The Battle of Pensacola (7-9 November 1814) was a battle of the Creek War during the War of 1812, in which American forces fought against forces from the kingdoms of Britain and Spain who were aided by the Creek Indians and African-American slaves allied with the British.[4] General Andrew Jackson led his infantry against British and Spanish forces controlling the city of Pensacola in Spanish Florida. Allied forces abandoned the city, and the remaining Spanish forces surrendered to Jackson.
British: 100 infantry from Royal Marines, Red Sticks and Royal Marine Artillery[1][2] Unknown artillery and black slaves 1 fort 1 coastal battery Spanish: 500 infantry Unknown artillery 1 fort Creek: Unknown warriors
The battle was the only engagement of the war to take place within the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Spain, which was angered by the rapid withdrawal of British forces. Britain's naval squadron of five warships also withdrew from the city.[5][6]
Many refugees fled to Spanish West Florida after the Red StickCreeks were defeated at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The presence of the Creek refugees had motivated British Brevet Captain George Woodbine of the Royal Marines to travel to Pensacola in July 1814.[7] Woodbine's liaisons with the refugees and the Spanish governor of Pensacola enabled the British to maintain a military presence at Pensacola from August 23, 1814,[8] initially occupying Fort San Miguel[9] and the town itself. British relations deteriorated with the Spanish governor,[10] so the British force left the town and consolidated in the outlying Fort San Carlos and at the Santa Rosa Punta de Siguenza battery (later rebuilt as Fort Pickens).[11]
Gordon's expedition
The armed Creeks at Horseshoe Bend prompted Jackson to send Tennessee militia Captain John Gordon to reconnoiter Pensacola and see if the British were using it as a base to arm Indians hostile to the United States. Gordon arrived at Pensacola to find the Union Jack flying at the fort and British officers training and arming Creek warriors.[12] Gordon's son-in-law Felix Zollicoffer wrote of the excursion:
It was Capt. Gordon who performed that memorable and perilous service of penetrating alone a forest 300 miles from Hickory Grounds to Pensacola, encountering and evading various Indian parties, and procuring for Gen. Jackson that valuable knowledge of Spanish fortifications and of the Spanish complicity with British and Indian enemies which at once determined him upon and gave him the key to the famous capture of Pensacola.[13]
Jackson decided to attack Pensacola based upon Gordon's report.
Preparations at Pensacola
General Jackson planned to drive the British from Pensacola in Spanish Florida, then march to New Orleans to defend the city against any British attack.[14] His forces had been diminished due to desertions,[1] so he was forced to wait for Brigadier General John Coffee and his volunteers before moving against the city. Jackson and Coffee met at Pierce's Stockade in Alabama.[15] Jackson assembled a force of up to 4,000 men;[3] he moved out towards Pensacola on November 2 and reached it on November 6.[16] The forces in the Anglo-Spanish fort consisted of around 100 British infantry and a coastal battery, about 500 Spanish infantry, an unknown number of British and Spanish artillery, and an unknown number of Creek warriors. Jackson first sent Major Henri Piere as a messenger under a white flag of truce to Spanish Governor Mateo González Manrique. However, the messenger approached the city and was fired upon by the garrison in Fort San Miguel. Jackson then sent a second messenger, this time a Spaniard,[17] and offered to garrison the forts with Americans, who would hold them until relieved by Spanish troops; this would ensure Spain's neutrality in the conflict. Manrique rejected the offer.[10]
Battle
Destruction of Fort Barrancas by the British
At dawn, Jackson had 3,000 troops marching on the city.[16] The Americans flanked the city from the east to avoid fire from the forts and marched along the beachfront,[18] but the sandy beach made it difficult to move up the artillery. The attack went ahead nonetheless and was met with resistance in the center of town by a line of infantry supported by a battery. However, the Americans charged and captured the battery.[18]
Governor Manrique appeared with a white flag and agreed to surrender on any terms Jackson put forward if only he would spare the town. Fort San Miguel was surrendered on November 7, but Fort San Carlos, which lay 14 miles to the west, remained in British hands.[19]
Jackson planned to capture the fort by storm the next day, but it was blown up and abandoned before Jackson could move on it and the remaining British withdrew from Pensacola[20] along with the British squadron (comprising HMS Sophie (18 guns), HMS Childers (18 guns; Capt. Umfreville), HMS Seahorse (38 guns; Capt. Gordon), HMS Shelburne (12 guns) and HMS Carron (20 guns; Capt. Spencer).[21] A number of Spanish accompanied the retreating British forces[22][23][24][25][26][27] and did not return to Pensacola until 1815.[28][29][30]
Aftermath
The battle had forced the British out of Pensacola and left the Spanish in control, angered by the British, who had fled in such a hurry once Jackson's force had attacked, for their destruction of the fortifications and the removal of part of the Spanish garrison.[31] Jackson suspected the squadron which had left Pensacola harbor would return to strike at Mobile, Alabama.[32] Jackson abandoned Pensacola to the Spanish and set out to Mobile, and upon reaching the town[11] he received requests to hurry to the defense of New Orleans.[21] American casualties were negligible; around seven dead and eleven wounded. (Two officers and nine enlisted men wounded are documented by Eaton.[33]) The Spanish and British suffered at least 15 dead or wounded.[3] Lieutenant Colonel Edward Nicolls states there were no deaths among the British, and is of the opinion that the Americans suffered 15 fatalities and numerous casualties.[34][35]
^"Documents Relating to Colonel Edward Nicholls and Captain George Woodbine in Pensacola, 1814". The Florida Historical Society Quarterly. 10 (1): 51–54. 1931-01-01. JSTOR 30150119.
