[Juan de Lepe, Bartólome Cordoriel, Francisco Hernández, Juan Aivarez depositions made at Havana June 30, 1586] 2 In the city of San Crist6bal de la Habana,... Cuba,.. . on the thirtieth day of June in the year one thousand five hundred and eighty-six..... Juan de Lepe, seaman, .. . being duly sworn... stated that about twenty days ago deponent being in the fort at San Agustin... from said fort twenty sails were descried, and these vessels anchored off the port and landed men from pinnaces. Deponent thinks, about 1000 men came ashore. They landed artillery and began to batter the fort of San Agustin. The fight continued through two days, and through two nights they were under arms. While this attack was going on deponent was putting the women and children on board his bark, in order to convey them to safety in the interior among the peaceable Indians. Deponent heard that in view of the Englishman's strength and the damage he was doing, the garrison withdrew to the bush. While deponent was in the bush with the women and children, Pedro Menéndez Marquéz arrived there with the troops, which were retiring. Later deponent returned and saw that the fort, where Pedro Menéndez Marquéz was, had been burned. The English had burned it and the town and the old fort. They razed the maize fields and carried off everything in the town, and His Majesty's strong-box together with what was in it, which deponent heard was five thousand ducats. The English remained there seven days, careening a vessel. At the end of that time they left, and three negroes who escaped from them (of those the English had seized in Santo Domingo) said that the Englishman was going to Santa Elena to take that place, and that from there he would proceed to Newfoundland; and this is the truth. Further, the English carried off all the artillery and subsistence. The general had buried certain pieces but three of ours, who deserted, informed of this and they found these and carried them off... This is the truth, on the oath he took. He did not sign because he does not know how to write; and he is about 24 years old... ... Bartólome Cordoriel... being duly sworn... stated that... he was in the fort of San Agustin on Friday after Corpus Christi when from the fort fifteen sail were sighted. These being sighted, that night General Pedro Menéndez Marquéz ordered deponent to go with his bark to convey the women and children up the river from the fort into the bush, and so deponent did, making two trips. He also carried up six barrels of flour. Therefore deponent did not see the fight, but he heard the artillery fire exchanged between the fort and the English fleet. They fired and fought two days and two nights. What deponent did see was nine English dead on the ground, and he heard it said that two of the enemy's pinnaces had been sunk. Three negroes who deserted from the English said that some English had been killed. No Spaniards were killed; but three soldiers deserted to the enemy, one of whom was French, one Flemish, and one Spanish. After the two days and two nights that the siege lasted, the general withdrew to where deponent was with the women. Sixty men accompanied him. The English held the port seven days. They careened a ship and at the end of that period burned the town and the fort and destroyed the estates and trees and razed the maize fields, felling and demolishing everything. Deponent saw His Majesty's chest taken into the fort and later saw that it was not saved, because the English ruined and burned everything. He signed his name and is about 28 years old... Francisco Hernández, ensign of the fort at San Agustin. ... being duly ..... . stated that on Friday after Corpus Christi, on the sixth of the present month of June, certain vessels appeared at sea off the port. They anchored at the entrance at the bar, and, according to persons who counted them, and to three negroes who deserted from the English, these were 23 large ships and many pinnaces and boats, to a total of more than 50 sail in all. Deponent could not count them because he was in the fort, which is more than a league from where they anchored. Saturday morning at dawn boats and frigates and pinnaces put in, to land men. Twenty pinnaces and boats landed troops which deponent estimates at a thousand men. They marched in formation with six flags flying, all red, without any other colour whatsoever. As they advanced a piece was fired from the fort, at which they paused and took shelter behind certain sand dunes. Other pieces were fired, which sank two pinnaces which were off the coast with seamen aboard. As soon as the English discovered the fort, its position, and where they could plant artillery, they informed the English commander, who was on board the ships outside the bar. Thereupon, with twenty additional boatloads of men, the English commander came ashore with all his music. He brought four pieces of artillery and these were set up on land and began to batter the fort. The enemy so busied himself until nightfall on Saturday. The exchange of artillery fire continued until night fell. At nightfall they took down the masts of all the pinnaces, boats and skiffs preparatory to reembarking therein, for they could not reach the fort except in skiffs, because there was a river between. Next day in the morning watch without being observed they crossed the river in skiffs at a point where a launch belonging to the fort is stationed. The men there sounded the alarm and those on board this launch fled to the fort. Similarly, laden pinnaces crossed at another place and the fort was surrounded. Seeing which, and that it was impossible to resist such numbers, since he had only 70 effectives and the fort was made of timber, General Pedro Menéndez Marquéz withdrew to where the women and children were to a total number of 200 souls. Had he delayed he and all his men must certainly have perished; and had they perished it was certain that the hostile Indians would have attacked the women and children and all would have been killed. Therefore the general took this measure to protect them. The English held the fort seven days, at the end of which period they burned the town and forts, razed everything, even the trees and plantings, carried off all chattels, 50 that nobody saved anything at all. They took His Majesty's chest. The general had buried certain pieces of artillery, but three soldiers who deserted to the Englishmen told him where and he carried them away... He signed his name and is about 40 years old... ...Juan Alvarez, soldier of the Florida garrison, being duly sworn stated that deponent was in the said fort on the sixth of the current month of June when off the port, at sea, appeared 23 large vessels and pinnaces, as many as ten of them with sails, and so many more boats and barges that deponent could not count them. The same day, Friday, they came to anchor off the bar and Saturday morning in boats and barges and pinnaces sent men to shore and landed a party, the size of which deponent does not know. Once landed, in formation they marched on the fort, in squadrons with their flags flying, and halted behind certain sand dunes and from there withdrew toward the coast, and returned to report to their general. He came ashore with reinforcements and they brought up four pieces of artillery and planted them behind the sand dunes and from there opened fire on the fort. From the fort an answering fire was kept up Saturday afternoon, and later more were killed, to a total of over twenty English casualties. The Englishman killed nobody. Saturday afternoon the English took down the masts of their pinnaces and boats; on observing which the general summoned a council to determine what to do, of which council deponent knows nothing except that he heard that in view of the enemy's very great strength and since the general had only 80 effectives and could not defend the fort because it was weak, made of timbers, and since if these men died the Indians would kill the women and children, the general [was of the opinion that the garrison should withdraw and so they retired to where the women were. The English held the fort seven days and burned the town and razed everything, even the maizefields, at the end of which time they withdrew. He signed his name and is about 30 years old; and he heard that the English carried off the artillery and the contents of the royal chest... ______________________________ 1 Wright, Irene A. Further English Voyages to Spanish America: Documents from the Archives of the Indies at Seville illustrating English voyages to the Caribbean, the Spanish Main, Florida, and Virginia (The Hakluyt Society, London 1951) pp.164-166. 2 Wright. pp.180-184. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center. http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/