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The Raid on Nassau took place from 24 February to 1 March 1720, at the end of the 1718 to 1720
War of the Quadruple Alliance The War of the Quadruple Alliance, 1718 to 1720, was a conflict between Spain and a coalition of Austria, Great Britain, France, and Savoy, joined in 1719 by the Dutch Republic. Most of the fighting took place in Sicily and Spain, with minor engag ...
. A Spanish expeditionary force attacked the British settlement of
Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...
, but was repulsed.


Background

In 1718, former privateer Captain
Woodes Rogers Woodes Rogers ( – 15 July 1732) was an English sea captain, privateer and colonial administrator who served as the List of governors of the Bahamas, governor of the Bahamas from 1718 to 1721 and again from 1728 to 1732. He is remembered ...
was appointed
Governor of the Bahamas This is a list of governors of the Bahamas. The first English settlement in the Bahamas was on Eleuthera. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the lords proprietors of the Province of Carolina, but the islands were left to themselves. The lo ...
, in which role he suppressed pirates, reformed the civil administration and restored trade. In February 1719, he learned the Spanish intended to conquer the Bahamas, but instead they were diverted to recapture Pensacola from the French. This gave him time to further consolidate his position by rebuilding Fort Nassau, which was completed in January 1720. By then, in the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
there was armed aggression between British and Spanish ships due to the clandestine trade of the former; this increased with the outbreak of the
War of the Quadruple Alliance The War of the Quadruple Alliance, 1718 to 1720, was a conflict between Spain and a coalition of Austria, Great Britain, France, and Savoy, joined in 1719 by the Dutch Republic. Most of the fighting took place in Sicily and Spain, with minor engag ...
. In fact the Treaty of The Hague ending the war had been signed just before the raid although not yet in effect. The governor of
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, Gregorio Guazo, seeing how Rogers continued to colonise the Bahamas, organised a military force to capture Nassau. Three Spanish frigates of the
Armada de Barlovento The Armada de Barlovento (Windward Fleet) was a military formation that consisted of 50 ships created by the Spanish Empire to protect its overseas American territories from attacks from its European enemies, as well as attacks from pirates and p ...
were to form the backbone of the fleet under the command of Francisco Javier Cornejo. This naval element was further bolstered by nine
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 ...
vessels including brigantines and sloops. The land forces consisted of approximately 1,300–2,000 men with a range of military experience, as well as 1,400 regular soldiers.


Raid

At the end of February 1720, Cornejo's expeditionary force left Havana and sailed through the Florida Straits to capture
New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. On the eastern side of the island is the national capital, national capital city of Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau; it had a population of 246 ...
. Rogers had assembled around sixty guns in Fort Nassau, along with a hundred soldiers and some five hundred local
militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
. He also had two
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
s available, the 32-gun ''Felicia'', and 24-gun HMS ''Flamborough'' under Captain Jonathan Hildesley. The Spanish attacked from the north, leaving ''Principle'' and ''Hercules'', their two large warships, at anchor in deep water. On February 24, Cornejo appeared off Nassau harbour in the 36-gun ''San Jose'', and a number of smaller warships including the ''San Cristoforo'' and eight sloops. Their arrival took the British by surprise, but Cornejo did not immediately attack due to the presence of ''Delicia'' and ''Flamborough'', although Rogers had to persuade Hildesley to stay. Cornejo delayed until next day, when a storm forced the Spanish to cut their cables and head for the open sea. The Spanish made another attempt, this time avoiding the heavy defences of Fort Nassau. They cruised along Hog Island which sheltered the city's harbour, to the east and west in order to block the entrance. On the night of 25 February, the Spanish attempted to land three columns on the backside of Hog island and cross the narrow eastern channel in small boats. Quietly they rowed toward the shore, but were spotted by two sentries in a small redoubt who opened fire. Realising surprise was lost, the Spanish retreated out of range. A second force landed in the west, causing considerable damage to outlying property, before they ran into opposition from the 500 militia, and also withdrew. Later that day, another storm forced the Spanish fleet out to sea, with ''San Cristoforo'' wrecked on the Bahama Banks. By 1 March, they were back in Havana, having captured over a hundred slaves and considerable booty.


Aftermath

Rogers was unaware of Cornejo's departure until several weeks later, when he received news that the Spanish fleet had been hit by a storm. Despite their victory, he was unable to pay his garrison. Having expended his own fortune on Nassau's defences and with his health failing, Rogers left for
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
on 6 December 1720, then set sail for
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in March 1721. He arrived three months later to find a new governor had been appointed in his stead, and was imprisoned for debt.


References


Sources

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Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nassau, Battle of 1720 Battles involving Great Britain Battles involving Spain Battles of the War of the Quadruple Alliance Conflicts in 1720 Wars involving the Bahamas 1720 in the British Empire 1720 in the Caribbean 18th century in the Bahamas Amphibious operations involving Spain