^ADM 37/4636 HMS Childers ship muster. 102 Spaniards embarked, 'by order of Capt Jordan'
^ADM 37/4795 HMS Sophie ship muster. 149 Spanish subsequently disembarked at St Joseph's Bay on 30 November 1814
^ADM 37/5438 HMS Seahorse ship muster. Embarked: 4x Indian warriors (1211 to 1215 in the muster), Spaniards (1170 to 1206)
^ADM 37/4960 HMS Shelburne ship muster. Embarked: Spaniards (41 to 83)
^ADM 37/5250 HMS Carron ship muster. Embarked: Spaniards (193 to 224)
^"Documents Relating to Colonel Edward Nicholls and Captain George Woodbine in Pensacola, 1814". Florida Historical Quarterly: 52. July 1931. Cochrane's letter to Manrique, composed on the Tonnant, off Mobile 10 February 1815 does state: 'Sorry that it has not been in my power to bring back the Spanish Soldiers from that vicinity ...., but in a few days I will dedicate a Sloop of War Solely to that purpose' The original transcript is stored within: Letters from Commander-in-Chief, North America: 1815, nos. 1–126 (ADM 1/508)
^Letter from Admiral Cochrane to Admiral Malcolm composed on the Tonnant, off Mobile 17 February 1815 'The Spanish Governor at Pensacola, having requested that a part of the Spanish Troops removed to the Bluff, when the American Army attacked ...you will send a troop ship to Appalachicola to receive them on board, and land them in the harbour of Pensacola'. This is within WO 1/143 folio 19, which can be downloaded for a fee from the UK National Archives website
^Historical Record of the Royal Marine Forces. Vol. 2. London: JThomas & William Boone. 1845. p. 290. [Nicolls] retreated from the place, and with such ability as to preserve his stores, causing an [estimated] loss to the enemy of 15 killed, some officers and many wounded; and this service was performed by 700 men, in the face of the American army of 5,000 men, with five pieces of cannon
^The primary source used by Nicolas is a letter from Edward Nicolls to Lord Bathurst dated 5 May 1817, UK National Archives reference WO 1/344, folio 421. '[We] retreated fighting from the place without the loss of a man... and causing a loss to the enemy of 15 killed and some officers & privates wounded in the face of 5000 men and 5 pieces of cannon, with only 700 men [of the Anglo-Spanish force]' The purpose of the letter was for Nicolls to be reimbursed for expenses in relation to Nicolls entertaining the Creek indians.
^"Lineage And Honors Information - 1st Battalion, 1st Infantry Lineage". U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
^"Lineage And Honors Information - 2d Battalion, 1st Infantry Lineage". U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
^"Lineage And Honors Information - 2d Battalion, 7th Infantry Lineage". U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
^"Lineage And Honors Information - 3d Battalion, 7th Infantry Lineage". U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
References
Eaton, John Henry; Reid, John (1828). The life of Major General Andrew Jackson. McCarty & Davis.
