From COLLECTIONS OF THE Georgia Historical Society, Vol. VII. 1738-3 or 1742-6-2* ORDERS TO THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE FLEET. *AN463 Orders to be obeyed by the commander of the Fleet, and instructions for his guidance, with the understanding that he is in all matters to be under the orders of the general selected to command the expedition which is to dislodge the foreigners that have settled and established themselves in the dominions of the King in the Provinces of Florida. 1. He will leave the post of Havana, if the weather permit, on the day appointed, with all the vessels of war and transports after having made all necessary arrangements to keep his ships together in good order during the journey, and established signals for prompt comprehension and correct action in any case that may come up. He will likewise have drawn up the special orders to be observed with all the precision and clarity possible by the respective commanders of the vessels under his command. 2. He will proceed directly to Saint Augustine in Florida, without anchoring anywhere, unless driven to it by inevitable necessity. 3. When in sight of the Bar of Saint Augustine he will approach as closely as possible, and anchor with his entire fleet on the bar. 4. As soon as the tide serves, he will order the transports to enter the harbor, and anchor in front of the castle. 5. As soon as the said tide nears the flood, he will determine whether the depth on the bar will permit the entrance of the vessels under his command, without lightening, and if so, these will enter, and proceed to anchor in front of the Hermitage of Our Lady de la Leche. Should lightening prove necessary, all will execute it at the same time with the greatest dispatch, transporting in launches and boats the weight that may be necessary. But this is to be done only in case it is impossible, by reason of storms, to remain at anchor outside. 6. He will remain in port (or wherever else he may think proper) until the commanding general gives orders to begin operations and put to sea with his entire fleet, which he will obey without loss of time. 7. He will convoy the flotilla of small vessels that are to cross the bar of the Saint John's River, until he sights its inlets on an east and west line, when he will either lie-to, or if the weather permit, anchor; the first is the better course, if it should be necessary to go outside under the threat of the east wind, dangerous on this coast; the second, in order to avoid drifting with the currents. Circumstances must determine which of these two courses appears to him the better, without losing sight of the fact that he must endeavor as far as possible to keep the coast in view during the entire course of the expedition so as distinctly to observe the signals made from it, or to receive information sent out to him, since the happy issue of the enterprise depends partly if not entirely on the unity and joint effort of the two fleets. 8. He will lie-to or remain at anchor, as may be determined, off the inlets, until he shall have received from the beach a signal to proceed on his course. 9. He will continue on his way, observing both by day and by night the signals made to him from land, so that on receiving information of the point at which the interior flotilla happens to be resting, he will again anchor or lie-to, until again ordered to proceed. For, as the interior flotilla can proceed only when the tide is favorable, at intervals of six hours and a few minutes, it is incumbent on the sea fleet so to adjust its progress, as to be but a short distance away, and so avoid slipping on and then being discovered by the foreigners of Fort Frederica or Gualquini before the interior flotilla shall have come up and taken its disposition for attack. 10. Should some accident prevent people coming down to the shore to make signals, he will proceed along the coast under shortened sail; and, after taking into account the change of tides, and whatever may further the advance, will estimate approximately where the interior flotilla must be, giving due regard to the increase of distance caused by the windings of the interior channels, and by the fact that on some nights it will perhaps be impossible to sail and take advantage of the tide on account of a few narrow passes impossible to navigate save by day. 11. He will also consider a possible delay due to the capture of the Fort of Vegeses on the channel of the Island of Whales, this in order that both fleets may always be approximately on the same parallel. And if all the precautions mentioned should remain without the result expected, after having maturely weighed the aforesaid contingencies, and adjusted his course accordingly, he will set his course directly for the entrance of Gualquini, where he will anchor on the bar with his entire squadron in from four and a half to six fathoms, so as to bring the point of the north of the Island of Saint Simon to bear N. N. W., and that of the north of the bar of Whales to bear S.W. ¼ S. If while on this position, the sea should rise and, unable to ride it out, he should fear that his cables would not hold, he may go in nearer to shelter himself, setting his course N. W. ¼ W., and proceeding some four miles in four fathoms of water, so that the said point of the Island of Saint Simon shall bear N., that of Whales S. S. W., and the Castle of Frederica W. N. W., this being recognizable by the reddish color of the mound of earth at the shoulder of the bastion. If however, he can maintain himself without the said risk in the said six fathoms, he will do so, in order to be in a better position to land, on account of the surf on the shoals at the entrance. 