First Maroon War The First Maroon War was a conflict between the Jamaican Maroons and the British in Jamaica which reached a climax in 1731 . Background . In 1655 , the British defeated the Spanish colonists and took control of most of Jamaica . Following the flight of the Spanish , the Africans whom they had enslaved joined the Amerindian population ( and some others who had previously escaped slavery ) in the mountainous centre of Jamaica to form the Windward Maroon communities . The area is known as Cockpit Country . The British forces were unable to establish control over the whole island , a large portion remaining in the hands of the Maroons . For seventy six years , there were periodic skirmishes between the British and the Maroons , alongside occasional slave revolts . In 1673 one such revolt in St . Ann ' s Parish of 200 slaves created the separate group of Leeward Maroons . These Maroons united with a group of Madagascars who had survived the shipwreck of a slave ship and formed their own maroon community in St . George ' s parish . Several more rebellions strengthened the numbers of this Leeward group . Notably , in 1690 a revolt at Sutton ' s plantation , Clarendon of 400 slaves considerably strengthened the Leeward Maroons . In September 1728 , the British sent more troops to Jamaica , changing the balance of power with the Windward Maroons . The Leeward Maroons inhabited " cockpits , " caves , or deep ravines that were easily defended , even against troops with superior firepower . Such guerrilla warfare and the use of scouts who blew the abeng ( the cow horn , this was used as a trumpet ) to warn of approaching British soldiers allowed the Maroons to evade , thwart , frustrate , and defeat the forces of an Empire . The treaty . In 1739 - 40 , the British government in Jamaica recognized that it could not defeat the Maroons , so they came to an agreement with them , instead ( can ' t beat it join it ) . The Maroons were to remain in their five main towns ( Accompong , Trelawny Town , Moore Town , Scots Hall , Nanny Town ) , living under their own rulers and a British supervisor . In exchange , they were asked to agree not to harbour new runaway slaves , but rather to help catch them . This last clause in the treaty naturally caused a split between the Maroons and the rest of the black population , although from time to time runaways from the plantations still found their way into Maroon settlements . Another provision of the agreement was that the Maroons would serve to protect the island from invaders . The latter was because the Maroons were revered by the British as skilled warriors . The person responsible for the compromise with the British was the Leeward Maroon leader , Cudjoe , a short , almost dwarf - like man who for years fought skillfully and bravely to maintain his people ' s independence . As he grew older , however , Cudjoe became increasingly disillusioned . He ran into quarrels with his lieutenants and with other Maroon groups . He felt that the only hope for the future was honorable peace with the enemy , which was just what the British were thinking . The 1739 treaty should be seen in this light . A year later , the even more rebellious Windward Maroons of Trelawny Town also agreed to sign a treaty under pressure from both white Jamaicans and the Leeward Maroons , though they were never happy about it . This discontentment with the treaty later led to the Second Maroon War . Works cited . Among the early historians to mention the Jamaican Maroons and the First Maroon War were the following :