Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-12-09

There he was Joined by Colonel Vanderdus-
sen and the regiment from South Carolina,
and a company of Highlanders under the COM
maud of Captain Mcintosh. In about week
the forces set out for St. Augustine.
In the mean time. the Spanish we're rein
forced. Six armed vessels and two provision
ships had entered the harbor of St. Augustine.
Oglethorpe's forces now consisted of but two
thousand men. The intention was to take
St. Augustine by surprise. In this they to-
tally failed. The Spanish were fully aware
of their approach. All the cattle from the
surrounding country were driven into the
town, and the forces, together with supplies
for their maintenance, were placed in the cas-
tie. The Spanish garrison consisted of seven
hundred regulars, two companies of horse and
four companies of negroes, together with the
militia and Indians Of the surrounding coun-
try. All things considered, the Spanish were
in much better condition to capture Ogle-
thorpe, than Oglethorpe was to capture them.
Within two miles Of St. Augustine was Fort
Moosa. As the English forces approached,
the Spanish garrison retired to st. Augustine
Oglethorpe, on his arrival, destroyed fort
Moosa with fire. The walls were broken in
several places, and then, no doubt with bright
hopes of soon being in full and absolute pos
session of St. Augustine, he set about making
preparation for the attack. The town was or.
dered to surrender The commanding officer
sent back for reply that he would be very
glad to shake hands with General Oglethorpe
in the castle of St. Augustine.
Oglethorpe, on his approach, discovered
that it would cost him dearly 10 makea direct
attack upon the Castle. This place was not
only we'll manned, but was, perhaps, one of
the strongest Notifications in America, at that
time. 1t was determined to besiege the place,
and thus starve out the garrison. This was
impossible, for the Spanish ships brought in
both reinforcements and fresh supplies of pro-
visions. Whilst conducting the siege, Colonel
Palmer, with ninety five Highlanders and for
ty.two Indians, was placed at Fort Moosa,
with orders to capture all supplies on their
way from the. country to the Spanish garrison
at St. Augustine. Palmer was charged, par
ticularly, to be constantly on the lookout.
Colonel Vanderdussen, with the South Caro-
lima regiment, was sent to Point Quartet, about
mile from the castle. On this neck Wander
dussen was ordered to erect a battery. Gen
eral Oglethorpe, with his English regiment
and the Indian allies, went to the island Anas-
tatia. The Spanish forces on this island fled
to the Castle of St. Augustine, on the ap-
proach of Oglethorpe. The mouth of the
harbor was guarded by the ships under the
command of Captain Price, one vessel being
ordered to guard the pass of Matanzas.
The besiegers being placed in position, the
batteries from the different forts began to open
upon the castle. Bombs were thrown into
the town. The enemy returned the fire
promptly. The distance was too great and
the guns of both parties too light to effect
great damages. Captain Warren of the navy
proposed to make night attack upon the en-
eny's ships. He proposed to lead the attack ;
but it was found that the bar was too great to
admit large vessels to cross it, and to engage
in such an undertaking with small vessels was
judged to be extremely hazardous.
The Spaniards now discovered that Ogle.
thorpe and his army we're in a difficulty. An
attack was made on Colonel Palmer and find
ing him off his guard he and his men were cut
to pieces. The few that escaped made their
way to Point Quartet. The Carolina regi-
ment under Vanderdussen got up and return
ed to Charles Town. Oglethorpe rebuked
some Indians because they presented to him
the scalps ofsome enemies slain. This o6en-
ded the whole and they left. The commander
of the fleet fearing storms left and thus ended
the expedition.
Oglethorpe was censured by the Carolin-
ians, but without just grounds No doubt he
made too long a delay at Diego; but under
the circumstances it was impossible for him or
any other man to have taken the strong forti.
fcation of St. Augustine Forced by the cir
cumstances, General Oglethorpe returned to
Fredrica, and in spite of every attempt of the
Spaniards, continued, mainly by the aid of his
Georgia colony, to retain the territory as far
south as the St. Johns river.
This expedition cost South Carolina large
sum of money and considerable number of
men. Only two men were killed by the enc
my, but many sckened and died. England
gained nothing by the expediton but, indi-
rectly, the colony gained much. The manner
in which England acted toward Spain sug-
gested to the colony the idea of freedom.
Even at this early period, we may discover
the tendency in the colony to throw off the
yoke of England, and be free and indepen.
dent. To the colony England was kind, but
at the same time, she acted arbitrarily. Mul.
titudes of raw Africans were brought into the
colony, contrary to the wish Of the settlers.
These negroes the colonists we're, by law,
forced to buy and keep in a state of slavery,
in opposition to the conscientious scrupes of
at least large number of the people. The
colony was called upon to espouse the quar-.
rels of the English people with their Euro
pean neighbors, and required to assist in fight
ing their battles, and contribute to the sup
port of their armies. England herself had
little regard for the rights of her neighbors
All these things pointed to the revolutic" VI
1776. -..
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