Today, the Florida State Quarter Coin remembers when Oglethorpe attempted to take control of St. Augustine from the Spaniards for His Majesty 277 years ago.
From The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to the Present by William Laird Clowes, published in 1898:
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The next operation that falls within the scheme of this chapter was not so satisfactory to British pride.
General Oglethorpe, commanding the troops on the North American station, conceived the notion that it would be to His Majesty’s service to take St. Augustine, in Florida.
Accordingly he consulted with the General Assembly of Carolina, asking what troops could be spared to him; and he also gained the adherence to his plan of Captain Vincent Pearce, of the Flamborough, the Commodore on the station.
The project was first suggested to Pearce in January, 1740; but the general found some difficulty in putting it on a working basis, and it was not till April that he renewed his request for the co-operation of his ships.
These were:—
Ships — Guns — Commanders.
Flamborough — 20 — Captain Vincent Pearce.
Hector — 44 — Captain Sir Yelverton Peyton, Bart.
Squirrel — 20 — Captain Peter Warren.
Phoenix — 20 — Captain Charles Fanshaw.
Tartar — 22 — Captain the Hon. George Townshend.
Spence — 6 — Captain William Laws. (and ten swivels)
Wolf — 8 — Commander William Dandridge.
Hawk — 6 (and four swivels)
and a schooner — 8
When Oglethorpe’s request was finally made the squadron was just on the point of starting on a cruise, and was therefore in perfect readiness for immediate action.
The Squirrel was sent off St. Augustine pending the arrival of the rest of the force; and she was annoyed by six half-galleys that lay there, and which, during calms and light winds, proved of considerable service to the Spaniards.
The Wolf was sent on to join Warren towards the end, of April, and on the 28th the Squirrel took a sloop belonging to the king of Spain.
This prize mounted eight 4-prs. and six swivels, and had eight thousand pieces of eight on board.
In May the Hector and Spence joined the ships off the bar of St. Augustine, Pearce meanwhile lying in St. John’s River co-operating with the troops then on the advance from the northward.
Two small forts, St. Francis de Pupa and Fort Diego, were taken by Oglethorpe, who then returned to the mouth of the St. John’s River, whence on May 31st a general advance was made.
On June 1st Pearce proceeded off St. Augustine, and found the Spaniards getting away their guns from a battery on the Island of St. Eustatia.
He promptly sent in his boats, ordering the Wolf and Spence to cover the attack; but the enemy gave no trouble, making off into the harbor on the approach of the boats.
On June 5th it was decided at a council of war that the ships could remain on that coast till July 5th; on the 7th there was another skirmish with the galleys; and on the 13th the island was occupied by two hundred seamen and as many soldiers.
Two days later Colonel Palmer was killed at Fort Moosa and his party driven back; a serious reverse which gave the enemy free communication to the landward.
Meanwhile guns were brought into position on the island, and two small craft were fitted to serve against the galleys, there being so little water on the bar that the ships could not get in.
On June 20th the governor was summoned to surrender, but promptly refused.
Deserters soon afterwards came into the British camp with news that the galleys were very badly manned and could easily be taken.
As it had been discovered that the range was so great that the guns on the island could have little effect, a council of war was held with the view of seeing whether this information should be acted upon.
Pearce, however, was averse from taking the risk: possibly he had doubts of the deserters; and he persisted in his refusal though the land officers offered to put one hundred soldiers into the boats to take the places of those seamen who were absent in the batteries ashore.
On this Colonel Vanderdussen pointed out how badly off the troops would be when the ships left the coast; for the galleys would cut their communications.
Pearce found that there was no port near where he could lay his ships up for the hurricane season; and, not being too well manned, he had to refuse a request that he would leave two hundred seamen to reinforce the troops.
It was by that time July; and the moment had come when, in accordance with the council of war of June 5th, the ships were to leave the coast.
Without any friction, therefore, between Oglethorpe and Pearce, it was decided that nothing further could be done, and on the 5th the whole force withdrew, the ships covering it from any attempt on the part of the galleys.
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The Florida State Quarter Coin shows with Thomas Silver’s “A View of the Town and Castle of St. Augustine, and the English Camp before it, June 20, 1740.”
