships were
more than successful, for, at the end of five weeks, they returned
laden with maize and beef and with a huge amount of loot, for they had
taken a Spanish ship, had seized the town and had robbed it and the
inhabitants, and had resorted to all their customary barbarities to
wring the last piece of eight from the people.
“Everything was now in readiness, and Morgan set sail for Cape Tiburón,
Haiti, where vessels from Jamaica were to join him. These brought his
force up to thirty-seven ships and two thousand fighting men, exclusive
of sailors and boys, by far the greatest buccaneer force that ever had
set sail to ravish the Spanish cities. Morgan’s flagship carried
twenty-two large and six small guns, there were several ships of
twenty, eighteen and sixteen guns and the smallest mounted four.
Finding it impossible to command such a huge fleet by himself, Morgan
divided it into two squadrons with a vice admiral, commanders and
captains for each, and to these he issued elaborate commissions to act
against the Spaniards, for all the world as though he were the King of
England.
“The next matter to attend to was the agreement as to compensation for
death or accidents, and the trip was considered so hazardous that the
amounts to be paid were double the usual sums. Then the fleet set sail
for Old Providence or, as the buccaneers called it, St. Catherine, for
in order to be sure that his retreat was not cut off, Morgan realized
he must destroy this heavily fortified spot and leave a garrison of his
own in charge. Moreover, he knew that outlaws and brigands were
imprisoned there, and that these men, if released, would join his
forces and would be invaluable as guides in crossing the Isthmus of
Panama.
“On the 29th of December, 1670, they reached St. Catherine, which
Morgan expected to take easily. However, since his former attack under
Mansvelt, the Dons had greatly strengthened the forts. Landing about
one thousand men, Morgan attempted to take the place by land, but the
Spaniards kept up a galling fire, the buccaneers were without
provisions—as they had expected to live off their enemies—and at night
a pouring rain came on, drenching the buccaneers to the skin. At this
time, so tired, hungry and miserable were the men that, had the Dons
but known it, they could easily have wiped out the buccaneers with a
force of less than one hundred men, and no doubt had they done so
Panama would have been saved. The rain continued incessantly the next
day and the buccaneers were able to do nothing. So starved and
desperate were they that when an old horse was discovered in a field
they instantly killed it and fought over it like wolves, devouring even
the offal. By this time the men began to grumble, and even suggested
giving up and became mutinous. Morgan, seeing that unless something was
done at once his expedition would be a failure, resorted to his old
game of bluff, and sent a canoe with a flag of truce to the Governor,
demanding the surrender of the island and threatening to give no
quarter unless it was done at once. So terrified were the Dons that the
Governor merely asked two hours to consider and at the end of that time
sent to Morgan and offered to deliver the place provided Morgan would
agree to carry out a deception by which it would appear that the
Governor was overpowered.
“The proposition was that Morgan should come at night and open an
attack on St. Jerome fort, while at the same time his fleet approached
Santa Teresa fort and landed men at the battery of St. Matthew. The
Governor was then to pass from one fort to the other and purposely fall
into the buccaneer’s hands. He was then to pretend that the English
forced him to betray his men and was to lead the buccaneers into St.
Jerome. But he stipulated that no bullets should be used in the
buccaneers’ guns and guaranteed that his men would fire into the air.
To this treacherous scheme Morgan agreed and the island was of course
taken in a sham battle. But within a short time His Excellency bitterly
repented of his deed. The buccaneers looted right and left, they tore
down houses to make fires for cooking the stolen poultry and livestock
and they made prisoners of all the Spaniards on the island. These
totaled four hundred and fifty, including one hundred and ninety
soldiers and eight bandits who at once joined Morgan’s force. As there
was nothing in the way of valuables in the place the people escaped the
customary tortures, and, shutting the women in the churches, Morgan
ordered the men into the country to secure provisions.
