Castillo de San Marcos - First English Siege

First English Siege

In 1670, Charles Town (modern-day Charleston, South Carolina) was founded by the English. As it was just two days sail from St. Augustine, the English settlement spurred the Spanish in their construction of a fort. In November 1702, English forces under orders from Governor James Moore of Charles Town, set sail from Carolina in an attempt to capture the city. This was one of the events of Queen Anne's War.

The English laid siege to St. Augustine. All of the city's 1,200 residents along with the fort's 300 soldiers remained protected inside the walls of the fort for the next two months during the siege.

The English cannon had little effect on the walls of the fort. The coquina was very effective at absorbing the impact of the shells, allowing little damage to the walls. The siege was broken when the Spanish fleet from Havana, Cuba arrived, trapping the English forces in the bay. The English burned their ships to prevent them from falling under Spanish control, and they marched overland back to Carolina. As they withdrew, they set fire to St. Augustine, burning much of it to the ground.