Great Epochs in American History, Vol. II | Page 8

means of defense possible in that country, where stones are
nowhere to be found. Up to to-day we have disembarked twenty-four
pieces of bronze guns of different calibers, of which the least weighed
fifteen hundred weight. Our fort is at a distance of about fifteen leagues
from that of the enemy (Fort Carolin). The energy and talents of those
two brave captains, joined to the efforts of their brave soldiers, who had
no tools with which to work the earth, accomplished the construction of
this fortress of defence; and, when the general disembarked he was
quite surprized with what had been done.
On Saturday, the 8th, the general landed with many banners spread, to
the sound of trumpets and salutes of artillery. As I had gone ashore the
evening before, I took a cross and went to meet him, singing the hymn
Te Deum laudamus. The general marched up to the cross, followed by
all who accompanied him, and there they all kneeled and embraced the
cross. A large number of Indians watched these proceedings and
imitated all they saw done. The same day the general took formal
possession of the country in the name of his Majesty, and all the
captains took the oath of allegiance to him, as their general and
governor of the country....
Our general was very bold in all military matters, and a great enemy of
the French. He immediately assembled his captains and planned an
expedition to attack the French settlement and fort on the river with
five hundred men; and, in spite of the opinion of a majority of them,
and of my judgment and of another priest, he ordered his plan to be
carried out. Accordingly, on Monday, September 17, he set out with
five hundred men, well provided with fire-arms and pikes, each soldier
carrying with him a sack of bread and supply of wine for the journey.

They also took with them two Indian chiefs, who were the implacable
enemies of the French, to serve as guides....
I have previously stated that our brave captain-general set out on the
17th of September with five hundred arquebusiers and pikemen, under
the guidance of two Indian chiefs, who showed them the route to the
enemy's fort. They marched the whole distance until Tuesday evening,
the 17th of September, 1565, when they arrived within a quarter of a
league of the enemy's fort (Carolin), where they remained all night up
to their waists in water. When daylight came, Captains Lopez, Patino,
and Martin Ochoa had already been to examine the fort, but, when they
went to attack the fort, a greater part of the soldiers were so confused
they scarcely knew what they were about.
On Thursday morning our good captain-general, accompanied by his
son-in-law, Don Pedro de Valdes, and Captain Patino, went to inspect
the fort. He showed so much vivacity that he did not seem to have
suffered by any of the hardships to which he had been exposed, and,
seeing him march off so brisk, the others took courage, and without
exception followed his example. It appears the enemy did not perceive
their approach until the very moment of the attack, as it was very early
in the morning and had rained in torrents. The greater part of the
soldiers of the fort were still in bed. Some arose in their shirts, and
others, quite naked, begged for quarter; but, in spite of that, more than
one hundred and forty were killed. A great Lutheran cosmographer and
magician was found among the dead. The rest, numbering about three
hundred, scaled the walls, and either took refuge in the forest or on
their ships floating in the river, laden with treasures, so that in an hour's
time the fort was in our possession, without our having lost a single
man, or even had one wounded. There were six vessels on the river at
the time. They took one brig, and an unfinished galley and another
vessel, which had been just discharged of a load of rich merchandise,
and sunk. These vessels were placed at the entrance to the bar to
blockade the harbor, as they expected we would come by sea. Another,
laden with wine and merchandise, was near the port. She refused to
surrender, and spread her sails, when they fired on her from the fort,
and sunk her in a spot where neither the vessel nor cargo will be lost.
The taking of this fort gained us many valuable objects, namely, two
hundred pikes, a hundred and twenty helmets, a quantity of arquebuses

and shields, a quantity of clothing, linen, fine cloths, two hundred tons
of flour, a good many barrels of biscuit, two hundred bushels of wheat,
three horses, four asses, and two she-asses, hogs, tallow, books, furnace,
flour-mill, and