The Battle of San Juan (1595) was a Spanish victory during the Anglo–Spanish War. This war broke out in 1585 and was fought not only in the European theatre but in Spain's American colonies. After emerging from six years of disgrace following the resounding defeat of the

English Armada The English Armada ( es, Invencible Inglesa, lit=English Invincible), also known as the Counter Armada or the Drake–Norris Expedition, was an attack fleet sent against Spain by Queen Elizabeth I of England that sailed on 28 April 1589 during ...

at Lisbon in 1589, Francis Drake embarked on a long and disastrous campaign against 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 ...

, suffering several consecutive defeats there. On 22 November 1595 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 ...

tried to invade San Juan,

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 ships and 2,500 men. After failing to be able to land at the Ensenada del Escambron on the eastern end of San Juan Islet, he attempted to sail into

San Juan Bay San Juan Bay ( es, Bahía de San Juan) is the bay and main inlet adjacent to Old San Juan in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is about in length, the largest body of water in an estuary of about of channels, inlets and eight interconnected lagoons ...

with the intention of sacking the city. Unable to capture the island, following the death of his comrade, John Hawkins, Drake abandoned San Juan, and set sail for Panama where he died from disease and received a burial at sea after failing to establish an English settlement in America.

Background

Queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

sent Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins on an expedition against the Spanish stronghold of

and

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 Co ...

, in an attempt to strike a blow against the source of Spain's gold and silver. They set sail from Plymouth on 28 August 1595, with a fleet of 27 ships and 2,500 men. Previous to that, the Spanish West Indian Fleet under the command of General Sancho Pardo Osorio had sailed from Havana on 10 March with 2,000,000 pesos in gold and silver, bound for Spain. Damage from a storm in the

Bermuda Channel ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

five days later necessitated a trip to Puerto Rico for repairs, which was reached on 9 April. The treasure cargo was placed in

La Fortaleza La Fortaleza (lit., "The Fortress" ) is the official residence of the governor of Puerto Rico. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan. The structure is also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina (Saint Catherine's Palac ...

for safekeeping while repairs were undertaken. Admiral Pedro Tello de Guzmán, commanding five frigates, was sent to retrieve the treasure. Along the way to Puerto Rico, Tello captured one of Drake's ships, the ''Francis'', near Guadeloupe, upon which he learned of Drake's mission, and hastened to Puerto Rico ahead of Drake.

Battle

General Sancho took command of the shore defences, Admiral Gonzalo Mendez de Cauzo commanded the forts, while Tello defended the harbour with his frigates. The Spanish decided to sink two vessels at the harbour entrance, with Tello's frigates just behind, to prevent the English from entering the harbour. The Spanish defence consisted of 1500 men, 800 of whom manned the 5 frigates, with 70 land-based cannon in addition to those on the frigates. Hawkins had died on 12 November from a fever, while Drake arrived offshore Puerto Rico on 22 November, anchoring off the Boquerón Inlet. The Spanish artillery and scored hits upon Drake's ship, ''Defiance'', killing Sir Nicholas Clifford and Browne. Drake moved his fleet to the vicinity of

Isla de Cabras Isla de Cabras (Spanish language, Spanish for ''goat island'') is an islet located at the entrance of the San Juan Bay in Puerto Rico. It is part of the Palo Seco, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Palo Seco barrio of the municipality of Toa Baja, Puerto Ric ...

on 23 November. According to a Spanish account, On 25 Nov., Drake's fleet gave up the fight and departed.

Aftermath

The Spanish treasure fleet finally left Puerto Rico on 20 Dec. 1595, bound for Spain. This defeat ended English hopes of establishing a presence in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

. After an attempt to cross the Isthmus of Panama in January 1596 also ended in defeat, Drake succumbed to

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 on 28 January he would die.

Popular Culture

The battle is mentioned in Lope de Vega's epic poem ''

La Dragontea LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

''.Dislates y Disparates sobre el Relámpago del Catatumbo: La expedición de Drake, de 1595
Ángel Vicente Muñoz García, Centro de Modelado Científico, Maracaibo, agosto 2016.

References

Additional Reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of San Juan (1595) Colonial Puerto Rico Conflicts in 1595 Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico 16th century in Puerto Rico 16th century in the Caribbean 1595 in Central America 1595 in the Caribbean 1595 in the British Empire 1595 in the Spanish Empire History of San Juan, Puerto Rico