USA > Louisiana > History of Louisiana, the Spanish domination > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49
129
BATON ROUGE AND NATCHEZ TAKEN.
it was too late, and when the besiegers had succeeded in sheltering themselves from the shot of their enemies.
On the following day, the 21st of September, at day- break, the Spanish batteries, under the direction of Don Julien Alvarez, were plied with such accuracy and effect, that, notwithstanding the briskness of the fire of the besieged, the fort was so dismantled by half past three in the afternoon, that the English sent two officers with a flag of truce, to propose articles of capitulation. Gal- vez would assent to no terms but those he was willing to offer, which were-that the garrison should surrender at discretion, and, at the same time, that Fort Panmure, at Natchez, should be delivered up to him, with its gar- rison, composed of eighty grenadiers and their officers. The English accepted these conditions, and, after a delay of twenty-four hours which was granted to them (during which they were observed to be engaged in burying a considerable number of dead bodies), they came out with military honors, and marched five hundred paces from the fort, when they delivered up their arms and flags, and remained prisoners of war. The veteran troops, which thus surrendered, consisted of three hun- . dred and seventy-five men. At the same time, Galvez despatched a captain with fifty men, to take possession of Fort Panmure, at Natchez, which is about one hundred and thirty miles distant from Baton Rouge. This fort it would have been very difficult to carry by force, be- cause it was situated on an elevated and steep hill, and was difficult of access. In these two forts of Baton Rouge and Natchez was found a considerable number of militiamen and free negroes, with arms in their hands. They were set free on account of the difficulty of keeping securely so many prisoners.
Whilst the expedition was meeting with so signal a
9
130
NAVAL EXPLOIT OF VINCENT RIEUX.
success, the fortune of war was also declaring itself in favor of the Spaniards in other parts of the province. On Lake Pontchartrain, an American schooner, which had been fitted up at New Orleans by an individual, named Pikle, boarded and captured an English privateer, called the West Florida, and much superior in force to its an- tagonist. The Spanish gunboats also captured near Galvezton three schooners and a small brig which were returning to Pensacola, one schooner which they met on the Mississippi, and two cutters loaded with provisions, which were coming from Pensacola, through Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas, to the relief of the English establishments.
Another English cutter, says the Madrid Gazette from which I quote, was taken in a manner which deserves to be related. One Vincent Rieux, a native of New Or- leans, had been put in command of a sloop of war, to cruise in the lakes. On his coming to Bayou Manchac, through which the English used to receive all their sup- plies from Pensacola, having been informed that one of their barques, well armed, and well laden with provisions and ammunition, was soon expected, he landed his guns, cut down a few trees to form a sort of intrenchment, and kept himself concealed with his crew. When he saw the English close under the muzzles of his guns, he sud- denly blazed away at them, and raised with his com- panions such shouts and yells, that the enemy, persuaded that they had to deal with at least five hundred men, fled below deck. Rieux, availing himself of their panic, rushed on board, closed the hatches, and captured every soul that was in the vessel. The prisoners were: one captain, one first lieutenant, two second lieutenants, fifty- four grenadiers of the Waldeck regiment, and from ten to twelve sailors. It would be difficult to describe their
131
GOOD BEHAVIOR OF THE MILITIA.
surprise, when they found themselves the captives of fourteen men ; these were, every one of them, creoles or natives of Louisiana.
In short, the results of this campaign were highly flat- tering to the Spanish arms. Eight vessels and three forts had been taken ; five hundred and fifty-six regulars, besides a good many sailors, militiamen and free blacks had been made prisoners, among whom were Lieutenant- colonel Dickson aud many other officers. Dickson was the commander general of all the British settlements on the Mississippi, and was in the fort of Baton Rouge, when it surrendered. These remarkable advantages had been obtained, hardly with the loss of any blood on the part of the Spaniards. The Louisiana militia* behaved with extraordinary discipline and fortitude. It was found difficult to restrain their ardor, particularly that of the Acadians, who, at the sight of the British troops, being inflamed with rage at the recollection of their old in- juries, were eager to rush on those who had desecrated their hearths, burned their paternal roofs to the ground, and driven them into exile like miserable outlaws and outcasts.
