Battle of Pensacola ( 1814 ) The Battle of Pensacola was a battle in the War of 1812 in which American forces fought against the kingdoms of Britain and Spain , and Creek Native Americans allied with the British . The American commander , General Andrew Jackson , led his infantry against British and Spanish forces controlling the city of Pensacola in Spanish Florida . The British abandoned the city and it was surrendered to Jackson by the Spanish . Background . After defeating the Red Stick Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , there was a migration of refugees to Spanish West Florida . The presence of the Creek refugees had motivated Captain George Woodbine to travel to Pensacola in July 1814 . Woodbine ' s liaisons with the refugees and the Spanish governor of Pensacola would subsequently lead to the British having a military presence at Pensacola from 23 August 1814 , initially occupying Fort San Miguel , and the town itself . The potency of the British force , and its perceived ability to see off any American forces were leveraged by Edward Nicolls in his negotiations with the Spanish . The measure of perceived potency was somewhat reduced , in the aftermath of the failed attack on Fort Bowyer in September 1814 . General Andrew Jackson planned to drive the British from the Spanish city of Pensacola in Spanish Florida , then march to New Orleans to defend the city against any British attack . Jackson ' s forces had diminished due to desertions . Jackson was forced to wait for Brigadier - General John Coffee and his volunteers to arrive , before moving against the city . Jackson and Coffee liaised at Pierce ' s Stockade in Alabama . In early November Jackson assembled a force of up to 4 , 000 men . On November 2 , he moved out towards Pensacola , reaching the city on November 6 . Jackson first sent Major Henri Piere as a messenger under a white flag of truce to the Spanish governor , Mateo Gonzáles Manrique . However , the messenger approached the city and was fired upon by the garrison in Fort San Miguel . Eventually a second messenger , this time a Spaniard , was sent through and offered the demand that after the British evacuated the forts , Americans would garrison them until relieved by Spanish troops which would serve only to ensure Spain ' s neutrality in the conflict . Manrique denied these demands even though he had no more than 500 soldiers in Pensacola . Battle . At dawn , Jackson had 3 , 000 troops marching on the city . The Americans flanked the city from the east to avoid fire from the forts and marched along the beachfront , but the sandy beach made it difficult to move up the artillery . The attack went ahead nonetheless and was met with resistance in the center of town by a line of infantry supported by a battery . However , the Americans charged and captured the battery . Governor Manrique appeared with a white flag and agreed to surrender on any terms Jackson put forward if only he would spare the town . Fort San Miguel was surrendered on November 7 , but Fort San Carlos , which lay 14 miles to the west , remained in British hands . Jackson planned to capture the fort by storm the next day , but it was blown up and abandoned before Jackson could move on it and the remaining British fled Pensacola along with the British squadron ( comprising ( 18 guns ) , ( 18 guns ; Capt . Umfreville ) , ( 38 guns ; Capt . Gordon ) , ( 12 guns ) and ( 20 guns ; Capt . Spencer ) . A number of Spanish accompanied the retreating British forces and did not return to Pensacola until 1815 . Aftermath . The battle had forced the British out of Pensacola and left the Spanish in control , angered by the British , who had fled in such a hurry once Jackson ' s force had attacked , for their destruction of the fortifications and the removal of part of the Spanish garrison . Jackson suspected the squadron which had left Pensacola harbor would return to strike at Mobile , Alabama . Jackson sent out to Mobile , and upon reaching the town he received requests to hurry to the defense of New Orleans . American casualties were negligible ; seven dead and eleven wounded . The Spanish and British suffered at least 15 dead or wounded . Lieutenant Colonel Edward Nicolls states there were no deaths among the British , and is of the opinion that the Americans suffered 15 fatalities and numerous casualties . Four active infantry battalions of the Regular Army ( 1 - 1 Inf , 2 - 1 Inf , 2 - 7 Inf and 3 - 7 Inf ) perpetuate the lineages of American units ( elements of the old 3rd , 39th and 44th Infantry Regiments ) that were at the Battle of Pensacola .