Re: Drake
Way too much generosity has been given to this criminal individual. So lets set a bit the record straight using Spanish documents instead of the acostumed English.
"1572- captured nombre de dios destroyed portobelo returned with much spanish gold and silver"
Not much is known about his first independent trip to the Indies after his colosal disater (One of the lost ships was a Royal Navy Galeon which had supposedly nothing to do in such a piratical enterprise) with Hawkins at Veracruz, where Drake just took off with one of the Pirate fleet's ship, the Judith, leaving poor Hawkins by himself with two badly damaged ships (One of which sunk later on its way home). He took off keeping the expedition's spoils stored on the Judith for himself (You can inmagine how pissed Hawkins was for that). Anyways...so, not much is known from the first indpendent expedition. On his second one by 1572 he attacked Nombre de Dios but without any success, same thing with Cruces. After that he unloaded near the Isthums and, together with some french pirates he met and some 200 renegade spanish black slaves, managed to ambush and assault a convoy of 80 mules loaded with silver. The silver was divided among the robbers and on their way back some stragglers got captured by the Spaniards. With motive of this action, more propper of vulgar roadside robbers, Drake began making outlandish claims back home about having seen the Pacific from the top of a tree and having plundered Nombre de Dios and even Veracruz (this last one, it seems came from a small indian village on the mule track under the name Venta Cruz the pirates passed).
"1577-sailed round south american tip, plundered Valparasio and other spanish ports caturing a few ship on the way.
1580-arrives back in England by way of circum-navigating the globe
I think he was second to do this. Ship full of silks and spanish plunder."
Drake plans another forray with aims to the Pacific Ocean. Another financial society is set together with the Queen adding 1000 crowns of her own. 6 ships.
They capture a portuguese ship around Cabo Verde loaded with wine, renam it "Mary" and force the portuguese pilot to work for them. They have to dismantel three ships before the Strait of Magallanhes and a fourth one takes off back to England, angry about Drake hanging one of the Captains for mutiny. Crossing the strait, two more ships sink and only the Pelikan (renamed Golden Hind to raise morale in prosepect for the comming plunder) remains. The whole Pacific coast is completely defenseless and so they manage to plunder Valparaiso, being refused with the death of one pirate by the now warned population at La Serena and Copiapo. He managed to attack Callao, Santa Trujillo and Payta burning specially the churches. A little later he captures Nuestra Senora de Juan Anton, ship with 400.000 pesos. He also manages to capture a small ship who has two pilots aboard from the famous Nao of Acapulco, which gives him the idea to cross the Pacific instead of going back South where everybody was looking for him. He reaches Mexico where he plunders Huatrilvo, not attacking Acapulco because he belives her to be fortified. He keep north till California where he readies himself to cross the Pacific, which he does getting home after 3 years with much plunder. Keep in m ind that Spain is not at war with England and uselessly the Spanish embassador protests in front of the Queen with a complete list of Drake's misdoings to which the Queen went to the dock and knighted Drake in reward.
1585-sailed back to west indies, raided many spanish colonies including Saint Augustine in Florida, picked up unsuccessful colonists at roanoke and and may have been first to introduce tobacco to England.
The now "Sir" Francis Drake, planned his new campaign with two Royal Navy Galeons and more ships with a total of 2500 pirates aboard. Some fightings to no result in Galicia/Spain with some cows being stolen. He sails down to Canary Islands where he tries to land on several islands being thrown back every time, most notoriously in Santa Cruz de la Palma were he looses some men while trying to land. From there he crosses the Atlantic and manages to plunder Santo Domingo, burning the city down almost completely since the dwellers couldn't pay his demanded ransom of 400.000 ducats. He leaves with 25.000 instead for Cartagena de Indias where after some serious fighting he takes the city (which had previously hidden all valuables) and asks again for 400.000 ransom. They settle the deal for 107.000 after some destruction. He sails to Cuba where troops where already waiting for him (to the point that the nervous Spanish capture two diferent French pirate convoys who had the bad fortune to be there at the worst time with the result of everybody hanged except a little boy). Drake decides against trying anything and just keeps proving the Cuban coast where the inhabitants kill as many pirates who decide to land to get water. He then sails to St. Augustine where there is nothing to loot but he nevertheless burns the city down. On his way back he picks the colonists in Roanoke up and reaches home with less winnings than the last time and more people to share it.