The companiest of free blacks and mulattoes, who had been employed in all the false attacks, and who, as scouts or skirmishers, had proved exceedingly useful, were re- ported by Galvez to his government as having behaved
* Las milicias se emplearon con indecible zelo en todos los trabajos, y en el servicio de la artilleria, dando constantes pruebas de una subordinacion sin limites ; pues por ella dexaron muchas veces de arrojarse sobre los enemigos, especialmente las compañias de Acadianos, á quienes enardecia la memoria de las crueldades de los Ingleses en la guerra pasada que les obligaron á abandonar sus domicilios .- Sup. á la Gaz. de Madrid, 14 de Enero de 1780.
+ No merecen menos elogio las compañias de negros y mulatos libres que siempre estuvieron ocupados en las abanzadas, falsos ataques y descubiertas, esco- peteandose con el enemigo, y portandose en todas ocasiones con tanto valor y generosidad como los blancos .- Sup. á la Gaz de Madrid, 14 de Enero de 1780.
132
GOOD BEHAVIOR OF THE BLACKS AND INDIANS.
on all occasions, with as much valor and generosity as the whites.
It seems that even the Indians showed themselves, for the first time, alive to the voice of humanity, and ab- stained from doing the slightest injury to the fugitives whom they captured, although their immemorial custom was to treat prisoners with the most horrible cruelty *- nay, they had improved so much as to carry in their arms to Galvez, with the most tender care, the children who had taken refuge in the woods with their mothers. This change in their habits was due to the happy in- fluence exercised over them by Santiago Tarascon and Joseph Sorelle, of Opeloussas, who were both well acquainted with their language, and under whose com- mand they had been placed in this expedition.
Having accomplished his purposes, Galvez disbanded the militia and sent them to their homes, with the praises and the rewards which they deserved. Charles de Grand-Pré, brother-in-law of the commissary of war, Don Juan Antonio Gayarre, was left in command of Baton Rouge, with jurisdiction over two officers placed, the one at Fort Bute, on the bank of Bayou Manchac, and the other at Fort Panmure, at Natchez. In order to occupy the posts which he had conquered, Galvez had to draw largely on his regulars, so that he had only fifty of them left in the capital to garrison it, and to watch over the numerous prisoners who had been taken, and over the several tribes of Indians who had come to New
* Finalmente los Indios dieron por la primera vez el noble exemplo de hu- manidad de no haber hecho el mas leve daño á los habitantes Ingleses fugitivos y desarmados, ó que aunque con armas se les rendian, a pesar de la general cos- tumbre que tienen de tratar con la mas horrible crueldad á sus prisioneros ; habi- endo llegado hasta el extremo de traer entre sus brazos con agasajo para presentar al gobernador los niños que por temor de su inhumanidad se habian refugiado con sus madres á los montes .- Sup. á la Gaz. de Madrid, 14 de Enero de 1780.
.
.33
REWARDS GRANTED BY THE SPANISH COURT.
Orleans to compliment the Spaniards on their victory. But although the prisoners had been permitted on pa- role to be free within the limits of the town, and although it was full of Indians belonging to different tribes, some of which were of the most warlike and haughty temper, there did not occur . the slightest dis- order in the course of more than twenty days, during which the Spaniards had to trust entirely to the good faith and honor of their Indian allies, and of their English prisoners. The respect which Galvez inspired by his character, talents, energy, and recent achieve- ments was such, that he had no cause to repent of · hav- ing acted, on this occasion, as he did, and with what might have turned out to be rash imprudence.
· Towards the middle of October, there arrived at New Orleans from Natchez the garrison of fort Panmure, and, at the same time, a reinforcement of Spanish troops from Havana. The Spanish court was liberal in granting honors and rewards to all those who had distinguished themselves in this expedition. Galvez was appointed brigadier-general, Colonel Don Manuel Gonzalez was raised to the same grade, and was made Governor of the province of Cumanas ; Lieutenant-colonel Mirò, Captain Don Pedro Piernas, and Don Jacinto Panis were promot- ed. The commissary of war, Don Juan Antonio Gayarre, was appointed Royal Comptroller or Contador for Aca- pulco, at that time a celebrated port from which the rich Spanish galleons took their departure to spread the wealth of the western over the eastern world .*
The achievements of Galvez fired the poetical vein of a gentleman, named Julien Poydras, who celebrated them in a small poem written in the French language, which was printed and circulated at the king's expense. This gentleman subsequently acquired immense wealth,
* Captain Hall.
