# Siege of Santo Domingo (1655)

The siege of Santo Domingo was fought between April 23, 1655 and April 30, 1655, at the Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo. A force of 2,400 Spanish troops led by Governor Don Bernardino Meneses y Bracamonte, Count of Peñalba successfully resisted a force of 13,120 soldiers led by General Robert Venables and 34 ships under Admiral Sir William Penn of the English Commonwealth.

## Background

In 1655 the Commonwealth of England, under Oliver Cromwell, decided to declare war on Spain. Religious fanaticism played a role in this, as the puritans running the Commonwealth loathed the Catholicism of Spain. More practically, England had a large standing army with ambitious commanders and Cromwell wished to occupy them with a successful campaign, preferably far from home. In addition it was believed that war with Spain would be both easy and profitable.
Command of an expedition to the Caribbean to capture Spanish colonies named the "Western Design" was given to General Robert Venables, with Admiral Sir William Penn commanding the naval contingent of 34 ships. Their authority was constrained by two Civil Commissioners whom Cromwell has tasked with ensuring the loyalty of both Venables and Penn. The 13,000 troops sent to the Caribbean were selected for the mission based on which would be least missed due to perceived practical or political weakness. Administrative and financial problems meant that the expedition sailed short of equipment and supplies. It was hoped that the English might take possession of Santo Domingo, Cuba and Puerto Rico.

## Invasion

High winds and surf made it difficult for the English to land near their first objective, the city of Santo Domingo. They eventually landed on April 13, 1655. However, the 13,000 Englishmen were put ashore at the mouth of the Nizao River, some thirty miles from the city. It took them four days, short of water, food and military supplies, to make their way to within sight of the city. They were then ambushed and routed by approximately 300 Spanish militiamen. Venables' troops suffered approximately 600 men killed and 400 wounded or taken prisoner. The English fleet carried out an ineffectual attempt to bombard the city into submission, then sailed off to re-embark the army's survivors.

## Aftermath

British historian Nicholas A. M. Rodger wrote that "in one afternoon the invincible reputation of the New Model Army had been thrown away". The English left Santo Domingo and sailed for Jamaica, which they successfully conquered in a six-day campaign.
Venables and Penn were disgraced and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Historian C.H. Firth opined that the main cause of the failure at Hispaniola was the lack of co-operation on the part of Venables and Penn. Venables never obtained the confidence either of his officers or his soldiers. Samuel Pepys, Clerk of the Acts to the Navy Board, considered Admiral Penn a "false knave". Historian John Morrill wrote "[Venables] was over-promoted and under-supported in a high-profile fiasco in the Caribbean that cost him his reputation." His army was composed of inferior and undisciplined troops hastily assembled and badly equipped.
The site of the battle between the Spaniards and the English was renamed after the battle as the Puerta del Conde in honor of Governor Bernardino Meneses y Bracamonte, Count of Peñalba, who had commanded the Spanish forces resisting the invasion. It was subsequently claimed afterwards by the Spanish that English forces had been frightened by the nocturnal noise of the crabs on the beach of Haina; in honour of the victory the Spaniards created a commemorative gold crab, which they paraded down the streets of Santo Domingo in triumph. The gold crab has not survived; it was stolen by General Joseph de Barquier, the last French governor on the island.