Eaton, Joseph H. (2013) [1851]. "Film reel M1832, 1 roll. ARC ID: 1184633.". Returns of Killed and Wounded in Battles or Engagements with Indians and British and Mexican Troops, 1790–1848. Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1984. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
Heidler, David Stephen & Jeanne T (2003): Old Hickory's War: Andrew Jackson and the Quest for Empire. Louisiana State University Press. ISBN978-0-8071-2867-1
Hyde, Samuel C. (2004): A Fierce and Fractious Frontier: The Curious Development of Louisiana's Florida Parishes, 1699–2000. Louisiana State University Press. ISBN0807129232
Mahon, John K. (1991): The War Of 1812. Da Capo Press. ISBN0306804298
Marshall, John (1829): Royal Naval Biography. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown.
Nicolas, Paul Harris (1845): Historical Record of the Royal Marine Forces. Volume 2, 1805–1842
Patterson, Benton Rains (2008), The Generals, Andrew Jackson, Sir Edward Pakenham, and the road to New Orleans, New York: New York University Press, ISBN978-0-8147-6717-7
Sugden, John (January 1982). "The Southern Indians in the War of 1812: The Closing Phase". Florida Historical Quarterly.
Tucker, Spencer (ed). (2012): The Encyclopedia of the War of 1812: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. ISBN1851099565
January 30, 2023
battle, pensacola, 1814, battle, pensacola, november, 1814, battle, creek, during, 1812, which, american, forces, fought, against, forces, from, kingdoms, britain, spain, were, aided, creek, indians, african, american, slaves, allied, with, british, general, a. The Battle of Pensacola 7 9 November 1814 was a battle of the Creek War during the War of 1812 in which American forces fought against forces from the kingdoms of Britain and Spain who were aided by the Creek Indians and African American slaves allied with the British 4 General Andrew Jackson led his infantry against British and Spanish forces controlling the city of Pensacola in Spanish Florida Allied forces abandoned the city and the remaining Spanish forces surrendered to Jackson Battle of PensacolaPart of the War of 1812Jackson and his troops entering Pensacola on November 6 1814Date7 9 November 1814LocationPensacola Spanish FloridaResultAmerican victory British withdrawal from Pensacola United States occupation of PensacolaBelligerents United States United Kingdom SpainCreek Native AmericansCommanders and leadersAndrew Jackson John GordonMateo Manrique Captain SpencerStrength4 000 infantryBritish 100 infantry from Royal Marines Red Sticks and Royal Marine Artillery 1 2 Unknown artillery and black slaves1 fort1 coastal batterySpanish 500 infantryUnknown artillery1 fortCreek Unknown warriorsCasualties and losses 7 killed and 11 wounded 3 15 killed or wounded The battle was the only engagement of the war to take place within the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Spain which was angered by the rapid withdrawal of British forces Britain s naval squadron of five warships also withdrew from the city 5 6 Contents 1 Background 1 1 Horseshoe Bend 1 2 Gordon s expedition 1 3 Preparations at Pensacola 2 Battle 3 Aftermath 4 See also 5 Notes 6 ReferencesBackground EditHorseshoe Bend Edit Many refugees fled to Spanish West Florida after the Red Stick Creeks were defeated at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend The presence of the Creek refugees had motivated British Brevet Captain George Woodbine of the Royal Marines to travel to Pensacola in July 1814 7 Woodbine s liaisons with the refugees and the Spanish governor of Pensacola enabled the British to maintain a military presence at Pensacola from August 23 1814 8 initially occupying Fort San Miguel 9 and the town itself British relations deteriorated with the Spanish governor 10 so the British force left the town and consolidated in the outlying Fort San Carlos and at the Santa Rosa Punta de Siguenza battery later rebuilt as Fort Pickens 11 Gordon s expedition Edit The armed Creeks at Horseshoe Bend prompted Jackson to send Tennessee militia Captain John Gordon to reconnoiter Pensacola and see if the British were using it as a base to arm Indians hostile to the United States Gordon arrived at Pensacola to find the Union Jack flying at the fort and British officers training and arming Creek warriors 12 Gordon s son in law Felix Zollicoffer wrote of the excursion It was Capt Gordon who performed that memorable and perilous service of penetrating alone a forest 300 miles from Hickory Grounds to Pensacola