12. He will maintain himself thus at anchor, with the English flag flying, unless signaled to get under way and capture the port. This the commanding general will order to take place on the beach of the south point at the place marked R,* whenever the opportune occasion shall arise, as determined by his readiness to surprise or attack the fort which the foreign settlers have built on the island in question. This in turn will depend on the time of junction of the two fleets, provided always that not the slightest movement shall take place until the proper signal is made. *The chart to which reference is made here and elsewhere in these orders has apparently not come down to us. 13. As soon as he shall see the said signal, he will order the landing body assigned to this duty with its officers to embark in launches, and direct it to go ashore on the nearest beach of the Island of Saint Simon outside of the surf of the north shoals, near the point Q. 14. The said landing shall be so ordered that the troops shall set foot ashore a short time before dawn, neither sooner nor later. To this end he shall measure the time he may consider necessary, having the day before marked the shoals and indicated the nearest point for the execution of the plan, and approximately observed the distance between shipside and shore. Although announcing that one and the same signal will be made of the arrival of the interior flotilla in the Bay of Gualquini, of the disembarkation of the troops and of their getting under way to enter the port, yet, even though the said signal be made at the hour of prayers, or later, or at any other hour, he will not on that account undertake any movement before the time already mentioned of the break of day, unless the signal should be made to undertake everything at the moment when it is set, no matter what the hour, because it is possible that this course might be advantageous; and in this case he will without the slightest delay set about the disembarkation, and get under way to capture the port provided that this operation take place by daylight. 15. As soon as the launches carrying the troops shall have sheered off, the commander will, if the tide be falling, stand by with his anchors apeak; if not falling, he will hoist sail ; if the wind does not serve, he will begin to tow, or do whatever he thinks best. With the bilanders leading ahead by the hawse he will set out to capture the port, using his best endeavor to have the landing troops very early in the morning surprise the look-out of the foreigners, marked O on the chart. He will also cause the fleet to take the port as early as possible, so that the enemy seeing himself attacked on all sides without hope of relief shall at once surrender without resistance. 16. This bar of Gualquini lies in north latitude 31° 18', with 6 to 4½ fathoms at the point mentioned above. To enter the port, set the course N. W. % W., and continue on it in 4½ and 5 fathoms till 3½ are reached; shift to N.W.N., when the bar will be found, with 3½ fathoms at half tide. From this point with course N.W. ¼W., easing to N. W., 5, 6, and 7 fathoms will be found, deepening until a line north and south through the fort of the strangers is crossed, where 14 fathoms will be obtained, shallowing as shown on the chart. 17. Having taken the position mentioned with his squadron, if the foreigners open fire on him with their artillery, he will return it, as will also all the boats under his command, signal having been previously made to form in line and to fire on the enemy in the aforesaid case. But if they do not open fire upon his ships, he will in no wise fire himself, but will merely order his vessels to anchor in good order in the part marked thus Y, provided that if he should be compelled to fire against the hostile fort, he will endeavor to dismount and disable its guns. He will direct that in going about, so as to use both broadsides, all vessels must have their launches and boats ahead by the hawse, to prevent drifting with the current, in order that they may with the greatest promptitude forge ahead or in any other direction which may appear to him suitable. It is indispensable that each vessel go about in the proper place in which it may find itself, the vanguard and rear guard standing on opposite tacks. For if the said maneuver is not executed in this form and the ships lose their positions, it will be impossible to make head against the current so as to present the other broadside to the enemy. 18. From the conditions already laid down, it is evident that the ships should lie-to when delivering their fire, keeping up against wind and current in such manner as to secure, without undue drifting, a good position for the purpose in hand. 19. It is possible that in this port of Gualquini we shall find at anchor a packet boat or war vessel which they own. If this shall not have surrendered when he arrives with his squadron, he will take possession of it, either by capitulation or by force, if it resists; he must send it to the bottom without giving quarter to anybody; but if it surrenders voluntarily, he will give it the best treatment possible. 20. If while at anchor outside on the bar with the English flag flying, as already arranged, there should come out, as is usual, a boat to reconnoiter or to bring a pilot, he will cause it to be captured with the boats and launches which he will have overboard and ready from the moment he shall have anchored. 