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Watts' West Indies and Virginia expedition also known as the Action of Cape Tiburon was an English expedition to the
Spanish Main
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Spanish Main was the collective term used by English speakers 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 ...
during the Anglo–Spanish War.Appleby p 189 The expedition began on 10 May and ended by 18 July 1590 and was commanded by Abraham Cocke and Christopher Newport
Christopher Newport ( – ) was an English seaman and privateer. During the war with Spain Newport was one of the most successful ' Elizabethan Sea Dogs' to venture to the Spanish Main, making large profits.
Newport is best known as the c ...
. This was financed by the highly renowned London merchant John Watts.Andrews p 164-65 The English ships intercepted and dispersed Spanish convoys capturing, sinking, and grounding many ships off the Spanish colonies of Hispaniola
Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...
, Cuba, and Jamaica. Despite losing an arm, Newport was victorious and captured a good haul of booty.Bicheno p 316 A breakaway expedition from this discovered that the Roanoke Colony
The Roanoke Colony ( ) refers to two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The first colony was established at Roanoke Island in 1585 as a military outpost, and was evacuated in 1586. ...
was completely deserted and which gave the name ''The Lost Colony''.Milton pp 261-65
Background
By the end of 1589 the immediate threat of a Spanish invasion of England had been abated. Attempts were now made by privateering expeditions orjoint-stock companies
A joint-stock company (JSC) is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareholder ...
to raid the Spanish Main
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Spanish Main was the collective term used by English speakers 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 ...
. In the Spring of 1590 a privateering expedition had been raised and financed in London by merchant John Watts. Watts gathered a naval force with a mixture of armed merchants ships and naval vessels loaned by the English crown.Aronson p. 105 The force composed of the 22-gun, 160-ton flagship ''Hopewell'' (alias ''Harry and John'') under Captain Abraham Cocke; the 160-ton ''Little John'' of Christopher Newport, and the 35-ton pinnace ''John Evangelist'' of William Lane (brother of Ralph Lane).
Their objective was to raid the Spanish West Indies and to coup the rewards of the expedition, but also on the return voyage to help the Roanoke colonists. With them was John White, an artist and friend of Sir Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebell ...
who had accompanied the previous expeditions to Roanoke. Raleigh had helped put together the fleet along with the aid of White himself who was desperate to go back to Roanoke and help the colonists. As a result, two ships, the ''Hopewell'' and the ''Moonlight'' were intended as a break off expedition to set sail for Roanoke.Milton pp 257-58
Expedition
On 20 March the English set sail fromPlymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
and crossed the Atlantic without hindrance and reached the island of Dominica
Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...
by 10 May.Loker pp 111-112 They replenished for victuals
Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inges ...
and two days later the ''Hopewell'' and ''John Evangelist'' had steered Northwest towards Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
, whilst leaving ''Little John'' temporarily off Dominica to intercept arriving Spanish vessels. All three later rendezvoused at Saona Island.Milton pp 259-60
Santo Domingo
On 29 May off the south coast of Hispaniola, Abraham Cocke's formation of three ships were joined by Edward Spicer's 80-ton ''Moonlight'' (alias ''Mary Terlanye'') and the 30-ton pinnace ''Conclude'' of Joseph Harris in the morning. Cocke's reunited trio of vessels then blockaded the southern coast of Santo Domingo for two weeks, capturing the 60-ton Spanish merchantman ''Trinidad'' and two smaller island frigates on 17 and 24 June respectively. After these captures the English broke off the blockade and moved further West towards the Tiburon peninsula of Hispaniola.Tiburon to Colony of Santiago
On 12 July whilst off the Tiburon, fourteen Spanish sail approached out of the east. These ships were five days out ofSanto Domingo
Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...
and were bound toward the Spanish plate fleet assembly point at Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
Cocke gave an immediate signal to attack; the Spanish who saw the English approach decided to scatter, and the armed ships attempted to form a defensive position to allow the lighter armed vessels to escape. Suddenly on seeing Newport's ships come from behind Cocke's vessels, Gonzalez decided to retreat. Most of the Spanish convoy decided to scatter south west and they were pursued until nightfall by the six privateers, who took a single prize, a pinnace.
