Key Facts
- Number of sieges
- 2 (August and late November 1707)
- Fort that held
- Fort San Carlos de Austria
- Defending commander
- Governor Don Sebastián de Moscoso
- Context
- Part of Queen Anne's War / War of the Spanish Succession
- Notable defense measure
- Convicted criminals recruited to bolster depleted garrison
Strategic Narrative Overview
In August 1707, a Creek force backed by the English attacked Pensacola, burning the town and driving off most of its Indian inhabitants, yet Fort San Carlos de Austria repelled the assault. A second expedition arrived in late November and launched attacks on three consecutive nights, all conducted primarily after dark to avoid daytime heat, before ultimately withdrawing without capturing the fortification.
01 / The Origins
The sieges arose from Queen Anne's War, the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession, in which England and Spain were opposing powers. English colonists in the Carolinas mobilized Creek Indian allies to strike Spanish Florida's settlements, targeting Pensacola as one of the two principal Spanish strongholds alongside St. Augustine, aiming to weaken Spain's colonial grip on the southeastern region.
03 / The Outcome
Both sieges ended in failure for the attackers. The town was burned in the first assault, but the fort remained under Spanish control throughout. Governor Moscoso, whose garrison had been severely reduced by disease, maintained the defense partly by enlisting convicted criminals. Pensacola survived as a Spanish outpost, and no territorial change resulted from the attacks.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Don Sebastián de Moscoso.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.