Siege of Pensacola | |||||||
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Part of Queen Anne's War | |||||||
![]() Fort San Carlos de Austria, map from 1699 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
![]() Muskogee | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Don Sebastián de Moscoso | Unknown; second siege may have been led by Thomas Nairne | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
First siege: unknown, under 220 Second siege: about 300 |
First siege: several hundred Second siege: about 320 |
The siege of Pensacola included two separate attempts in 1707 by English-supported Creek Indians to capture the town and fortress of Pensacola, one of two major settlements (the other was St. Augustine) in Spanish Florida.
The attacks, part of Queen Anne's War (the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession), resulted in the burning of the town, and caused most of its Indian population to flee, although the fort withstood repeated attacks. The battles were primarily fought in the nighttime hours due to the excessive heat of the day.
The first siege, in August, resulted in the destruction of the town, but Fort San Carlos de Austria successfully resisted the onslaught. In late November, a second expedition arrived, and made unsuccessful attacks on three consecutive nights before withdrawing. Pensacola's governor, Don Sebastián de Moscoso, whose garrison was depleted by disease, recruited convicted criminals to assist in the fort's defense.