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Journal
Articles
of Interest about
Jacksonville History
The
Patriot War
The often overlooked war in which the
United
States invaded Spanish East Florida
The first permanent settlement in what is now Jacksonville was founded
at "The Cowford" in 1791, at a narrow point in the St. Johns River
where cattlemen could ford their livestock across. This was some 3000
feet west of the Spanish Fort San Nicolas.
Spain controlled Florida peninsula. This was a major concern for
leaders of the youthful United States as the War of 1812 loomed. Many
Americans had been moving into Florida since the 1790s. They were known
as "Patriots", and they were eager to help Florida become American
territory. Since anarchy reigned over most of Florida except a few
places controlled by the Spanish, the U.S. government used the excuse
to invade Florida in order to control anarchy and protect American
citizens in the area. The U.S. also wanted the territory in order to
prevent Britain from getting a foothold in the area.
The nation’s fourth president, James Madison, and his Secretary of
State, James Monroe, plotted to secure the Spanish Floridas as a
territory of the United States. On January 15, 1811, Congress passed a
secret act for acquisition of the area. Madison appointed former
Georgia governor, General George Mathews, to lead a contingent into
Florida with justification that U.S. forces must support local revolts
against Spanish oppression. But Madison’s opponents condemned the
invasion, saying the claims for invasion were trumped-up.
 By March 1812, the
Patriots, aided by the U.S. Navy, and with leadership from John
McIntosh (of Ortega fame) took possession of Fernandina and Amelia
Island. But within weeks, Madison, unhappy with the tactics used by the
Patriots, rescinded the Mathews’ appointment and publicly “repudiated
the seizure of East Florida.” Yet, he secretly appointed Georgia
Governor David Byrdie Mitchell to oversee activity in Florida. By June,
the U.S. declared war on Great Britain (the War of 1812). With the fear
that friendship with the Spanish would allow the English to establish a
dangerous staging-ground in Florida, the matter of seizing the area
resurfaced as a national issue. Then, as long feared by the Patriots
and many American leaders, the Seminoles joined the Spanish, raiding
homes and attacking Patriots and Patriot sympathizers.
Georgian Daniel Newnan gained celebrity for leading volunteers on a
march into the Alachua area to wage battle against the Seminoles and
their leader, King Payne. His unit’s efforts and escape were considered
miraculous.
Nearly a decade later, as the original streets of Jacksonville were
laid out, Newnan would still be remembered as a hero, and a major
street would be named in his honor.
With the death of General Buckner Harris, May 1814, the Patriot
movement collapsed. The Patriot War managed to eventually accomplish
the one thing that the country’s War of 1812 failed to do: it
brought new territory into the United States, and it ultimately led to
the founding of Jacksonville. The Florida Territory was sold to the
United States in 1821, and by 1822, "Jacksonville" was the name of the
new town at the bend of the St. Johns River.
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Jacksonville Historical
Society
317 A.
Philip Randolph Blvd.
Jacksonville,
FL 32202-2217
[ MAP]
[ Driving
Directions ]
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Emily
Lisska, Executive Director
Phone:
904-665-0064
FAX:
904-665-0069
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Jacksonville
Historical Society
Archives at
Jacksonville University
Sharon Laird,
Archivist
Phone: 904-256-7271
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All
Rights Reserved, Jacksonville Historical Society.
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