A Brief History
On January 18, 1671, Welsh privateer and later the namesake of Captain Morgan Rum, Henry Morgan, began his expedition to Panama, also known historically as “The Sack of Panama.”
Digging Deeper
The assault on the Spanish city of Panama on the Pacific coast of the Isthmus of Panama took place overland, with Morgan and his buccaneers marching from the Atlantic side cross country to seize the important Central American city. Morgan first took over the Spanish Fort San Lorenzo on the East Coast before setting off for Panama City.
With a total of about 1,800 men and 36 ships, Morgan faced a total Spanish force of about 3,000 men that included militia and Native Americans loyal to Spain. Morgan’s privateers won the day and sacked Panama of whatever riches they could find, while looting and burning the city and taking several hundred prisoners as hostages for ransom.
As often happened in the days before instant long-range communications, the Panama Expedition was conducted after a peace between England and Spain had already been reached in September of 1670, making the assault by Morgan illegal. When a triumphant Morgan returned to Jamaica, he was told of his error and promptly arrested, protesting that he had been unaware of the cessation of hostilities.
Morgan was transported to England where he avoided conviction and was hailed as a hero, even knighted by King Charles II, later returning to Jamaica as Governor. Despite Spanish outrage, hostilities were not renewed and a power shift in the Americas favored the British.
Morgan died in Jamaica in 1688 at the age of about 53, with a general amnesty declared so his pirate buddies could attend his funeral. The Captain died wealthy from his previous exploits, leaving a legacy as one of the most famous of the “pirates of the Caribbean” during the “Golden Age of Piracy.”
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Who is your favorite pirate?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Breverton, Terry. Admiral Sir Henry Morgan: King of the Buccaneers. Pelican Publishing, 2005.
Earle, Peter. The Sack of Panamá: Captain Morgan and the Battle for the Caribbean. Thomas Dunne Books, 2007.
The featured image in this article, an engraving of Morgan at Panama in 1671, is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer.
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