Drake's Assault on Panama also known as the Defence of Panama was a military event that took place in January 1596 during the
Anglo–Spanish War. An English expedition under the command of
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...
and
Thomas Baskerville attacked the
Spanish Main
During the Spanish colonization of America, the Spanish Main was the collective term for the parts of the Spanish Empire that were on the mainland of the Americas and had coastlines on the Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico. The term was used to di ...
via
Nombre de Dios in order to cross the
isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama ( es, Istmo de Panamá), also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien (), is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country ...
.
[Andrews pp.21-22] Ravaged with
dysentery
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
and other diseases the English were repelled and defeated. Drake would die of the former and the expedition was forced to retreat back to England all the while harassed by the Spanish.
Background
![Francis Drakes portrait in The World Encompassed](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Francis_Drakes_portrait_in_The_World_Encompassed.jpg)
In 1595 Queen
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
had sent Francis Drake and
John Hawkins
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
on an expedition against the Spanish Main in an attempt to strike a blow against the source of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
's gold and silver from their
West Indian Fleet. The English tried to capture
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), ...
in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
with 27 canoes and 2,500 men.
The attack was a failure and any further action against the strengthened Spanish defences further discouraged Drake from attacking.
[Benson pp. 297-98] Drake decided to sail away in search of easier prey further South. Disease however by this point had taken its toll on the English force, and John Hawkins died not long after off Puerto Rico. Thomas Baskerville then became second-in-command.
[Andrews p 152]
The expedition then headed towards South America and a week later they closed on
Rio de la Hacha
Riohacha (; Wayuu: ) is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean Sea. It is the capital city of the La Guajira Department. It has a sandy beach waterfr ...
. On December 18 Drake seized the town following which the fleet then seized the neighbouring settlements of
La Ranchería and Tapia, where more booty was acquired. A ransom failed and Drake promptly sacked and torched the area.
The English sailed South West and two weeks later launched an attack on
Santa Marta
Santa Marta (), officially Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta ("Touristic, Cultural and Historic District of Santa Marta"), is a city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena ...
– the city was found abandoned as the Spanish had been forewarned of their arrival. Nevertheless, they managed to capture the Spanish Governor, Francisco Ordonez Flores. A ransom of 4,000 ducats was gained and the governor was released following which the town was burned.
[Andrews pp. 192-93] By this time the English crews were severely reduced because of disease and therefore an assault on
Cartagena de Indias
Cartagena ( , also ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, bordering the Caribbean sea. Cartagena's past role as a link ...
was deemed too risky.
Drake instead wanted to march across the isthmus of Panama and attempt to claim it for his own. He headed for Nombre de Dios where he hoped to send his troops led by Baskerville to the Pacific and capture the port of
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
, an important Spanish base where gold and silver was sent to Spain.
The Spanish in the region of Central America nevertheless were now prepared.
[Bradley pp. 122-23] Alonso de Sotomayor
Alonso de Sotomayor y Valmediano (; 1545–1610) was a Spanish conquistador from Extremadura, and a Royal Governor of Chile.
Early life
He was born in Trujillo, in the province of Extremadura, the son of Gutiérrez de Sotomayor e Hinojosa an ...
had been sent by the
Viceroy of Peru
The viceroys of Peru ruled the Viceroyalty of Peru from 1544 to 1824 in the name of the monarch of Spain. The territories under ''de jure'' rule by the viceroys included in the 16th and 17th century almost all of South America except eastern Brazi ...
to prepare defensive measures on the
Camino Real and the
Chagres River which would bar any assault Westward.
[Bicheno. pp 285-86]
Assault on the isthmus
Nombre de Dios
On 6 January 1596 Drake and his men dropped anchor off Nombre de Dios without opposition. From the ships' boats they landed near the town but in order to seize it a small fort stood in its way, protected by around hundred militia.
Baskerville ordered an assault, following which the fort was overwhelmed and the defenders were put to flight. The town was seized with scant resistance but little plunder was obtained.
The place had been warned and the towns few Spanish defenders had retreated and dispersed into the jungle.
[Sugden pp. 311-12]
Drake stayed for two weeks and
ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice.
When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...
ed the town but on hearing no answer he ordered the town destroyed and so it was set ablaze. All of the ships in the harbour which consisted of frigates, barks, and galliots were thoroughly pillaged after which they were all destroyed or burnt. Although no money was found in the town, a watchtower on the summit of a nearby hill was discovered which contained a chest of silver along with two bars of gold, some pearls, and other valuables.
Battle of Capirilla Hill
![Alonso de Sotomayor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Alonso_de_Sotomayor.JPG)
In order to clear the environs of lurking parties of the Spanish, Baskerville picked a force of 750 men. On 20 January they started upon the perilous march by the old Panama road. They occupied the small settlement of Venta de la Quebrada two days later but on the third day, after an exhausting march of nearly thirty miles in incessant rain and high humidity, Baskerville had found himself confronted by a gorge near another settlement of Capirilla. As furthered forward this became more precipitous and the road was dominated from above by a menacing hill.
