Battle of San Juan (1625)
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The Battle of San Juan was fought on 29 September 1625, and was an engagement of the
Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...
. A Dutch expedition under the command of Boudewijn Hendricksz attacked the island of Puerto Rico, but despite besieging
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
for two months, was unable to capture it from Spain.


Background

The Twelve Years' Truce brought de facto recognition of the Dutch Republic by Spain, while its end saw the Dutch receive assistance from France and England. The Estates General sought an aggressive commercial expansion into the New World, which included the formation of the
Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...
, and the financing of privateers to prey upon Spanish and Portuguese shipping.


Battle

On 24 September 1625, 17 Dutch ships arrived at San Juan de Puerto Rico, whose Spanish governor — naval and military veteran Captain General Juan de Haro y Sanvitores — had been in office less than a month. Nevertheless, he got ready to receive the enemy as best he could preparing El Morro's battery to close the main entrance to San Juan Bay, and sending his predecessor, Juan de Vargas, to nearby Boquerón with militia to hinder any landings in the Escambrón Inlet. Cannon were placed at Boquerón and Goat's Creek, and trenches dug. Hendricksz implemented a bold plan. At 1:00 P.M. the next day the entire Dutch fleet sailed directly into San Juan’s harbor, led by his
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
. Both sides exchanged fire, but the fleet was soon past El Morro, with the Dutch flagship suffering only 4 dead and a few wounded. However, shoals prevented an immediate disembarkation of troops. The delay allowed Spanish civilians to flee inland over San Antonio Bridge, while the governor marshaled his slender strength of 330 men within Castillo San Felipe del Morro. On 26 September, Hendricksz led 800 men ashore and occupied the empty city, making La Fortaleza his headquarters. The Dutch occupied
El Cañuelo EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American ...
and the San Antonio Bridge, cutting El Morro off from supplies. The Dutch began digging siege trenches, and installing a 6 cannon battery on a height called "Calvary". Hendricksz demanded the surrender of the fort, "in the name of the States General and of His Highness the Prince of Orange, "threatening otherwise that "we will spare neither old nor young, woman nor child." De Haro responded with a counter offer, "if you will deliver the ships in which you came to me, I will let you have one to return with." From that day onwards, a 21-day cannon duel started with El Morro. Yet, Puerto Rican militiamen were able to recapture San Antonio Bridge, and Capt. Andrés Botello's partisans regained control of the Bayamón River, while burning El Cañuelo. This allowed supplies to reach El Morro once again. By then the Dutch siege trenches had reached El Morro's
glacis A glacis (; ) in military engineering is an artificial slope as part of a medieval castle or in bastion fort, early modern fortresses. They may be constructed of earth as a temporary structure or of stone in more permanent structure. More genera ...
. On 4 Oct., de Haro started ordering
sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...
s of 80 men in 3 parties, with
Juan de Amézqueta Juan de Amézqueta (born c. 1595), was a captain in the Puerto Rican Militia who defended Puerto Rico from an invasion by the Dutch in 1625. He fought and wounded Captain Balduino Enrico (Boudewijn Hendricksz) who was ordered by the Dutch Governm ...
personally leading a sortie on 5 Oct. Hendricksz again called upon de Haro to capitulate on 21 October, "surrender, or we burn the town." De Haro responded with "We have enough courage and wood and stone to build again." On 22 Oct., the Dutch started burning all buildings, over 100 houses, including Bishop Balbueno's palace and library, and the city archives. Capt. Amézqueta led a sortie from El Morro, while Capt. Botello led one from San Antonio Bridge, which drove the Dutch from their trenches, as they retreated to their ships.


Aftermath

The Dutch finally left on 2 November, leaving behind one of their ships and over 400 dead. Nevertheless, Spain concluded that it needed to further strengthen Puerto Rico's defenses to prevent future invasions.


See also

* Military history of Puerto Rico * Annus mirabilis


References


References

* David F. Marley. Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World, 1492 to the Present ABC-CLIO(1998) {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of San Juan (1625)
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
1625 in the Dutch Republic
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
1625 in North America
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
History of San Juan, Puerto Rico Military history of Puerto Rico 17th century in Puerto Rico 1625 in the Caribbean Eighty Years' War (1621–1648)