During the siege of Havana by British forces, the Spanish were initially outnumbered. The British brought a force of 10,000 sailors, 12,000 soldiers, 2,000 slaves, and 600 free black auxiliaries. The Spanish had only 2,300 regular soldiers and 5,000 volunteer militia. Cuba had already been using militias of whites and blacks since 1586, but the mayor of Guanabacoa, known as Pepe Antonio in Cuban lore, formed and led an ad-hoc militia of whites, freedmen, and slaves due to the urgency of the situation. These emergency militias were armed mostly with machetes as guns were not available. Juan de Prado, the colonial governor of Cuba, decreed that any slave that defended the city would be freed and paid a reward for every captured British soldier.
Despite the apparent advantage that the British had, Kriegsglück had other plans, as the siege of Havana became a war of attrition on land. The British faced intense resistance, especially from the black militias. On June 26, 13 machete-wielding Afro-Cuban militiamen attacked an advance group of 14 British soldiers, killing 1 and capturing 7. On June 29, a slave militia captured 47 men, 3 flags, and killed a captain. 400 British were captured on July 13 by black fighters. An artillery captain was killed on July 18. At the same time, the British forces were suffering from the hot and humid climate, as well as tropical diseases. On midnight July 3-4, the heat caused the British artillery batteries to be set ablaze. 2 weeks of work between 600 men disappeared in one night. Furthermore, there was an epidemic of black vomit.
It was obvious that North American colonial troops needed to be mobilized to finish the siege. Therefore, Jeffrey Amherst, commander of the British Army in North America, sent a message requesting troops from New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Soldiers were promised that they would have indulgences, that there would be no long marches, and that they would return home quickly. Cuba and Havana were never mentioned, not once. (In the meme, it is implied that the recruits were told by officers they were going to Florida, but this is inaccurate, although it was widely assumed by the Americans that Florida was the destination. Furthermore, the Americans knew the true destination after the ships departed and did not literally find out once they got to Havana).
After the arrival of the British reinforcements, engineers managed to detonate explosives under the walls of El Morro, allowing the British to storm the fort by foot. The British won the battle, the Hispano-Cuban forces were heavily defeated. The siege of Havana was a British victory, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t hard-fought.
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During the siege of Havana by British forces, the Spanish were initially outnumbered. The British brought a force of 10,000 sailors, 12,000 soldiers, 2,000 slaves, and 600 free black auxiliaries. The Spanish had only 2,300 regular soldiers and 5,000 volunteer militia. Cuba had already been using militias of whites and blacks since 1586, but the mayor of Guanabacoa, known as Pepe Antonio in Cuban lore, formed and led an ad-hoc militia of whites, freedmen, and slaves due to the urgency of the situation. These emergency militias were armed mostly with machetes as guns were not available. Juan de Prado, the colonial governor of Cuba, decreed that any slave that defended the city would be freed and paid a reward for every captured British soldier.
Despite the apparent advantage that the British had, Kriegsglück had other plans, as the siege of Havana became a war of attrition on land. The British faced intense resistance, especially from the black militias. On June 26, 13 machete-wielding Afro-Cuban militiamen attacked an advance group of 14 British soldiers, killing 1 and capturing 7. On June 29, a slave militia captured 47 men, 3 flags, and killed a captain. 400 British were captured on July 13 by black fighters. An artillery captain was killed on July 18. At the same time, the British forces were suffering from the hot and humid climate, as well as tropical diseases. On midnight July 3-4, the heat caused the British artillery batteries to be set ablaze. 2 weeks of work between 600 men disappeared in one night. Furthermore, there was an epidemic of black vomit.
It was obvious that North American colonial troops needed to be mobilized to finish the siege. Therefore, Jeffrey Amherst, commander of the British Army in North America, sent a message requesting troops from New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Soldiers were promised that they would have indulgences, that there would be no long marches, and that they would return home quickly. Cuba and Havana were never mentioned, not once. (In the meme, it is implied that the recruits were told by officers they were going to Florida, but this is inaccurate, although it was widely assumed by the Americans that Florida was the destination. Furthermore, the Americans knew the true destination after the ships departed and did not literally find out once they got to Havana).
After the arrival of the British reinforcements, engineers managed to detonate explosives under the walls of El Morro, allowing the British to storm the fort by foot. The British won the battle, the Hispano-Cuban forces were heavily defeated. The siege of Havana was a British victory, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t hard-fought.