The following morning, ''Hopewell'', ''Moonlight'', and ''Conclude'' then discovered the 350-ton, nine-gun Spanish vice flagship galleon ''Buen Jesús'' of Captain Manuel Fernández Correa and Master Leonardo Doria anchored nearby. Cocke then attacked surprising the Spanish; with the ''Buen Jesús'' unable to get away in the process of hauling its anchor a long range exchange of fire commenced in which six Spanish were killed and four wounded. The English then closed amidships firing as they came alongside but as they attempted to board the vessel they were repelled. Undeterred the English made a more determined attack and secured it despite a stout, four-hour resistance, most of which consisted of hand-to-hand fighting. As well as the ship being captured, sixty eight Spaniards were captured with another twenty killed or wounded while English losses were around fifteen.Hakluyt Society, pp 592-603
/ref> Whilst the fight for ''Buen Jesus'' was going on ''Little John'' and ''John Evangelist'' chased González's main body which was headed South West toward the Colony of Santiago (present-day Jamaica) and all the while exchanged broadsides with the Spanish flagship.Marley (2005) p 150 As soon as the Spanish arrived off Caguaya bay the English ships immediately drove at two of them.Southey p 210 With intense fire the English were able to force the two ships aground before the six or seven Spanish vessels that survived reached Santiago de la Vega. English boat parties then immediately attacked the grounded ships; the Spanish that did defend them were easily driven off. An attempt to refloat both beached vessels then began as they used ropes and a helpful southerly wind. The English managed to get one of the ships off the beach but the attempt was not successful with the other ship - already badly damaged it then sank. The English then re-embarked their ships and together with the new prize sailed Northwest toward Cape Corrientes. On 14 July Cocke gave the ''Buen Jesus'' to Newport for protection since her cargo was immense and needed to be transported back to England with haste. The cannons and firearms from the ship were stripped off before Newport's victorious privateers withdrew from the Jamaican coastline and headed East towards Cuba.
Cocke gave an immediate signal to attack; the Spanish who saw the English approach decided to scatter, and the armed ships attempted to form a defensive position to allow the lighter armed vessels to escape. Suddenly on seeing Newport's ships come from behind Cocke's vessels, Gonzalez decided to retreat. Most of the Spanish convoy decided to scatter south west and they were pursued until nightfall by the six privateers, who took a single prize, a pinnace.
The following morning, ''Hopewell'', ''Moonlight'', and ''Conclude'' then discovered the 350-ton, nine-gun Spanish vice flagship galleon ''Buen Jesús'' of Captain Manuel Fernández Correa and Master Leonardo Doria anchored nearby. Cocke then attacked surprising the Spanish; with the ''Buen Jesús'' unable to get away in the process of hauling its anchor a long range exchange of fire commenced in which six Spanish were killed and four wounded. The English then closed amidships firing as they came alongside but as they attempted to board the vessel they were repelled. Undeterred the English made a more determined attack and secured it despite a stout, four-hour resistance, most of which consisted of hand-to-hand fighting. As well as the ship being captured, sixty eight Spaniards were captured with another twenty killed or wounded while English losses were around fifteen.Hakluyt Society, pp 592-603/ref> Whilst the fight for ''Buen Jesus'' was going on ''Little John'' and ''John Evangelist'' chased González's main body which was headed South West toward the Colony of Santiago (present-day Jamaica) and all the while exchanged broadsides with the Spanish flagship.Marley (2005) p 150 As soon as the Spanish arrived off Caguaya bay the English ships immediately drove at two of them.Southey p 210 With intense fire the English were able to force the two ships aground before the six or seven Spanish vessels that survived reached Santiago de la Vega. English boat parties then immediately attacked the grounded ships; the Spanish that did defend them were easily driven off. An attempt to refloat both beached vessels then began as they used ropes and a helpful southerly wind. The English managed to get one of the ships off the beach but the attempt was not successful with the other ship - already badly damaged it then sank. The English then re-embarked their ships and together with the new prize sailed Northwest toward Cape Corrientes. On 14 July Cocke gave the ''Buen Jesus'' to Newport for protection since her cargo was immense and needed to be transported back to England with haste. The cannons and firearms from the ship were stripped off before Newport's victorious privateers withdrew from the Jamaican coastline and headed East towards Cuba.
Cayo Jutias
At sunset on 18 July, Newport's ''Little John'' and ''John Evangelist'' sighted three Spanish merchantmen off Cayo Jutias (west ofHavana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Los Órganos). They proved to be stragglers from Commodore Rodrigo de Rada's convoy from
Meanwhile, the other half of the expedition sought to land at the English colony of Roanoke. White's eventual landing at the
Captain Christopher Newport Biography
{{Roanoke Colony History of the Royal Navy Military campaigns involving England Piracy 1590 Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) Military expeditions
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
, which had entered the Cuban capital five days earlier. The English attacked in the darkness and opened fire compelling one ship to reverse course. The following morning the English closed in on the remaining pair: the 150-ton ''Nuestra Señora del Rosario'' captained by Miguel de Acosta and a 60-ton pinnace ''Nuestra Señora de la Victoria'' under Juan de Borda. The Spaniards had lashed both vessels together, and a long-range artillery exchange commenced which the English got the better of, severely damaging ''Victoria''. The English then closed amidships with the ''Victoria'' and managed to board her and ferocious hand-to-hand combat soon followed. Newport killed the Spanish captain in the melee that followed but soon after his right arm was struck off by another Spaniard trying to protect his captain. However Newport was saved by a sergeant-at-arms who killed his would be assailant. The Spanish were soon driven from the vessel and the English suffered five killed and sixteen wounded (including Newport) while the Spanish losses were higher.