The Spanish Ambassador wrote that he arrived with 18 damaged ships and 1000 pirates less, mostly dead due to sickness. He brought leather and sugar but only 200.000 ducats which created riots among the tripuation who though itself cheated.
1587-Destroyed most of Spanish Fleet anchored at Cadiz.
One wonders if after all such provocations, Spain had no right to try to attack England in return for so many agravations. From the same henious prosecution of catholics in England (which had nothing to envy to Spain's hunting down of Luterans) to the shamesly thivery of the Spanish gold destined for the fighting troops in Flandes in 1568 when the spanish money convoy had to stop in England due to some bad weather, to next year's opening of English ports to the begining of the Dutch navy, to the outright sending of an English expeditionary force under Robert Dudley to fight alongside the Dutch rebels, which under any circumstance and any time would have been enough of a "casus belli". Not to mention the shamless preparation in England of pirate ventures, as if business it would be, against Spanish ports and shipping with the effective aid in money and military ships provided by the Queen herself. In 1587, still officialy in peace, a fleet under Drake attacked by surprise like a Perl Harbor, Cadiz, burning some and capturing vessels of a totally surprised Spanish goverment.
After the disaster with the Great Armada in 1588, Drake attacked again the Galician and Portuguese coasts, not making much headway, being thrown back at La Coruna and Lisbon with the loss of a third of his force of 120 ships and 8000 men in the process
1595-heads west again to attack Spanish colonies...dies at sea.
The biggest expedition was organized in 1595 by England's greatest captains; Hawkins and Drake who disliked each other since the Judith incident so many years ago. They made peace together as they showed the Queen their plan of taking Panama and creating there an English colony plus the ransacking of all principal Spanish ports in the Caribean. Hawkins was also eager to avenge his son who was rotting away in a prison cell in Lima afer his last unsuccesul attack there.
A total of 28 ships and 4500 men for this expedition. This expedition got delayed by the freak attack by some entrepeurial Spanish garrison of the Breton city of Blavet who decided to attack English coast line with much success and plunder, burning down three towns in the process. After making sure there was no full blown invasion they began their trip.
First stop the Canary Islands, where after much boasting from the marines commander Baskerville of taking the island of Las Palmas in 4 hours, they left for the Indies after loosing alomst a hunderd men with no gain whatsoever.
In Puerto Rico they hope to catch a damaged Spanish Galeon with 2 million pesos for Spain. The already alerted spaniards offer such a resistance to several landing attempts that Drake gives up after loosing more than 400 pirates, having Hawkins already died before in their staging area around Guadalupe.
On his way to Panama, he stops at Rio del Hacha where the population without fortifications has already left with all valuables. Drake asks for ransom but gets zippo and leaves after burning some dwelings. Same thing at Santa Marta where Drake leaves afer burning a Hacienda. Drake reaches the Isthmus and finds a deserted Nombre de Dios. Shortly after he marches inland towards Panama in two columns, one by land under Baskerville and one with rowboats under himself. The land expedition assaults repeated times a small fort which manages to beat all attacks back with heavy loss in live for the pirates. A Spanish relief column of about 50 man makes noise with drums and flutes like they are many more. The pirates break and in their rout get attacked by some ferocious blacks who kill everybody they get their hands on. Both columns retreat with the loss of about 500 pirates. On their way back and trying to get some water 30 more pirates get lynched by the local population. Same thing with some more who try to get some foodstuff. On their way to Portobello Drake dies of sickness and is buried in a small island that has his name therafter.
Baskerville takes over only to encounter in Cuba a Spanish relief fleet sent to hunt them down. The pirates loose 300 more in prisoners who are sent to work at the fortifications at Habana while the rest of the fleet flees across the Ocean arriving in Plymouth only 8 of the original 28 vessels.
