Warm-up for 09.29.11
What was the importance of the
Battle of Bloody Marsh?
A. It ended the threat of war from
Native Americans
B. It demonstrated to the strength
of the British militia
C. It resulted in GA’s gaining new
lands on which to settle
D. It was the beginning of a safe
southern frontier for the British
Warm-up for 09.29.11
Please read “The Spanish Invasion” on pg. 124
and answer the following question:
What was the importance of the Battle of
Bloody Marsh?
A.
It ended the threat of war from Native
Americans
B. It demonstrated to the strength of the
British militia
C. It resulted in GA’s gaining new lands on
which to settle
D. It was the beginning of a safe southern
frontier for the British
AC
Warm-up for 09.29.11
Please read “The Spanish Invasion” on pg. 124
and answer the following question:
What was the importance of the Battle of
Bloody Marsh?
ANSWER: It was the beginning of a safe
southern frontier for the British
 The conflict between the
Spanish and English over
the land between South
Carolina and Florida
lasted for nearly 20 years,
but once formal hostilities
began in 1739—only six
years after Georgia's
founding—the survival of
the colony hung in the
balance.
 The Battle of Bloody Marsh was




apart of a larger conflict called the
War of Jenkins’ Ear.
Who? Spanish and British
When? 1739-1748
Causes? (#5)
 Disputed land claims
 Shipping on the high seas was
frequently interrupted from acts
of piracy by both sides.
(#4) On one particular incident a
Spanish privateer severed British
captain Robert Jenkins's ear in 1731
as punishment for raiding Spanish
ships.
 “Carry this home to the King,
We want
revenge!
your master, whom, if he were
present, I would serve in like
fashion”
 (#4) Jenkins presented the ear to
Parliament, and the outraged
English public demanded
retribution.
 Throughout the 1730s, diplomatic
attempts at peace were made, but
they only served to increase the
animosity that led to war in late
1739.
 General James Oglethorpe made several
passes into Florida in January 1740
 Seized two Spanish forts
 Fort Picolata and Fort San Francisco de Pupo,
 Began a strike against the fort at St.
Augustine in May 1740. It was a failure!
 Oglethorpe wanted to seize the fort
before Spanish supplies or
reinforcements could arrive, but
problems with multiple commanders
and diverse forces resulted in
disorganization, spoiling his advantage
of surprise.
 Oglethorpe settled for a traditional
siege of the fort but failed to
coordinate his land and naval forces.
 By early July he discontinued the
attack, retreated to Fort Frederica, and
waited for a Spanish invasion.
“I am quite ready, despite
my prim and proper
appearance, to lay an
almighty butt-whooping
down on our Spanish foes!”
 This event was the only Spanish attempt to invade Georgia
during the War of Jenkins' Ear
 It resulted in a significant English victory (#12), and marked
the beginning of a safe, southern frontier in GA!
 General James Oglethorpe redeemed his reputation from his defeat at St.
Augustine, FL two yrs. earlier and the positive psychological effects upon
his troops, settlers, other colonists, and the English populace rallied
them to preserve Georgia.
“I am quite ready, despite my prim and
proper appearance, for
BLOODY REVENGE!”
 Don Manuel de Montiano, governor of St.
Augustine, led an invasion of Georgia in
mid-June 1742 with 4,500-5,000 soldiers.
 Weather hampered their progress by sea,
and Oglethorpe learned of their impending
arrival; he prepared the defenses of St.
Simons Island accordingly.
He established a fort on the island, on a high
bluff overlooking the Frederica River, to
protect Darien and Savannah from a Spanish
invasion.
 Oglethorpe’s forces included a mixture of
rangers, British regulars, Southeastern
Indians, and local citizens, but his total
forces numbered less than a thousand men.

 The Spanish landed on the southern tip of
the island during the afternoon and evening
of July 5 and used the nearby Fort St.
Simons as their headquarters during the
campaign.
 Early on the morning of Wednesday, July
7, several Spanish scouts advanced
northward toward Fort Frederica to assess
the landscape and plan their attack. They
met a body of English rangers at
approximately nine o'clock, and the two
units exchanged shots.

Oglethorpe learned of the engagement,
mounted a horse, and galloped to the
scene, followed by reinforcements.
 He charged directly into the Spanish line,
which scattered when the additional
forces arrived. Oglethorpe posted a
detachment to defend his position and
returned to Frederica to prevent another
Spanish landing on the northern coast
and to recruit more men.
 During mid-afternoon of the same day,
the Spanish sent more troops into the
region, and the English forces fired upon
them from behind the heavy cover of
brush in the surrounding marshes.
 This ambush, coupled with mass
confusion within the smoke-filled
swamp, resulted in another Spanish
defeat despite Oglethorpe's absence.
 This second engagement earned its name
the Battle of Bloody Marsh from its
location rather than from the number of
casualties, which were minimal,
especially on the English side (about fifty
men, mostly Spanish, were killed).
 The Spanish left the island on July 13.
 The brave stand by Oglethorpe's men restored their confidence because the
Spanish no longer seemed indestructible.
 Conversely, the morale of the Spanish suffered greatly, resulting in retreat
and a reluctance to undertake future campaigns into the region.
 Oglethorpe's daring actions and use of effective tactics reestablished his
military leadership. On an imperial level, citizens throughout the colonies
and in the homeland rejoiced at the repulse of the Spanish invasion of
British North America.
 This decisive English victory represented the last major Spanish offensive
into Georgia