The English then discovered ''Victoria'' to be so badly holed that it sank within fifteen minutes, taking much of the silver within. The next target, the Spanish vessel ''Rosario'', was swiftly boarded not long after. Another vicious fight took place but again the English soon forced the Spanish from the vessel having suffered two killed and eight injured. The ''Rosario'' too was badly damaged and sinking; the English had no choice and drove the vessel ashore at the western end of Cayo Jutias. Soon after Newport despite being in pain and shock still sent orders and released the Spanish prisoners and sent them ashore. The English then pillaged the vessel but found only a small haul of valuables after which was then broken up and burnt. Newport with only half his arm ordered a return to England.
Newport sailed back to England leaving Cocke in charge, so the ''Hopewell'' and the ''Moonlight'' with John White sailed to Roanoke with their half of the mission complete.Nichols pp 29-33
Expedition to Roanoke
Meanwhile, the other half of the expedition sought to land at the English colony of Roanoke. White's eventual landing at the Outer Banks
The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separatin ...
was further imperilled by poor weather and the landing was hazardous and was beset by bad conditions and adverse currents.
On August 18, 1590 he finally reached Roanoke Island, but he found his colony had been long deserted. The few clues about the colonists whereabouts included the letters "CRO" carved into a tree, and the word " CROATOAN" carved on a post of the fort. Croatoan was the name of a nearby island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
(modern-day Hatteras Island
Hatteras Island (historically Croatoan Island, sometimes referred to as Hatorask) is a barrier island located off the North Carolina coast. Dividing the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound, it runs parallel to the coast, forming a bend at Ca ...
) and a local tribe of Native Americans. The colonists had agreed that a message would be carved into a tree if they had moved and would include an image of a Maltese Cross
The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically.
It is a heraldic cross variant which develope ...
if the decision was made by force. With no sign of the colonists and the weather becoming worse White returned to Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
on October 24, 1590.Milton pp 266-68
Aftermath
Newport returned home to a hero's welcome by early September and counted the large spoils of which was a profitable expedition. The biggest and most profitable was the 300-ton ''Buen Jesus'' which sailed into Plymouth in September - the prize had been fromSeville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
, and was typical of Spanish trade at the time. On board: 200 boxes of sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
, at least 5,000 hides, 2,000 hundredweight
The hundredweight (abbreviation: cwt), formerly also known as the centum weight or quintal, is a British imperial and United States customary unit of weight or mass. Its value differs between the United States customary and British imperial sy ...
of ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
, 400 hundredweight of guacayan wood, twelve hogshead
A hogshead (abbreviated "hhd", plural "hhds") is a large Barrel (storage), cask of liquid (or, less often, of a food commercial Product (business), product) for manufacturing and sale. It refers to a specified volume, measured in either Imperial ...
s of Chile pepper, twenty hundredweight of sarsaparilla, twenty hundredweight of cane
Cane or caning may refer to:
*Walking stick, or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking
* Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance
* White cane, a mobility or safety device used by blind or visually i ...
, and over 4,000 ducat
The ducat ( ) coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages to the 19th century. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wide inter ...
s in pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...
s, gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
, and silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
.
The English expedition and the defeat of the convoys proved frustrating to the Spanish. Their commander Rodrigo de Rada wrote afterwards:
Addicted to the prize hunting, Newport set out again, despite the loss of his arm - he owed his life to the ship's surgeon. The following year as captain of the ''Margaret'' he combined Barbary
The Barbary Coast (also Barbary, Berbery, or Berber Coast) were the coastal regions of central and western North Africa, more specifically, the Maghreb and the Ottoman borderlands consisting of the regencies in Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, a ...
trade with Watt's most successfully financed expeditions; the Blockade of Western Cuba. Between 1592 and 1595, when captaining the ''Golden Dragon'', Newport kept to the West Indies again. In 1592 he was given command of a flotilla of privateers and he pioneered attacks on the towns of the Spanish Caribbean. On his return he helped to capture the ''Madre de Deus
''Madre de Deus'' (''Mother of God''; also called ''Mãe de Deus'' and ''Madre de Dios'', referring to Mary) was a Portuguese ocean-going carrack, renowned for her capacious cargo and provisions for long voyages. She was returning from her ...
'' off the Azores
The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
and was chosen to sail her to England, making him a very rich man.
Legacy
Newport would be shown erroneously with an arm (played byChristopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage and television. His accolades included an Academy Aw ...
) in Terrence Malick's film of the Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown Settlement is a living history museum operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia, created in 1957 as Jamestown Festival Park for the 350th anniversary celebration. Today it includes a recreation of the original James Fort (c. 1607 to 16 ...
''New World
The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
'' and his statue at Christopher Newport University
Christopher Newport University (CNU) is a public university in Newport News, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1960 as Christopher Newport College, an extension school of the College of William and Mary for mid-career working professiona ...
of which is named after him.
References
;CitationsBibliography
* * * * * * * * * * * * ;External linksCaptain Christopher Newport Biography
{{Roanoke Colony History of the Royal Navy Military campaigns involving England Piracy 1590 Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) Military expeditions