Way too much generosity has been given to this criminal individual. So lets set a bit the record straight using Spanish documents instead of the acostumed English.
"1572- captured nombre de dios destroyed portobelo returned with much spanish gold and silver"
Not much is known about his first independent trip to the Indies after his colosal disater (One of the lost ships was a Royal Navy Galeon which had supposedly nothing to do in such a piratical enterprise) with Hawkins at Veracruz, where Drake just took off with one of the Pirate fleet's ship, the Judith, leaving poor Hawkins by himself with two badly damaged ships (One of which sunk later on its way home). He took off keeping the expedition's spoils stored on the Judith for himself (You can inmagine how pissed Hawkins was for that). Anyways...so, not much is known from the first indpendent expedition. On his second one by 1572 he attacked Nombre de Dios but without any success, same thing with Cruces. After that he unloaded near the Isthums and, together with some french pirates he met and some 200 renegade spanish black slaves, managed to ambush and assault a convoy of 80 mules loaded with silver. The silver was divided among the robbers and on their way back some stragglers got captured by the Spaniards. With motive of this action, more propper of vulgar roadside robbers, Drake began making outlandish claims back home about having seen the Pacific from the top of a tree and having plundered Nombre de Dios and even Veracruz (this last one, it seems came from a small indian village on the mule track under the name Venta Cruz the pirates passed).
"1577-sailed round south american tip, plundered Valparasio and other spanish ports caturing a few ship on the way.
1580-arrives back in England by way of circum-navigating the globe
I think he was second to do this. Ship full of silks and spanish plunder."
Drake plans another forray with aims to the Pacific Ocean. Another financial society is set together with the Queen adding 1000 crowns of her own. 6 ships.
They capture a portuguese ship around Cabo Verde loaded with wine, renam it "Mary" and force the portuguese pilot to work for them. They have to dismantel three ships before the Strait of Magallanhes and a fourth one takes off back to England, angry about Drake hanging one of the Captains for mutiny. Crossing the strait, two more ships sink and only the Pelikan (renamed Golden Hind to raise morale in prosepect for the comming plunder) remains. The whole Pacific coast is completely defenseless and so they manage to plunder Valparaiso, being refused with the death of one pirate by the now warned population at La Serena and Copiapo. He managed to attack Callao, Santa Trujillo and Payta burning specially the churches. A little later he captures Nuestra Senora de Juan Anton, ship with 400.000 pesos. He also manages to capture a small ship who has two pilots aboard from the famous Nao of Acapulco, which gives him the idea to cross the Pacific instead of going back South where everybody was looking for him. He reaches Mexico where he plunders Huatrilvo, not attacking Acapulco because he belives her to be fortified. He keep north till California where he readies himself to cross the Pacific, which he does getting home after 3 years with much plunder. Keep in m ind that Spain is not at war with England and uselessly the Spanish embassador protests in front of the Queen with a complete list of Drake's misdoings to which the Queen went to the dock and knighted Drake in reward.
1585-sailed back to west indies, raided many spanish colonies including Saint Augustine in Florida, picked up unsuccessful colonists at roanoke and and may have been first to introduce tobacco to England.
The now "Sir" Francis Drake, planned his new campaign with two Royal Navy Galeons and more ships with a total of 2500 pirates aboard. Some fightings to no result in Galicia/Spain with some cows being stolen. He sails down to Canary Islands where he tries to land on several islands being thrown back every time, most notoriously in Santa Cruz de la Palma were he looses some men while trying to land. From there he crosses the Atlantic and manages to plunder Santo Domingo, burning the city down almost completely since the dwellers couldn't pay his demanded ransom of 400.000 ducats. He leaves with 25.000 instead for Cartagena de Indias where after some serious fighting he takes the city (which had previously hidden all valuables) and asks again for 400.000 ransom. They settle the deal for 107.000 after some destruction. He sails to Cuba where troops where already waiting for him (to the point that the nervous Spanish capture two diferent French pirate convoys who had the bad fortune to be there at the worst time with the result of everybody hanged except a little boy). Drake decides against trying anything and just keeps proving the Cuban coast where the inhabitants kill as many pirates who decide to land to get water. He then sails to St. Augustine where there is nothing to loot but he nevertheless burns the city down. On his way back he picks the colonists in Roanoke up and reaches home with less winnings than the last time and more people to share it.
