PATRIOT WAR
In 1812, Spain owned Florida. Spain was an ally of Britain. The friendship between Spain and Britain made many people in the U.S. nervous. Even though Spain was allied with Britain, Spain promised to stay out of any conflict between Britain and the U.S. Despite Spain's promise, many people in the border state of Georgia still felt threatened. They were afraid that Spain would help Britain attack America. Also, Spain recruited black soldiers. The state of Georgia feared that Spain would encourage Georgia's slaves to start a war. Then, five wealthy men from Spanish Florida met with a man named General George Matthews. General Matthews was a former Georgia governor and Revolutionary War veteran. The Floridians talked about the possibility of selling Florida to the U.S. Eventually, the Floridians abandoned the plan. General Matthews did not. General Matthews started a war with Florida. That war was called the Patriot War.
After meeting with the men from Florida, General Matthews went to Washington, D.C. He met with President James Madison. General Matthews told the president about the proposal to sell Florida to the U.S. If Spain refused to sell Florida, General Matthews had a plan to capture Florida for the U.S. General Matthews wanted to start a war in Florida against Spain. The war would make Spain leave Florida. Then, U.S. troops could capture Florida for America. President Madison liked the plan. He wanted America to own Florida. The president put General Matthews in charge of capturing Florida.
General Matthews went to Point Peter in St. Marys, Georgia, to plan a war against Florida. He sent reports of his actions to Washington, D.C. General Matthews did not receive any orders from Washington, D.C., so he formed a private volunteer army. Most of the volunteers were Georgia frontiersmen. General Matthews called his army the Patriots. The Patriot Army was not part of the U.S. Army.
General Matthews planned to attack St. Augustine, Florida. The governor of Florida lived in St. Augustine. General Matthews wanted to use U.S. troops in the attack. The officer in command at Point Peter refused to let him. Without U.S. troops, General Matthews did not have enough men to attack St. Augustine. General Matthews decided to attack the small Florida town of Fernandina instead.
In March of 1812, Matthews and his Patriot Army entered Spanish Florida. They asked the town of Fernandina to surrender. At first, Fernandina refused. However, Fernandina only had 100 soldiers to guard it. The Patriot Army had approximately 200 soldiers. Also, U.S. Navy gunboats were sitting outside Fernandina. Faced with these odds, the city surrendered. No shots were fired. The Patriots captured Fernandina.
U.S. newspapers printed stories about the Patriot Army attack on Fernandina. The attack made many in the U.S. angry. They considered the capture of Fernandina an unprovoked attack on a friendly colony. Spain also considered it an act of aggression. America was preparing to declare war on Britain. They did not want to fight a second war with Spain. However, the Patriots' actions were popular in Georgia. Despite the feelings of Georgia's citizens, President Madison criticized the Patriot Army's actions. He fired General Matthews.
General Matthews was still at Fernandina. He did not know that he had been fired. General Matthews was encouraged by the Patriots' victory at Fernandina. He sent the Patriot Army to St. Augustine. Unlike Fernandina, St. Augustine was well defended. More Spanish soldiers guarded St. Augustine than Fernandina. Also, a wall surrounded the city. The Patriot Army demanded that St. Augustine surrender. St. Augustine refused. The Patriot Army still did not have enough soldiers to attack St. Augustine. Instead, they camped outside St. Augustine's walls. The Patriot Army attacked the farms outside St. Augustine. They tried to keep food from reaching St. Augustine. They hoped that the town would surrender if it faced starvation.
After Matthews sent the Patriot Army to St. Augustine, he found out he was fired. He decided to go to Washington, D.C., to protest. On the way, Matthews caught a fever and died. U.S. troops were sent to investigate the battle at St. Augustine. In May, Spain opened fire on the U.S. troops. In June, Spain's black militia left St. Augustine to find food and harass the U.S. troops. They returned to St. Augustine after a month. Eventually, the battle at St. Augustine settled into a pattern. The Patriot Army continued to attack farms, and Spanish soldiers stayed behind the walls of St. Augustine.
In June of 1812, America declared war on Britain. President Madison refused to support further action in Florida. In July, the Seminole Indians attacked U.S. troops. The attack on the U.S. troops scared the Patriots. Many Patriots left Florida. In September, Spanish soldiers attacked the U.S. troops and forced them out of Florida. Some members of the Patriot Army stayed in Florida. They still wanted to capture Florida for the U.S., but they were unsuccessful. The last of the Patriot Army left Florida in 1814.
The Patriot War is often overshadowed by the War of 1812. This is because the Patriot War was mostly a battle between Georgia and Spanish Florida. But it was still important for the whole country. The Patriot War allowed the U.S. to be stronger in their relationship with Spain. It also made Spain realize that they would have to leave Florida. Five years after the last battle of the Patriot War, Spain gave Florida to the United States.
A portrait of Major Jacint Laval, a commander at Point Peter who refused to provide troops to General Matthews. This action by Laval prevented Matthews from carrying out his attack on St. Augustine.