“Having accumulated a vast supply of food, many tons of powder, immense
quantities of arms and many cannon, Morgan prepared to attack San
Lorenzo at the Chagres mouth. He had no mind to risk his own precious
neck in this desperate venture, however; but making himself comfortable
at St. Catherine, he dispatched four ships with about four hundred men
under Captain Brodely, a notorious buccaneer who had served with Morgan
under Mansvelt. Anchoring his ships about three miles from the mouth of
the Chagres, Brodely landed his men and attempted to attack the castle
by land. But despite their brigand guides the buccaneers discovered
that it was impossible to approach the fort under cover, the country
having been cleared for a long distance about the fort, while in
addition the deep mangrove swamps made progress next to impossible. But
the buccaneers dared not turn back and face Morgan, and so, although
fully exposed to the fire from the fort, they rushed across the open
space with drawn swords in one hand and fireballs in the other, but the
firing was terrific. The Dons had erected heavy palisades outside of
the fortress walls, and presently the buccaneers were compelled to
retreat. At nightfall, however, they made another assault, throwing
their fire balls at the palisades, attempting to scale them and
fighting like demons. But they were beaten off again and again, and
their case seemed hopeless when, by the merest accident, fate played
into their hands. In the heat of the assault, one of the buccaneers was
struck by an arrow in the back, which completely penetrated his body.
Mad with pain, the fellow drew the missile out through his breast,
wrapped a bit of rag around it and, dropping it into his musket, fired
it back into the fort.
“But the buccaneer’s hasty and unthinking act won the day for the
corsairs. The cotton rag about the arrow caught fire from the powder,
it fell unnoticed upon some palm-thatched houses within the fort, and
ere the Dons realized what had happened the buildings were ablaze.
Madly the Spaniards strove to quench the flames, but the fire was
beyond control, it reached a magazine, and there was terrific
explosion. During the confusion and panic that ensued the buccaneers
rushed to the palisades and, piling inflammable material about them,
soon had them burning furiously. Presently the stakes began to fall,
carrying down masses of earth that had been piled between them, and
over these the yelling buccaneers swarmed to the assault. Under a rain
of stink pots and fire balls, boiling oil and molten lead hurled at
them by the garrison, the English fell everywhere, and at last, seeing
they could not gain the inner works, they withdrew once more.
“But despite their losses they were elated, for the palisades were
blazing everywhere and by midnight they were entirely consumed. When
morning dawned only the charred and fallen stakes remained and great
masses of earth had filled the ditch. The commandant, however, had
stationed his men upon these mounds and both sides kept up an incessant
fire of musketry. Within the castle the flames still raged, for the
only available water in the fort was contained in a huge cistern in the
lower part of the castle. Moreover, a party of the buccaneers was
detailed to snipe the Spaniards fighting the fire and carrying water,
while the others, hiding as best they could, picked off the men at the
guns and those guarding the fallen palisades. Noticing one spot where
the Governor himself was stationed in command of twenty-five picked
troops, Captain Brodely led a sudden charge and succeeded in taking the
breach.
“Even the buccaneers were amazed at the valiant resistance they met,
and, in his chronicles of the battle, Esquemeling particularly calls
attention to the courageousness of the Dons. Once within the walls,
however, the battle was practically won and, fighting hand to hand with
pistols, pikes, daggers, swords and even stones, the British and the
Spaniards battled furiously. Not a Spaniard asked for quarter; the
Governor fell, fighting to the last, with a bullet through his brain,
and when finally the few survivors saw that their cause was hopeless
they leaped from the parapets into the river rather than surrender. And
when the buccaneers found themselves masters of the fortress they
discovered that of the three hundred and fourteen soldiers who had
formed the garrison only thirty remained alive, and of these over
twenty were seriously wounded, while not a single living officer was to
be found.
“The buccaneers, however, were greatly troubled, despite their hard-won
victory—which had cost them nearly two hundred men—for the prisoners
informed them that a party of volunteers had managed to steal from the
fort, had passed through the buccaneers’ lines and had carried word of
the attack and of Morgan’s coming to Panama. All plans of a surprise
were now hopeless and realizing that quick work was necessary Captain
Brodely at once sent a ship to St. Catherine bearing word to Morgan of
the taking of San Lorenzo.
