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The Battle of San Juan was an ill-fated
On 21 April, the British started a 7-day artillery duel with the Spanish forts of San Gerónimo and San Antonio, located at the Boquerón Inlet. At the same time, further Spanish forces put pressure on the British positions, the Spanish recaptured Martín Peña Bridge, while the militia led by José "Pepe" Díaz (1776 - April 30, 1797) and Sergeant Francisco Díaz (1777 - ?), both cousins, raided behind British lines, bringing back prisoners. Then, on the 29th and 30th, the Spanish crossed the Boquerón Inlet, and forced the British to pull back.
History of the Fixed Regiment of Puerto Rico by Coronel Héctor Andrés Negroni
* {{DEFAULTSORT:San Juan 1797 Military history of Puerto Rico Battles involving Spain Battles involving Great Britain Amphibious operations involving the Great Britain Invasions by Great Britain Conflicts in 1797 History of San Juan, Puerto Rico Battles of the War of the First Coalition Spanish colonization of the Americas
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
assault in 1797 on the Spanish colonial port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
city of San Juan in Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
during the 1796–1808 Anglo-Spanish War. The attack was carried out facing the historic town of Miramar.
Background
Spain aligned itself with France by signing the Second Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1796. Britain then targeted both countries' Caribbean colonies. Admiral Sir Henry Harvey's fleet picked up Sir Ralph Abercromby's army in Barbados. Together, they captured Trinidad from the Spanish, before heading for San Juan.Battle
On 17 April 1797, Lieutenant-General SirRalph Abercromby
Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, (7 October 173428 March 1801) was a British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Trinidad in 1797. Rising to the rank ...
's fleet of 68 vessels appeared offshore Puerto Rico with a force of 7000, which included German auxiliaries and French émigrés. Two of his frigates then blocked San Juan harbor.
The governor, Field Marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
Don Ramón de Castro y Gutiérrez, had already mobilized his 4000 militia and 200 Spanish garrison troops which, combined with 300 French privateer
A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
s, 2000 armed peasantry, and paroled prisoners, brought his troop strength up to almost equal that of the British. He also had 376 cannon, 35 mortars
Mortar may refer to:
* Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon
* Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together
* Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind
* Mortar, Bihar, a village i ...
, 4 howitzer
The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...
s and 3 swivel gun
A swivel gun (or simply swivel) is a small cannon mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun with two barrels that rot ...
s.
Abercromby landed 3000 troops on 18 April and took control of Cangrejos. Castro moved his forces to Escambrón and the Spanish First Line of Defense.
On 21 April, the British started a 7-day artillery duel with the Spanish forts of San Gerónimo and San Antonio, located at the Boquerón Inlet. At the same time, further Spanish forces put pressure on the British positions, the Spanish recaptured Martín Peña Bridge, while the militia led by José "Pepe" Díaz (1776 - April 30, 1797) and Sergeant Francisco Díaz (1777 - ?), both cousins, raided behind British lines, bringing back prisoners. Then, on the 29th and 30th, the Spanish crossed the Boquerón Inlet, and forced the British to pull back.
Aftermath
On 1 May, the Spanish learned the British were gone, leaving behind arms, stores and ammunition.References
Further reading
* Alonso, Mariá M. and Milagros Flores (1997). ''The Eighteenth Century Caribbean and the British Attack on Puerto Rico in 1797''. San Juan: National Park Service, Department of the Interior, Publicaciones Puertorriqueñas. * Marley, David (1998). ''Wars of the Americas: a chronology of armed conflict in the New World, 1492 to the present.'' ABC-CLIO.External links
History of the Fixed Regiment of Puerto Rico by Coronel Héctor Andrés Negroni
* {{DEFAULTSORT:San Juan 1797 Military history of Puerto Rico Battles involving Spain Battles involving Great Britain Amphibious operations involving the Great Britain Invasions by Great Britain Conflicts in 1797 History of San Juan, Puerto Rico Battles of the War of the First Coalition Spanish colonization of the Americas