encountering and evading various Indian parties and procuring for Gen Jackson that valuable knowledge of Spanish fortifications and of the Spanish complicity with British and Indian enemies which at once determined him upon and gave him the key to the famous capture of Pensacola 13 Jackson decided to attack Pensacola based upon Gordon s report Preparations at Pensacola Edit General Jackson planned to drive the British from Pensacola in Spanish Florida then march to New Orleans to defend the city against any British attack 14 His forces had been diminished due to desertions 1 so he was forced to wait for Brigadier General John Coffee and his volunteers before moving against the city Jackson and Coffee met at Pierce s Stockade in Alabama 15 Jackson assembled a force of up to 4 000 men 3 he moved out towards Pensacola on November 2 and reached it on November 6 16 The forces in the Anglo Spanish fort consisted of around 100 British infantry and a coastal battery about 500 Spanish infantry an unknown number of British and Spanish artillery and an unknown number of Creek warriors Jackson first sent Major Henri Piere as a messenger under a white flag of truce to Spanish Governor Mateo Gonzalez Manrique However the messenger approached the city and was fired upon by the garrison in Fort San Miguel Jackson then sent a second messenger this time a Spaniard 17 and offered to garrison the forts with Americans who would hold them until relieved by Spanish troops this would ensure Spain s neutrality in the conflict Manrique rejected the offer 10 Battle Edit Destruction of Fort Barrancas by the BritishAt dawn Jackson had 3 000 troops marching on the city 16 The Americans flanked the city from the east to avoid fire from the forts and marched along the beachfront 18 but the sandy beach made it difficult to move up the artillery The attack went ahead nonetheless and was met with resistance in the center of town by a line of infantry supported by a battery However the Americans charged and captured the battery 18 Governor Manrique appeared with a white flag and agreed to surrender on any terms Jackson put forward if only he would spare the town Fort San Miguel was surrendered on November 7 but Fort San Carlos which lay 14 miles to the west remained in British hands 19 Jackson planned to capture the fort by storm the next day but it was blown up and abandoned before Jackson could move on it and the remaining British withdrew from Pensacola 20 along with the British squadron comprising HMS Sophie 18 guns HMS Childers 18 guns Capt Umfreville HMS Seahorse 38 guns Capt Gordon HMS Shelburne 12 guns and HMS Carron 20 guns Capt Spencer 21 A number of Spanish accompanied the retreating British forces 22 23 24 25 26 27 and did not return to Pensacola until 1815 28 29 30 Aftermath EditThe battle had forced the British out of Pensacola and left the Spanish in control angered by the British who had fled in such a hurry once Jackson s force had attacked for their destruction of the fortifications and the removal of part of the Spanish garrison 31 Jackson suspected the squadron which had left Pensacola harbor would return to strike at Mobile Alabama 32 Jackson abandoned Pensacola to the Spanish and set out to Mobile and upon reaching the town 11 he received requests to hurry to the defense of New Orleans 21 American casualties were negligible around seven dead and eleven wounded Two officers and nine enlisted men wounded are documented by Eaton 33 The Spanish and British suffered at least 15 dead or wounded 3 Lieutenant Colonel Edward Nicolls states there were no deaths among the British and is of the opinion that the Americans suffered 15 fatalities and numerous casualties 34 35 Four active infantry battalions of the Regular Army 1 1 Inf 2 1 Inf 2 7 Inf and 3 7 Inf perpetuate the lineages of American units elements of the old 3rd 39th and 44th Infantry Regiments that were at the Battle of Pensacola 36 37 38 39 See also EditFirst Battle of Fort BowyerNotes Edit a b Heidler p45 Nicolas p289 states 60 Marine infantry 180 Red Sticks and 12 Royal Marine Artillery a b c Tucker ed p570 Colonial Period Aiming for Pensacola Fugitive Slaves on the Atlantic and Southern Frontiers Retrieved 2016 10 25 Hyde p97 Sugden p296 Documents Relating to Colonel Edward Nicholls and Captain George Woodbine in Pensacola 1814 The Florida Historical Society Quarterly 10 1 51 54 1931 01 01 JSTOR 30150119 Marshall p65 Mahon p347 a b Tucker ed p245 a b Tucker ed p569 Captain John Gordon of the spies archive org Retrieved 