San Juan Expedition (1780)
San Juan Expedition | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
Captain Horatio Nelson, painted by John Francis Rigaud in 1781, with Fort San Juan in the background. | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Spain | Great Britain | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
John Polson † Horatio Nelson | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
160 regulars & militia (Fort San Juan) 500 militia (Granada's outskirts)[2] |
3,000 regulars, militia, Criminals & sailors[3] 1 frigate 2 brigs 3 sloops 1 tender 1 transport[2][4] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
unknown killed or wounded 45 captured[5] |
2,500 killed or died of disease[6] 2 ships grounded[4] |
The San Juan Expedition took place between March and November 1780 during the
Despite an initial success in the capture of the Fortress of the Immaculate Conception, Polson's force never reached Lake Nicaragua and, decimated by yellow fever, was forced to return to Jamaica. The campaign ended in total failure and cost the lives of more than 2,500 men, making it the costliest British disaster of the entire war.[6]
Background
After Spain entered the American Revolutionary War in 1779, Major-General
Expedition
The expedition, consisting of the transport Penelope, two brigs, three sloops, and a tender, the Royal George, sailed from Jamaica on 3 February 1780, escorted by the 21-year-old Captain Horatio Nelson in the 28-gun HMS Hinchinbrook. Nelson was the highest-ranking officer present, but his authority was limited to naval operations.[9] The overall commander was Captain (local rank of major) John Polson, who had at his disposal about 3,000 men, including 100 regulars of the 60th Royal American Regiment under himself, 140 of the 79th Liverpool Blues under Captain Richard Bulkeley, 240 Royal Jamaica Volunteers under Major James Macdonald, 250 members of the Jamaica Legion, and 125 of the Royal Batteaux Corps, plus an unspecified number of black volunteers.[2]
On 24 March, after many delays awaiting the arrival of several
Five miles (8 km) upstream was
The British troops, unable to advance despite the arrival of 450 British reinforcements on 15 May, remained in occupation of the fort for six months, during which time they perished by the hundreds,[10] while Viceroy Matías de Gálvez was able to fortify the mouth of Lake Nicaragua.[5] The Spanish gained in strength, thanks to assistance from San Miguel, Choluteca and other adjoining provinces, while sickness continued to take a heavy toll among the British troops, forcing the order for withdrawal to be given on 30 November.
Aftermath
The Spanish reoccupied the remains of the fort, which the British had blown up on departure. Despite having surrendered it, Don Juan de Ayssa was promoted to lieutenant colonel, as was recorded in the Royal Order of 12 June 1781: he had alerted the other garrisons in the area, bravely defended the fort, suffered hardships as a prisoner of war, and contributed greatly to creating difficulties for the British operations. Taken prisoner to Jamaica, he was freed at the end of the war and rose to become governor of Nicaragua in 1783.[13]
Notes
- ^ Linebaugh/Rediker p.307
- ^ a b c Marley p.325
- ^ Saavedra de Sangronis/Morales Padrón p.72
- ^ a b Knight p.56
- ^ a b c Saavedra de Sangronis/Morales Padrón p.73
- ^ a b Sudgen p.173
- ^ Southey p.9
- ^ Knight p.55
- ^ a b c Southey p.10
- ^ a b c d Marley p.326
- ^ Coleman p.32
- ^ Southey p.12
- ^ Dolores Gómez p.276
References
- Chávez, Thomas E (2004). Spain and the Independence of the United States: An Intrinsic Gift. UNM Press. OCLC 149117944.
- Coleman, Terry (2004). The Nelson Touch: The Life and Legend of Horatio Nelson. London, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-517322-2.
- Dolores Gómez, José (1975). Historia de Nicaragua desde los tiempos prehistóricos hasta 1860: en sus relaciones con España, Mexico y Centro-America. Banco de America.
- Knight, Roger (2007). The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson. UK: Westview Press. ISBN 978-0-465-03765-0.
- Linebaugh, Peter; Rediker, Marcus (2005). La hidra de la revolución: marineros, esclavos y campesinos en la historia oculta del Atlántico. Editorial Critica. ISBN 978-84-8432-601-4.
- Marley, David (1998). Wars of the Americas: a chronology of armed conflict in the New World, 1492 to the present. Santa Barbara, USA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-87436-837-6.
- de Saavedra de Sangronis, Francisco; Francisco Morales Padrón (2004). Diario de don Francisco de Saavedra. Madrid, Spain: Universidad de Sevilla. ISBN 978-84-472-0782-4.
- Southey, Robert (2007). The Life of Horatio Lord Nelson. Teddington, UK: Echo Library. ISBN 978-1-4068-3003-3.
- Sudgen, John (2004). Nelson: A Dream of Glory, 1758–1797. New York, USA: Holt. ISBN 0-224-06097-X.