134
AN EPIC POEM BY JULIEN POYDRAS.
was delegated to the congress of the United States by Louisiana, served in its territorial and state legislatures, and, on his death, liberally founded and endowed, by his last testamentary dispositions, several charitable institu- tions. These acts of benevolence have secured to him more fame than his poetry, and his name has been given to one of the principal streets of New Orleans.
The congress of the Thirteen United Provinces of America saw with much satisfaction the rupture which had occurred between Great Britain and Spain, and availed themselves of this favorable circumstance to send to the court of Madrid a minister, whose instruc- tions were to negotiate a treaty of alliance, and, particu- larly, to insist on their right to the navigation of the Mississippi to the sea. This right, however, the king of Spain was not willing to admit, and was supported by France in the view which he took of the question. "We are disposed," said in substance the ministers of the Catholic King to the United States, "to acknowledge your independence and to enter into a treaty of alliance and commerce with you ; but, if you wish us to consent to your admission into the great family of nations, you must subscribe to the right of Spain to the exclusive navigation of the Mississippi, and consent to our taking possession of both the Floridas and of all the territory extending from the left bank of that river to the back settlements of the former British provinces, according to the proclamation of 1763. No part of this territory ever was included within your limits, and the whole of it, with the Floridas, may be legitimately conquered by his Catholic Majesty, without giving you any ground for remonstrance or complaint. We furthermore expect you to prohibit the inhabitants of your confederacy from making any attempt towards settling in or conquering any portion of the British territory to which we refer
135
GALVEZ ATTACKS MOBILE.
Considering that you have, beyond the mountains, no possessions except the post of Kaskaskia and a few others, which you have momentarily acquired from the British, and which you hold only by a very precarious tenure, what is the navigation of the Mississippi to you in com- parison with the importance of your recognition by us as an independent nation, and of the advantages which you will derive from your relations with us, in consequence of a treaty of alliance and commerce ?" This pretension was not palatable to the far-sighted policy of the new power which was budding into existence, and these nego- tiations were still pending at the beginning of the year 1780.
Hardly had Galvez returned to New Orleans after his conquests of Manchac, Baton Rouge and Natchez, when he planned another expedition destined against Mobile, and Don Juan Antonio Gayarre again acted as commis- sary of war on this occasion. All the preparations for this campaign were made with the greatest activity, and the colonists, who now had implicit faith in the talents and good luck of their governor, whom they thought invincible, assisted him with unremitting ardor, and showed themselves ready to peril their lives and fortunes on his behalf. On the 5th of February, Galvez sailed from the Balize with two thousand men, composed of regulars, of the militia of the colony, and of some com- panies of free blacks. In the gulf he was overtaken by a storm which crippled, or caused to be stranded on the coast some of his vessels, and greatly damaged his pro- visions and ammunition. The Governor and the whole expedition were in imminent danger of being wrecked and entirely lost. After some delays, however, and con- siderable exertions, Galvez succeeded in landing his army, artillery, military stores and provisions, on the eastern point of Mobile river. But this had been done with a
136
SURRENDER OF MOBILE.
great deal of confusion, and with a want of concert which the war of the elements had rendered inevitable. Had General Campbell, who was at Pensacola, at the head of forces superior to the Spanish, marched immediately against them, and made a sudden and vigorous attack, he might have secured an easy victory. So conscious was Galvez of his danger that, notwithstanding his natural daring and his confidence in his own resources, his first impulse was to prepare himself for a retreat by land to New Orleans, leaving his baggage and artillery behind. But those he had sent to reconnoitre the country having brought back the intelligence that there was no appear- ance of any design on the part of the enemy to sally out of Pensacola, Galvez boldly determined to advance and to attack fort Charlotte, towards which he moved with rapidity, and which he invested without hesitation. Six batteries were immediately erected, and a breach having been made in the walls of the fort, its commander, to avoid an assault which he could not resist, capitulated in conformity with the terms offered by Galvez. This event took place on the 14th of March.
