At four o'clock, he made an effort, with two of his aids, to cross the bar, in order to go and confer with Espeleta and Miro, and devise with them a plan of at tack; but the violence of the wind compelled him to desist, and he reached the camp at midnight. In the morning of the twentieth, he sent one of his aids to general Campbell with a message, in which he informed him that, when the British came to Havana in 1762, their commander intimated to the captain-general of the Catholic king, that if any of the king's edifices, ships, or other property were destroyed, the Spaniards would be treated with all the rigour and severity of the laws of war; that the inti mation was now made to the general and whoever it might concern, and under the same terms. At night, the British sat fire to a guard-house on the beach; and Galvez sent Riano's schooner, with the launch of the brig Galvezton, which, for a while, kept up a brisk fire of grape shot on the beach. A British officer came to the camp, early on the following day, with a message from Campbell, stating that an enemy's threats could only be considered as a stratagem of war, and expressing his hope that, in the defence of Pensacola, he should resort to no measure not justified by the usages of war. He made his acknowledgment for the frank intimation he had received, and gave assurance that his conduct would be regulated by that of the Spanish commander, with regard to certain propositions he had to make, in conjunction with the governor of West Florida. At noon, an aid of Campbell, accompanied by lieutenant-colonel Dickson, who had been taken the preceding year at Baton Rouge, and liberated on his parol, came in a boat bearing a flag of truce, and delivered to Galvez letters from Campbell and governor Chester. The first expressed his conviction that humanity required, as much as possible, the exemption of innocent individuals from the disasters necessarily incident to war; and added, that the garrison of Pensacola was unable to resist the force brought against it, without the total destruction of the town, and the consequent ruin of its inhabitants; and he expressed his desire that the town and garrison should be preserved for the victor-a desire, he said, which arose from the hope he entertained that the efforts of the troops he commanded would be crowned with success. He concluded by proposing that the town should be preserved, without receiving any unnecessary injury from either party, during the siege of the redoubt of the marine and Fort George, within which he meant to contend for the preservation of the province for the British crown, under the stipulation that the town of Pensacola should not be used, by either army, for the purpose either of protecting itself or annoying its adversary; but remain the safe asylum of women, children, the aged and infirm. He added that, in case his proposition was rejected, and the Spaniards sought a shelter in Pensacola, it would become his duty immediately to destroy it. The governor proposed that some Spanish prisoners in his possession should be liberated on their parol, on the assurance of Galvez, that they should not be employed in the military or civil service of the Catholic king, during the war, unless they were sooner exchanged. Galvez gave orders that his men should be drawn out under arms, in order that the messengers of Campbell and Chester might report what kind and number of troops were under his command. These gentlemen were afterwards dismissed with a verbal message, importing that Galvez was prevented by indisposition from preparing a written answer, and that one would be sent on the next day. During the night, the British sat fire to a few houses near Fort St. George. In his reply, on the twenty-second, Galvez stated that what he had seen, since the departure of Campbell's aid and lieutenant-colonel Dickson, convinced him that those who sent them had no other object but procrastination, and he was ashamed of his own credulity and their attempt to deceive him; that he would listen to no proposition but that of a surrender; and the conflagration of Pensacola, so long as it was not a tributable to any fault of his, would be contemplated with as much indifference as the burning of its incendiaries! Campbell rejoined, that the haughty style assumed by the Spanish chief, far from its intended effect, would have that of exciting the utmost opposition to the ambitious views of Spain; that the officer commanding at Fort George had done nothing but his duty, in destroying a few houses near it, which af forded protection to the enemy; and that if the invaders sought to avail themselves of Pensacola, by seeking an asylum there, it would be immediately destroyed. Campbell now retreated into the fort with all the force under his orders, and the Spaniards lost no time in opening a land communication between the bay and the town, and erecting their works on both sides of the British fortifications. They were provided with a good train of artillery. The attack was not, however, commenced until the beginning of April. From the fleet in front, and the batteries on either side, the British were exposed to a tremendous fire, and their men often driven from their guns. But, they having for a long time anticipated a siege, the fortifications were in excellent repair, and their supply of ammunition and provisions abundant; so that the Spaniards made but little impression. A lower battery, which the British hastily erected, and on which they put heavy cannon, soon enabled them to drive the ships on the opposite side of the bay. Galvez was unable to annoy his enemy by the side batteries, and for a while reduced to comparative inaction. At last, a lucky accident, in the beginning of May, favoured his enterprise. The magazine, in one of the advanced redoubts, took fire from a shell and blew up. The works were completely destroyed by the explosion, and a free passage opened. Galvez immediately sent Espeleta, with a strong detachment, to occupy the middle ground, in which they were protected by the ruins of the redoubt; and soon after, he sent four field pieces, with which a brisk fire was begun. At this moment a white flag was hoisted in Fort George, and an officer came out to propose a capitulation. The terms of it were soon agreed on, and it was signed on the ninth of May. The whole province of West Florida was surrendered to Spain, with the garrison, which consisted of upwards of eight hundred men. They were allowed the honors of war, and to retain their baggage and private property, and were transported to their sovereign's dominions, under a stipulation that they should not serve against Spain or her allies, until duly exchanged. |