Two 1707 Creek raids on Pensacola destroyed the town but failed to capture Fort San Carlos de Austria, preserving Spanish Florida's western anchor.
Key Facts
- Year of sieges
- 1707 (August and November)
- Attackers
- English-supported Creek Indians
- Defender
- Spanish garrison, Fort San Carlos de Austria
- Second siege duration
- Three consecutive nights of attacks
- Governor
- Don Sebastián de Moscoso
- Conflict context
- Queen Anne's War (War of the Spanish Succession)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Queen Anne's War brought Anglo-Spanish rivalry to North America, where English colonists and their Creek allies sought to eliminate Spanish Florida's western settlements. Pensacola, one of only two major Spanish towns in Florida, was a strategic target. English-backed Creek forces organized two separate expeditions in 1707 to seize the town and its fortress, aiming to cripple Spain's regional presence.
In August 1707, Creek warriors allied with the English burned the town of Pensacola, though Fort San Carlos de Austria repelled the assault. A second expedition arrived in late November, launching attacks on three consecutive nights—fought mostly at night to avoid daytime heat—before withdrawing without capturing the fort. Governor Don Sebastián de Moscoso, whose garrison was weakened by disease, resorted to arming convicted criminals to bolster the defense.
The town of Pensacola was destroyed and most of its Indian population fled, but the fort remained in Spanish hands. Spain's hold on Pensacola was severely tested but not broken, leaving its western Florida presence intact. The failed sieges demonstrated the limits of English-Creek power projection against fortified Spanish positions in the region.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Don Sebastián de Moscoso.
Side B
1 belligerent