“Hastily lading his ships with provisions and the unfortunate prisoners
he had taken, Morgan left a garrison of his own men in the strongest
fort, burned the town, destroyed the other forts, cast the cannon into
the sea and set sail for the Chagres. Eight days after the fall of the
castle he arrived, but his men were so elated at seeing the British
flag flying from the castle that they succeeded in running four of the
ships onto a bar at the river’s mouth. One of these was Morgan’s
flagship, and while all the goods and persons on the vessels were saved
the ships were a total loss. As soon as he landed, Morgan ordered his
St. Catherine prisoners to be put to work repairing the fort and
setting up new palisades and, leaving a force of five hundred men at
the fort and with one hundred and fifty more upon his ships, Morgan set
sail up the Chagres in small boats with a force of two thousand two
hundred men. Thinking to be able to supply himself and his men with
provisions taken from the Spaniards, Morgan carried practically no
supplies and this very nearly caused the utter failure of his
expedition.
“It was on the 18th of January, 1671, that Morgan left San Lorenzo in
his five boats and thirty-two canoes, with several pieces of light
artillery and all the pomp of a military organization, even to drummers
and trumpeters. The first day they covered barely twenty miles,
reaching a spot known as Los Bracos. But already the men were suffering
from hunger and being cramped and crowded in the small boats. Landing,
they went in search of food, but the Dons, having been forewarned, had
fled, carrying with them or destroying everything edible, and the
buccaneers were ‘forced to stay their bellies with a pipe of tobacco.’
“The following day they continued to Cruz de Juan Gallego, but, finding
the river very low and choked by fallen trees, they were here compelled
to forsake the boats and march overland, leaving one hundred and sixty
men to guard the boats and their retreat. After a long march they
reached a spot on the river where canoes could be used, and with
infinite labor the company was transported up stream to Cedro Bueno.
The buccaneers were by now on the verge of starvation, but there was
nothing to do but keep on, and at noon on the fourth day they
discovered a settlement. But not a soul was there and not a morsel to
eat, save a few crumbs of bread and a number of leather bags. Famished,
the buccaneers fell upon the leathern sacks and devoured them. For an
account of this I can do no better than read you Esquemeling’s
narrative. He says: ‘Thus they made a huge banquet of the bags of
leather which doubtless would have been more grateful unto them if
divers quarrels had not arisen concerning who should have the greatest
share. They conjectured that five hundred Spaniards had been there,
more or less, and these they were now infinitely desirous to meet,
intending to devour some of them rather than perish. Whom they would
certainly in that occasion have roasted or boiled had they been able to
take them. Some persons who were never out of their mothers’ kitchens
may ask how these pirates could eat, swallow and digest those pieces of
leather so hard and dry. To whom I only answer: That could they once
experiment with hunger, or rather famine, they would certainly find the
manner, by their own necessity, as the pirates did. For these first
took the leather and sliced it in pieces. Then did they beat it between
stones and rub it, often dipping it in the water of the river to render
it supple and tender. Lastly they scraped off the hair and roasted or
broiled it over a fire. And thus being cooked they cut it in small
morsels and eat it, helping it down with frequent gulps of water, which
by good fortune they had near at hand.’
“And when night fell on the close of the fourth day and not a scrap of
food had been found in any of the deserted settlements and camps, the
pirate who had had the foresight to retain a small piece of leather was
indeed a happy man, for the others went supperless to sleep.
“At noon of the fifth day they reached Barbacoas, where in a cave, the
buccaneers, to their intense joy, discovered two sacks of meal, two
jars of wine and some bananas. These Morgan divided among the men who
were suffering the most, and somewhat encouraged they proceeded on that
terrible march. On the sixth day the men proceeded very slowly, partly
from weakness and partly owing to the rough character of the land, and
to keep themselves alive they devoured grasses, leaves and roots. But
at noon they found a barrel of corn at a deserted plantation and
without waiting devoured it dry and raw. Hardly an hour later they met
an ambuscade of Indians, and feeling confident that they would be
victors and would secure plentiful provisions they threw away the
precious corn. But to their chagrin the Indians, after discharging a
shower of arrows, disappeared like shadows in the forest, leaving no
food and nothing to mark their presence save half a dozen dead
buccaneers.
