Raid on San Lucanio

The San Lucanio Raid was a naval expedition mounted by the Liotainian Coastal Fleet during the Bonaventurian Wars.

### Situation

When Liotain entered the **War of the Fourth Coalition** in February 1804, the Coastal Fleet began testing the defenses of Antargentina. Initial reconnaissance found the Antargentines well-prepared, and the Liotainians spent several months building up their forces in preparation, and scouting for good opportunities.

In August, the Liotainian commander, Flotillieadmiral Antanas Reinys identified the Valpoan port of San Lucanio (Galavotto) as a prime target. The Principality of Valpo collaborated with Bonaventura's rule in order to preserve their independence, and the Valpoan militia manning several of the harbor fortifications had been conscripted into the Antargentine Army, leaving the defenses undermanned.

### Raid

Reinys left the port of Sventoji early on the morning of September 29th with a considerable force of ships, including 900 infantry of the Tvirtoves Kalnas Regiment. The fleet was not observed and arrived off San Lucanio before dawn on Sunday, September 30, 1804.

The defenders were alerted to the arrival of the Liotainian fleet, but they had too few men to repel the assault. The Valpoan commander gathered his men (approximately 40 regular soldiers, supported by roughly a hundred old men and boys) in the most capable of the harbor fortifications, the Stone Mole of Santa Julia, where they managed to delay the main Liotainian landing for nearly two hours.

In order to suppress the defenders at Santa Julia, Corvettiekapitaine Jessica Vynmedis, from one of the galleys, landed with a group of sailors and marines, marching overland to the unoccupied Martello tower at Marina Remea, and used its gun to fire at Santa Julia. The defenders made an ill-conceived sally to retake the Martello Tower, but this attempt failed with minor casualties on both sides. The defenders at Santa Julia, recognizing their position was hopeless, surrendered shortly before 9:00.

### Results

The Liotainians had sufficient time to conduct a thorough inventory of the port. Half of the guns mounted in the fortifications were removed, while the remainder were destroyed with oversized charges.

The extensive warehouse district in San Lucanio, which transported goods up the river to Antaria, was hastily assessed at nearly half a million florins. The Liotainians allowed two hours for local businessmen to ransom their merchandise, although only a few took advantage of this opportunity. Some of the more valuable merchandise, such as naval stores and Astyrian cotton for army uniforms, was loaded for removal, while the remainder was left in the warehouses, which were burned.

The Liotainians also captured a total of twenty-eight civilian vessels. Four ships were seized as prizes of war, while another eight deemed of military value were burned; the remainder were left intact.

### Casualties

The Liotainians suffered minor casualties, mostly from Vynmedis's landing party; a total of four dead and eighteen injured were noted in the final report. Two men were also arrested for assaulting local civilians, and were hanged prior to leaving San Lucanio.

The Valpoan commander claimed that the defenders at Santa Julia sank two Liotainian gun-yawls with their cannon fire, but there is no mention of this in the Liotainian records. The Valpoan defenders claimed three men had been killed and seven injured.

### Results

The raid resulted in some minor embarassment for the Antargentine Navy, which recognized the dangers of coastal raids. The commander of the Antargentine Flota Littoral was sacked by Admiral Juan de la Torre and replaced by Rear-Admiral Luis-Antello Murguia, who commanded the Flota Littoral for most of the rest of the war.

Corvettiekapitaine Jessica Vynmedis was mentioned in despatches for her role in the raid, and was promoted to Frigatiekapitaine; she would eventually become the first woman to hold an admiral's rank in the Royal Liotainian Navy.