The Spanish Ambassador wrote that he arrived with 18 damaged ships and 1000 pirates less, mostly dead due to sickness. He brought leather and sugar but only 200.000 ducats which created riots among the tripuation who though itself cheated.
1587-Destroyed most of Spanish Fleet anchored at Cadiz.
One wonders if after all such provocations, Spain had no right to try to attack England in return for so many agravations. From the same henious prosecution of catholics in England (which had nothing to envy to Spain's hunting down of Luterans) to the shamesly thivery of the Spanish gold destined for the fighting troops in Flandes in 1568 when the spanish money convoy had to stop in England due to some bad weather, to next year's opening of English ports to the begining of the Dutch navy, to the outright sending of an English expeditionary force under Robert Dudley to fight alongside the Dutch rebels, which under any circumstance and any time would have been enough of a "casus belli". Not to mention the shamless preparation in England of pirate ventures, as if business it would be, against Spanish ports and shipping with the effective aid in money and military ships provided by the Queen herself. In 1587, still officialy in peace, a fleet under Drake attacked by surprise like a Perl Harbor, Cadiz, burning some and capturing vessels of a totally surprised Spanish goverment.
After the disaster with the Great Armada in 1588, Drake attacked again the Galician and Portuguese coasts, not making much headway, being thrown back at La Coruna and Lisbon with the loss of a third of his force of 120 ships and 8000 men in the process
1595-heads west again to attack Spanish colonies...dies at sea.
The biggest expedition was organized in 1595 by England's greatest captains; Hawkins and Drake who disliked each other since the Judith incident so many years ago. They made peace together as they showed the Queen their plan of taking Panama and creating there an English colony plus the ransacking of all principal Spanish ports in the Caribean. Hawkins was also eager to avenge his son who was rotting away in a prison cell in Lima afer his last unsuccesul attack there.
A total of 28 ships and 4500 men for this expedition. This expedition got delayed by the freak attack by some entrepeurial Spanish garrison of the Breton city of Blavet who decided to attack English coast line with much success and plunder, burning down three towns in the process. After making sure there was no full blown invasion they began their trip.
First stop the Canary Islands, where after much boasting from the marines commander Baskerville of taking the island of Las Palmas in 4 hours, they left for the Indies after loosing alomst a hunderd men with no gain whatsoever.
In Puerto Rico they hope to catch a damaged Spanish Galeon with 2 million pesos for Spain. The already alerted spaniards offer such a resistance to several landing attempts that Drake gives up after loosing more than 400 pirates, having Hawkins already died before in their staging area around Guadalupe.
On his way to Panama, he stops at Rio del Hacha where the population without fortifications has already left with all valuables. Drake asks for ransom but gets zippo and leaves after burning some dwelings. Same thing at Santa Marta where Drake leaves afer burning a Hacienda. Drake reaches the Isthmus and finds a deserted Nombre de Dios. Shortly after he marches inland towards Panama in two columns, one by land under Baskerville and one with rowboats under himself. The land expedition assaults repeated times a small fort which manages to beat all attacks back with heavy loss in live for the pirates. A Spanish relief column of about 50 man makes noise with drums and flutes like they are many more. The pirates break and in their rout get attacked by some ferocious blacks who kill everybody they get their hands on. Both columns retreat with the loss of about 500 pirates. On their way back and trying to get some water 30 more pirates get lynched by the local population. Same thing with some more who try to get some foodstuff. On their way to Portobello Drake dies of sickness and is buried in a small island that has his name therafter.
Baskerville takes over only to encounter in Cuba a Spanish relief fleet sent to hunt them down. The pirates loose 300 more in prisoners who are sent to work at the fortifications at Habana while the rest of the fleet flees across the Ocean arriving in Plymouth only 8 of the original 28 vessels.