2016 12 13 Captain John Gordon of the spies archive org Retrieved 2016 12 13 Tucker ed p341 Paterson p163 a b Eaton p145 Eaton p146 a b Eaton p148 Eaton p149 Eaton p151 a b Heidler p46 Heidler p47 ADM 37 4636 HMS Childers ship muster 102 Spaniards embarked by order of Capt Jordan ADM 37 4795 HMS Sophie ship muster 149 Spanish subsequently disembarked at St Joseph s Bay on 30 November 1814 ADM 37 5438 HMS Seahorse ship muster Embarked 4x Indian warriors 1211 to 1215 in the muster Spaniards 1170 to 1206 ADM 37 4960 HMS Shelburne ship muster Embarked Spaniards 41 to 83 ADM 37 5250 HMS Carron ship muster Embarked Spaniards 193 to 224 Documents Relating to Colonel Edward Nicholls and Captain George Woodbine in Pensacola 1814 Florida Historical Quarterly 52 July 1931 Cochrane s letter to Manrique composed on the Tonnant off Mobile 10 February 1815 does state Sorry that it has not been in my power to bring back the Spanish Soldiers from that vicinity but in a few days I will dedicate a Sloop of War Solely to that purpose The original transcript is stored within Letters from Commander in Chief North America 1815 nos 1 126 ADM 1 508 Letter from Admiral Cochrane to Admiral Malcolm composed on the Tonnant off Mobile 17 February 1815 The Spanish Governor at Pensacola having requested that a part of the Spanish Troops removed to the Bluff when the American Army attacked you will send a troop ship to Appalachicola to receive them on board and land them in the harbour of Pensacola This is within WO 1 143 folio 19 which can be downloaded for a fee from the UK National Archives website Sugden p296 Hyde p97 Eaton p152 Eaton 2013 p 28 Historical Record of the Royal Marine Forces Vol 2 London JThomas amp William Boone 1845 p 290 Nicolls retreated from the place and with such ability as to preserve his stores causing an estimated loss to the enemy of 15 killed some officers and many wounded and this service was performed by 700 men in the face of the American army of 5 000 men with five pieces of cannon The primary source used by Nicolas is a letter from Edward Nicolls to Lord Bathurst dated 5 May 1817 UK National Archives reference WO 1 344 folio 421 We retreated fighting from the place without the loss of a man and causing a loss to the enemy of 15 killed and some officers amp privates wounded in the face of 5000 men and 5 pieces of cannon with only 700 men of the Anglo Spanish force The purpose of the letter was for Nicolls to be reimbursed for expenses in relation to Nicolls entertaining the Creek indians Lineage And Honors Information 1st Battalion 1st Infantry Lineage U S Army Center of Military History Retrieved 2012 12 15 Lineage And Honors Information 2d Battalion 1st Infantry Lineage U S Army Center of Military History Retrieved 2012 12 15 Lineage And Honors Information 2d Battalion 7th Infantry Lineage U S Army Center of Military History Retrieved 2012 12 15 Lineage And Honors Information 3d Battalion 7th Infantry Lineage U S Army Center of Military History Retrieved 2012 12 15 References EditEaton John Henry Reid John 1828 The life of Major General Andrew Jackson McCarty amp Davis Eaton Joseph H 2013 1851 Film reel M1832 1 roll ARC ID 1184633 Returns of Killed and Wounded in Battles or Engagements with Indians and British and Mexican Troops 1790 1848 Record Group 94 Records of the Adjutant General s Office 1762 1984 National Archives and Records Administration Washington D C Retrieved December 30 2021 Heidler David Stephen amp Jeanne T 2003 Old Hickory s War Andrew Jackson and the Quest for Empire Louisiana State University Press ISBN 978 0 8071 2867 1 Hyde Samuel C 2004 A Fierce and Fractious Frontier The Curious Development of Louisiana s Florida Parishes 1699 2000 Louisiana State University Press ISBN 0807129232 Mahon John K 1991 The War Of 1812 Da Capo Press ISBN 0306804298 Marshall John 1829 Royal Naval Biography Longman Hurst Rees Orme and Brown Nicolas Paul Harris 1845 Historical Record of the Royal Marine Forces Volume 2 1805 1842 Patterson Benton Rains 2008 The Generals Andrew Jackson Sir Edward Pakenham and the road to New Orleans New York New York University Press ISBN 978 0 8147 6717 7 Sugden John January 1982 The Southern Indians in the War of 1812 The Closing Phase Florida Historical Quarterly Tucker Spencer ed 2012 The Encyclopedia of the War of 1812 A Political Social and Military History ABC CLIO ISBN 1851099565 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Pensacola 1814 amp oldid 1130281697, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