“On the seventh day the buccaneers prepared and cleaned their arms,
expecting to meet resistance just ahead, and then, crossing the river,
they hurried forward to the village of La Cruz. As they approached they
saw smoke rising above the trees, and, convinced that this meant the
place was occupied, they made all haste towards it. Judge of their
disgust when they found the village deserted and in flames, with, as
Esquemeling humorously remarks, ‘nothing wherewith to refresh
themselves unless it were good fires to warm themselves, which they
wanted not.’
“But a search revealed something to eat—a few stray dogs and cats which
they butchered and devoured raw and bleeding, and hardly had they
completed this horrid repast when a party of the men found a sack of
bread and sixteen jars of wine in the ruins of a stable. Scarcely had
they commenced to eat and drink, however, when they were taken
violently ill, and they at once decided the wine had been poisoned,
although, as their chronicler very wisely says, it was more probable
that it was ‘their huge want of sustenance in that whole voyage and the
manifold sorts of trash they had eaten.’
“Whatever the cause, it compelled the expedition to remain there for an
entire day. This village, then called La Cruz, was on the site of the
present Las Cruces, the head of navigation on the Chagres and from
which a branch of the Gold Road led to Panama about twenty-five miles
distant. On the eighth day, Morgan sent forward a scouting party of two
hundred men to find the best route and to learn of any ambuscades. This
they did to their sorrow when, at Quebrada Obscura, they were met with
a hurricane of arrows shot by Indians from hiding places in the deep
forest on the summits of the cañon’s walls. A number of the buccaneers
were killed and many wounded and a few Indians fell, but seeing such
overwhelming numbers of the British approaching they soon took to their
heels, and the buccaneers passed on and entered the savanna country.
“Here they suffered greatly, being compelled to pass the night in the
open in a pouring rain and enduring agonies from biting insects and
mosquitoes. On the morning of the ninth day they came to a steep hill
from the summit of which they saw the Pacific gleaming in the sun and
with two ships sailing from Panama to Taboga. Elated at finding
themselves so near their goal they hurried down the slope and in a
little meadow discovered a number of cattle, horses and asses. Hastily
butchering and dressing these they kindled huge fires, half cooked the
still warm flesh over the flames and gorged themselves like beasts.
Indeed, to once more quote Esquemeling, ‘they more resembled cannibals
than Europeans at this banquet, the blood many times running down from
their beards to their middles.’
“Continuing, they came at evening in sight of a party of two hundred
Spaniards, who challenged them and then retreated, and before nightfall
they saw the tower of the cathedral of Old Panama looming against the
sky. Sounding their trumpets, beating their drums, throwing hats in
air; leaping and shouting with joy, the buccaneers, knowing the end of
their awful march was over, pitched their camp for the night in
preparation of an assault on the morrow.
“But the buccaneers were not to rest in peace. Fifty horsemen appeared,
taunting and insulting the English just out of gunshot, and soon the
big cannon of the forts began to thunder and roar and the shot fell all
about the buccaneers’ camp. Soon thereafter a party of fully two
hundred cavalry galloped across the fields from the town, and presently
the buccaneers discovered that they were completely surrounded and,
from being the besiegers they had been transformed into the besieged.
“But having done so much and survived, the rough corsairs gave no
thought or worry to this and ‘began every one to open his satchel and
without napkin or plate fell to eating very heartily the remaining
pieces of bulls’ and horses’ flesh which they had reserved since noon.
This being done they laid themselves down upon the grass with great
repose and huge satisfaction, expecting only with impatience the
dawning of the next day.’ Thus does Esquemeling describe that fateful
evening, the close of the day which foreshadowed the doom of the
richest city of New Spain and which ere another sun set would be a
blazing funeral pyre and a bloody shambles with the shrieks and screams
of tortured beings rending the air and rising loud above the roaring of
the flames.”