A few days after, General Campbell arrived with a force which would have been sufficient to prevent the capture of the fort, but which was not able to retake it from the Spaniards. He was, therefore, compelled to an inglorious retreat to Pensacola. In the month of May, the commissary of war, Don Juan Antonio Gayarre, re- turned to New Orleans, through the lakes, on which he was assailed by another storm, which very nearly proved fatal to him. His vessel was struck by lightning, and it was with considerable difficulty that she came into port. A short time after, he departed to take possession of the office of Royal Comptroller, at Acapulco, with which he had been intrusted. The history of this officer now ceases to be connected with Louisiana, but, on his
137
GALVEZ PREPARES TO ATTACK PENSACOLA.
death, which happened in Mexico about the year 1787, his wife and his three sons, who were all natives of Loui- siana, returned to the place of their birth. As to Galvez, he was rewarded for his success in the Mobile expedition by the grade of Major-General. He was then twenty- four years old, and therefore had no right to complain, as others frequently do, of the tardiness of promotion.
Encouraged by his past success, Galvez determined to attack Pensacola. But this place was well fortified, and had a very large garrison. His means were not adequate to the execution of his plan, and he had to solicit the Captain-general of Cuba for reinforcements, which were promised, but not sent. Impatient of delay, and mis- trusting the intentions of the Captain-general, Galvez sailed for Havana, in order to ask in person for what he desired. The son of the viceroy of Mexico, and the nephew of the president of the Council of the Indies, so well known to be the omnipotent minister of Charles III .. was not easily to be refused, and Galvez, having obtained all the troops, ammunition and implements of war which he deemed necessary, sailed on the 16th of October from Havana for Pensacola, but encountered one of those hur- ricanes which were so frequent in those days. Some of his transports foundered, the rest were dispersed, and he returned to Havana on the 16th of November, having been one month in gathering and collecting the scattered remnants of his fleet, with a perseverance, humanity, and unflinching sense of duty which cannot be too highly commended.
Galvez was not the man to give up any project which he had once formed, and the 28th of February, 1781, found him at the head of a much more formidable expe- dition than the one which had been disabled by the storm. On that day, he left Havana for Pensacola,*
* Martin's History of Louisiana, vol. ii., p. 54.
138
SOUNDING OF THE PENSACOLA CHANNEL.
with a ship of the line, two frigates, and several trans- ports, on board of which were fourteen hundred soldiers, a competent train of artillery, and abundance of ammu- nition. The fleet was commanded by Don Jose Cabro de Irazabal.
On the 9th of March," Galvez landed his troops, ordnance and military stores on the island of St. Rose, and, on the next day, erected a battery to support the fleet when passing over the bar, which attempt was made on the 11th, but soon abandoned, because the admiral's ship got aground. The next day Galvez wrote to Ira- zabal: "I am uneasy at the risk which the fleet and transports will run, should they remain long exposed to the storms which so frequently prevail on this dangerous coast. Therefore I request you to call the captains of all the ships on board of yours, and to consult them as to the best means of getting the fleet over the bar, as speedily as possible." Irazabal complied with this request, and, in his answer to Galvez, said: "The officers have declared that they are unable to form an opinion on the probable success of a second attempt, as they are without a correct chart of the coast. They complain that the pilots on board of the fleet are incapable of affording any aid, because every account they have given of the soundings has proved erroneous. The officers further add, that, on the first attempt to cross over the bar, their ships nearly lost their rudders; and it is their belief that, if they had persisted in the undertaking, they would soon have come to a position which would have rendered all manœuvres impossible. We had always anticipated that the artillery of the British fort could reach the channel, but now it is demonstrated that it commands, not only the channel over the bar, but
* Martin's History of Louisiana, vol. ii., p. 54.