[Andrews pp 204-05] Surrounding the top of the hill was an impressive defensive structure composed of a
defile with an impenetrable
abatis
An abatis, abattis, or abbattis is a field fortification consisting of an obstacle formed (in the modern era) of the branches of trees laid in a row, with the sharpened tops directed outwards, towards the enemy. The trees are usually interlaced ...
. Defending this fort was around seventy Spanish troops under Captain Juan Enríquez Conabut dug in to bar the English advance across the isthmus.
Baskerville nevertheless ordered an attack to take the hill but this terrain was well chosen by the Spanish; the English attempted for three hours to dislodge the defenders. Each time they assaulted however they were repelled and suffered heavy casualties.
[Corbett pp. 398-99](_blank)
/ref> The Spaniards were then reinforced by an additional fifty arquebus
An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier.
Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...
iers under Captain Hernando de Lierno Agüero which turned the tide. By this time half of Baskerville's remaining provisions and ammunition were ruined by the wet due to the rain and heavy humidity. Even if he did take the hill he realised he would have to fight his way through a succession of such obstacles to Panama and would have no troops left to hold it. The English retreated leaving the hill in the hands of the victorious Spaniards. Losses for the English were over sixty men killed or wounded including Baskerville's brother Nicholas. Spanish losses were only seven killed with an unknown number wounded.
Baskerville's contingent, many of them sick and now demoralised, sent a desperate note to Drake to meet him with supplies and 200 men on the way back. Eventually the depleted force rejoined Drake at Nombre de Dios on 22 January. Drake's and the crews' morale plummeted and three days later they departed westward.
Death of Drake
On January 27 Drake's fleet anchored off Escudo de Veraguas Island, but his force by this time was ravaged by disease.[Sugden pp. 313] The fittest men which numbered 37 men attempted to draw water from the Fator River were then set upon by angry Spanish residents (many of whom were freed salves) of Santiago del Príncipe from on the mainland opposite.[Wheat p. 64] The English party were then massacred with only handful escaping. Drake with this bitter news ordered the fleet to sail east toward Porto Bello but within a few days he himself was suffering from severe dysentery.
Drake on the night of 28 – 29 January 1596 succumbed aboard his flagship ''Defiance''. The following morning before dying, Drake asked to be dressed in his full armour. He was buried at sea in a lead-lined coffin, off Buenaventura Island near Porto Bello. Baskerville assumed command of the fleet and, after contemplating a repeat attack against Santa Marta he decided against it and ordered his disheartened men toward Santigao.
According to the information they had, a fleet of sixty sail had been sent out from Spain against them, and this they believed would be stationed at the Yucatan Channel to intercept their homeward course. It was therefore agreed to hold together and attempt to escape by the outward bound route. To this end the fleet was compressed and reorganised, and as though in honour of the name, Thomas Drake was made vice-admiral. Once there and with the crews further weakened by disease he finally compelled a retreat back to England. In the process the 195-ton ''Elizabeth'' and 50-ton ''Delight'' were scuttled due to the poor conditions they were in, as well as a lack of crew to sail them.[Wernham p 51]
Aftermath
The Spanish intercepted the retreating English near the Isla de la Juventud
Isla de la Juventud (; en, Isle of Youth) is the second-largest Cuban island (after Cuba's mainland) and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies (after mainland Cuba itself, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Andros Islan ...
; in the ensuing Battle of Pinos, they managed to drive off the Spanish fleet and escape to England. Despite the expedition's failure, the gold sent to Spain was not enough; in 1597, Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
defaulted on his debts and was unable to obtain credit for the last two years of his reign.[Bicheno p. 288]
News of Drake's death was received with rejoicing along the Spanish Main; in Spain itself, the devout greeted it as a sign the sins for which Heaven had permitted him to torment them had been expiated.[Benson p. 228] The Spanish poet Lope de Vega
Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...
wrote a triumphant poem to celebrate the removal of the scourge of the Church.
When news of the defeat arrived in England, Elizabeth demanded this 'humiliation' be avenged. To demonstrate continuing English naval strength, she ordered George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland
Sir George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, 13th Baron de Clifford, 13th Lord of Skipton, (8 August 155830 October 1605), was an English peer, naval commander, and courtier of Queen Elizabeth I of England. He was notable at court for his jo ...
to seize San Juan and hold it for as long as possible. In June, Cumberland succeeded where Drake had failed and captured San Juan, which he held for nearly two months before disease forced his withdrawal.
Drakes coffin
Drakes' coffin is assumed to have been deposited off Buenaventura Island, near the ''Elizabeth'' and the ''Delight'', which were scuttled in Portobelo Bay. Wreckage thought to be that of the two ships was found by divers in 2011 but attempts to locate the coffin have been unsuccessful.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Drake's Assault on Panama
Panama (1596)
Panama (1596)
Panama(1596)
History of Panama