Re: Spain - Discussion Thread
Yes.Originally Posted by Lord Claremorris
But note the failure of the british armies in the AWI (remember Pensacola and the french victories in India) and in Cartagena de Indias by a halfman
In 1734 the king promoted him to General Lieutenant of the Navy. He returned to America with the ships Fuerte and Conquistador in 1737 as General Commander of Cartagena de Indias, a city that he had to defend against the British admiral Edward Vernon in the Battle of Cartagena de Indias (1741) during the War of Jenkins' Ear.
The British invasion fleet was one of the largest in history (the biggest fleet in history until World War II), numbering 186 vessels (the Spanish Armada, in 1588 had 126 vessels), including ships of the line , frigates, fireships, and transports, with a total complement of 23,600 men, 13,000 of which were land forces (soldiers, marines and machete-armed Jamaican slaves) and some 2,000 cannons. To counter this Blas de Lezo had at his disposal less than 6,000 men including 2,400 regular soldiers, 600 Indian archers, and the crews and troops of six ships of the line: the flagship Galicia and the ships San Felipe, San Carlos, Africa, Dragón and Conquistador. Vernon was pretty sure of the victory, and news were sent to London that Cartagena had been conquered even before the battle had started. Yet Blas de Lezo's tactics took Vernon by surprise. Blas de Lezo ordered all his vessels be sunk, thus blocking the port. A pit was dug around the city walls, in order to prevent a direct assault. Trenches were displayed in zig-zag, in order to avoid the effect of cannon fire. Two soldiers were sent to the English camp, feinting surrender, providing the assailants with false information about the Spanish positions. At night, the Spanish army charged by surprise, using bayonnets, forcing the English army to retreat, despite the fact that they were heavily outnumbered. The naval siege still lasted one more month, until the Royal Navy, suffering heavy losses from tropical diseases, returned utterly defeated to Jamaica.
The colossal battle lasted 67 days. The defeat of the British forces assured the preservation of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. Blas de Lezo contracted the plague caused by the huge number of unburied corpses. While it is known that he died in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, his burial site remains lost to history.
When the news that Cartagena hadn't been conquered reached London, and that the invading fleet had been humiliated by a much inferior force, king George II tried to avoid the truth from being printed, written in history books, or taught at Universities (it is one of the reasons because the fate of this fleet and his defeat is comonnly unkown). Vernon was buried with honours in Westminster.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...gena_de_Indias
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