## Order of battle
### English fleet

Admiral William Penn's fleet at the 1655 Siege of Santo Domingo :
| Ship Name | Ship Type | Guns | Crew | Captain |
| Swiftsure (flag) | Warship | 60 | 380 | Jonas Poole |
| Paragon (vice-flag) | Warship | 54 | 330 | William Goodson |
| Torrington (rear-admiral) | Warship | 54 | 330 | George Dakins |
| Gloucester | Warship | 54 | 330 | Benjamin Blake |
| Marston Moor | Warship | 54 | 330 | Edward Blagg |
| Indian | Warship | 44 | 210 | Captain Terry |
| Lion | Warship | 44 | 260 | John Lumbert |
| Mathias | Warship | 44 | 230 | John White |
| Dover | Warship | 40 | 190 | Robert Saunders |
| Laurel | Warship | 40 | 190 | William Crispin |
| Portland | Warship | 40 | 190 | Richard Newberry |
| Bear | Warship | 36 | 180 | Francis Kirby |
| Great Charity | Warship | 36 | 150 | Leonard Harris |
| Selby | Warship | 24 | ? | John Clark |
| Grantham | Warship | 24 | ? | John Lightfoot |
| Martin | Warship (galley) | 12 | 60 | Willam Vessey |
| Convertine | Transport | 30 | ? | John Hayward |
| Heart's Ease | Transport | 30 | ? | Thomas Wright |
| Katherine | Transport | 30 | ? | Willoughby Hannam |
| Half-Moon | Transport | 28 | ? | Bartholomew Ketcher |
| Rosebush | Transport | 28 | ? | Richard Hodges |
| Golden Cock | Transport | 25 | ? | William Garrat |
| Gillyflower | Transport | 24 | ? | Henry Fenn |
| Adam & Eve | Transport | 20 | ? | William Coppin |
| Arms of Holland | Transport | 20 | ? | Robert Story |
| Crow | Transport | 20 | ? | Thomas Thompson |
| Marigold | Transport | 20 | ? | Humphrey Felsted |
| Sampson | Transport | 20 | ? | John Hubbard |
| Westergate | Transport | 20 | ? | Samuel Hawkes |
| Cardiff | Transport | 18 | ? | John Grove |
| Tulip | Transport | 18 | ? | Jeffrey Dane |
| Falcon | Flyboat | 24 | ? | Thomas Fleet |
| Falcon | Fireship | 12 | ? | William Tickell |
| Hound | Transport | ? | ? | Richard Rooth |
| Falmouth | Transport | ? | ? | Robert Mills |
| Adventure | Dogger | ? | ? | ? |
| Unknown | two ketches, one hoy | ? | ? | ? |

### English army

General Robert Venables Army at the 1655 Siege of Santo Domingo :
| Regimental Commander | Senior Officers | No. of Officers | No. of Private Soldiers |
| General Robert Venables | Major John Ferguson † Captain Henry Disney † Captain Thomas Hancock † Captain George Butler † Captain Obadiah Hinde † Captain Parsons Captain Cooke Captain Pawlet Captain Paris | 132 10 Staff officers | 912 |
| Major General James Heane | Lt.-Colonel Clarke † Major Samuel Barry Captain Walters Captain Gregory Tom Captain Richard Young Captain Smith Captain Richard Bamford Captain Henry Archibold | 120 10 Staff officers | 1,052 |
| Colonel Richard Fortescue | Lt.-Colonel William Hill Captain Henry Bartlett Captain Samuel Leverington † Captain Thomas White Captain Bartholomew Davis Captain Richard Wells Captain Keene Captain Edwards | 120 10 Staff officers | 1,064 |
| Colonel Anthony Buller | Lt.-Colonel Francis Barrington Major Michael Bland Captain Barnard Captain Minne Captain Boulton Captain Thomas Throckmorton Captain Bingham Captain Cooper Captain Corbet Lieutenant Francis Price | 120 10 Staff officers | 916 |
| Colonel Andrew Carter | Lt.-Colonel Bushell Captain Nicholas Holford Captain Nathaniel Bowers Captain Blunt Captain How Captain Salkield Captain Abraham Fincher Captain Filkins | 120 10 Staff officers | 834 |
| Colonel Edward D'Oyley | Lt.-Colonel Francis Mercer Major John Reade Captain Thomas Thornhill Captain Noell Captain Smith Captain Richard Stevens Captain Vavaster Captain Augustine Thornhill Captain Downes | 120 10 Staff officers | 630 |
| Total | . | 732 | 5602 |
| Scoutmaster General's Company | Isaac Berkenhead | | 60 |
| Artillery Train | Captain Hughes | . | 60 |
| Firelocks? | Captain Johnson | 12 | 120 |
| Horse | Captain Carpenter | 10 | 56 |
| Reformados (unassigned forces) | Captain Jennings † | 2 | 100 |
| Horse | Captain John Heane | 12 | 65 |
| Total | . | 36 | 445 |
| Grand Total | . | 768 | 6,047 | 6,815 |