139
THE SPANISH ADMIRAL REFUSES TO ENTER IT.
even the island of St. Rose. There are in the fort twenty- four pounders, the balls of which would rake, fore and aft, any of our vessels that should attempt to cross the bar, and the direction of the channel is such, that they would be obliged to present successively, as they moved on, their sides, poops and prows to the enemy's guns. Besides, the channel is so narrow, that should the first ship get aground, she would obstruct the passage for the rest, and the rapidity of the current preventing" any quick manœuvre, the ships would run foul of each other, before they could turn, even if that were possible. Con- sidering, however, that you deem the crossing of the bar an object of vast importance to the king's service, we have come to the conclusion to send one or two officers, attended by three or four pilots, to sound the channel during the night, as far as Point Siguenza, a fire being ordered to be made on that Point, in order to ascertain the direction. After which a second trial to cross over the bar may be made. But my individual opinion is, that any attempt to attack the British by water would be fruitless, and that the land force ought to be consi- dered by your Excellency as the best and most efficacious means to reduce the fort. Therefore, I beg leave to recommend that it be used without delay."
This answer of the Spanish admiral caused great dis- pleasure to Galvez, He thought that it originated from that feeling of jealousy which but too often springs up between land and naval forces when they are destined to cooperate; and that the officers of the navy, who were his associates in this expedition, being under the impression that he would exclusively reap all the glory in case of success, were disposed rather to thwart than to forward his plans. He replied to Irazabal: " admit- ting the danger of losing a ship or two, from which, after all, in case of accident, all on board would be easily
140
GALVEZ CAUSES THE CHANNEL TO BE SOUNDED.
saved, what would be such a loss in comparison with that of the whole fleet, which is likely to occur, should there be a storm! Therefore I desire that the captains be again called together, and invited to reconsider their former report." In the mean time, in order to rouse and stimulate those officers of the navy whose prudence was so little in accordance with his views. Galvez deter- mined to attempt, with the naval means of which he had the absolute command, what seemed to be denied to him by his more timid associates .*
In compliance with his orders, the brig Galvezton, commanded by Rousseau, which had lately arrived from New Orleans with ordnance, cast anchor near the bar. Rousseau sounded the channel as far as Point Siguenza, during the night of the 15th to the 16th, and reported, the next morning, that there was water enought in the shallowest part of the channel for the largest ship in the fleet, with her full load. Notwith- standing Rousseau's declaration, the Spanish captains having, as Galvez desired, met on board of the admiral's ship, obstinately persisted in their former decision, and referred the Governor to it, greatly to that officer's indignation. 1
So stood matters, when Joseph de Espeleta arrived, on the 16th, from Mobile, with all the regulars which he could draw from that place and its neighborhood, and, on the next day, Don Estevan Mirò came from New Orleans with the Louisiana forces. They took their posi- tion on the western side of the Perdido.
In the critical situation in which he was placed by the refusal of the Spanish admiral to grant the required as- sistance, Galvez acted with his usual decision of character. Assuming the entire responsibility of his movements,
* Martin's History, vol. ii., p. 56. t Ibid.
141
HEROISM OF GALVEZ.
and casting aside all reliance on Irazabal, he resolved to act for himself, and independently of him. Without loss of time, he ordered the brig Galvezton, a schooner, and two gunboats, which constituted all the naval forces belonging to his government of Louisiana, and which, as such, were entirely at his disposal, to prepare for crossing the bar. Towards noon," Captain Rousseau, with his brig, the schooner and gunboats, cast anchor near the bar. At half-past two, the bay of Pensacola presented a stirring spectacle. On land, the Spanish forces were drawn up in battle array, and the beating of their drums, with the notes of other martial instruments, were wafted over the blue waves to the British fort, which echoed back fierce sounds of defiance, whilst that portion - of its walls which faced the bay could be distinctly seen to be crowded with the military whom curiosity had gathered together, to watch the manœuvres of the enemy. All being ready for action, Galvez, leaving his army, threw himself into a boat which took him on board of the brig. Hardly was he on deck, when, by his orders, the broad flag of Castile was proudly displayed at the main-mast, a salute was fired, all sails set, and the small fleet moved on gallantly. The fort, which seemed to have been pa- tiently waiting for this signal, was immediately in a blaze, and pouring a heavy fire on the daring little vessels which were swiftly sweeping onward, and which, on their side, answered with a brisk cannonade. The aim of the British artillery was principally directed at the brig, on the deck of which stood up Galvez in the midst of a brilliant staff. The brig, the schooner and the gunboats passed by in rapid succession, without receiving much injury, except in their sails and rigging, and Galvez
* Martin's History, vol. ii., p. 57.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.