21. Should he be forced by any wind to remove from the coast and for this reason be unable to see all the signals, then, as soon as the wind shall have ceased, he will return to the coast, and depending on the length of time that he will have been absent, he will examine the state in which he finds the interior flotilla. As a measure of prudence, and according to the conclusions arrived at, he will see to it that no matter what cause, contingency, delay, or weather shall have come up, the flotilla shall cross over to the Bay of Gualquini and take whatever action has been decided upon. 22. Whenever he encounters vessels, he will cause them to be searched as he may think proper; but no matter of what nation they may be, he will, for the purpose of embarrassing the enemy, take possession of them, either peacefully or by force, and of all the commercial vessels belonging to these new colonies, from which are to be evicted the intruding settlers as having furtively and illegally settled upon them. But if these vessels should be registered from Noyorca [New York, probably] and bound to St. Augustine with stores for its garrison, or else returning from the said place to their own country or coming from any other country, in respect of which the reason given above does not hold good, he will not capture them, but will compel and order them to continue their voyage under his convoy. He will take these precautions to make sure of the first class of vessels, and to detain the second, Until the commanding general may have taken cognizance of the case and ordered that there is no objection to giving them their liberty. 23. The Inlanders and other smaller vessels under his command will proceed nearer to the coast than the larger ships, in order that they may the more clearly and promptly pick up the signals made from it and communicate them to the flagship, according to the directions which the commander of the fleet shall have given to this end before leaving port. 24. As soon as this operation shall have been concluded, he will leave the port of Gualquini with his squadron and landing body and proceed directly to the Bay of Saint Simon, at whose entrance he will anchor on the bar in proper order and with the same precautions which he observed in that of Gualquini. Here he will remain until the commanding general orders him by pre-arranged signal to put to sea, so that if the signal should be set to disembark his people, he will answer by executing the order and sending his launches to the beach on the south point of the entrance. In this case, he will order the captains of the bilanders to sail into the harbor and join hands with the interior flotilla, with orders to fire on the redoubt of the foreigners, if this should open. If on the contrary, it should not, he will keep his station with his ships without undertaking any movement whatever as much to avoid risking his ships in entering and leaving the harbor as because it has been considered unnecessary to employ so great a force in the reduction of the redoubt and its garrison, and principally to prevent hostile vessels from going south and thus possibly embarrassing the withdrawal of our own vessels through the interior channels. To this end, he will constantly maintain in the tops a good guard of men of the utmost trustworthiness, who will attentively keep a good lookout in all directions. 25. As soon as he shall have seen the bilanders leaving the said port and a signal to make sail and continue the voyage, he will obey it, setting his course with his entire squadron direct for the bar of Las Cruces [Tybee Bar]; and without waiting for any other order or signal, he will enter the bay. 26. The mouth of Las Cruces, he will recognize by means of a lofty, wooden tower, which the foreigners have built on the north point; on the south, they have a small redoubt. 27. On coming within sight of the said bar, he will hoist the English ensign and will keep it flying until he shall have entered and placed himself in a position to prevent communication of this event to other parts. He will then hoist the Spanish ensign and at the same time will send an officer ashore under a white flag with orders to inform the commanding officer of the fort, that if he does not surrender without resistance or delay, he will be put to the sword with his entire garrison without exception, and to tell him at the same time that the remaining forts and settlements of the south have been depopulated and ruined and that a strong fleet is coming by the interior channels to destroy and reduce to naught those which may have remained. 28. The officer designated for this duty will carefully observe the disposition and force of the redoubt and the strength of its garrison in order that in case of refusing to surrender and offering resistance, the most convenient and best measures may be taken to capture it. He will withdraw to his ship, as soon as he has executed his commission. 29. While all this is going on, he [the Naval Commander] will anchor in the middle of the channel, posting the vessels under his order, so as to occupy both mouths of the Tamaja,* these being the same which on joining form the Savannah River. In this way, all the approaches will be covered and the communications of the enemy embarrassed. *This word suggests the Altamaha, but as this stream has no connection with the Savannah, it is not impossible that the scribe has written T for Y, and that the word is really Yamaha, i.e., Yamacraw. If this emendation be acceptable, then the author of these orders probably has some local configuration in mind. 30. If the commanding officer of the said fort should surrender without resistance, the garrison will be distributed among the vessels of the fleet, orders being given to treat them well. The guns, munitions and stores found will be collected and orders given to burn to the ground all the houses and to ruin and destroy whatever may be found. The same orders will be issued with regard to the tower mentioned. 31. If the commanding officer, in contempt of the courteous and peaceful proposition made to him, should decide to defend himself, the naval commander will make the best disposition to invest the place. He will disembark troops in sufficient number, having regard to the report on the garrison of the fort and its situation made by the officer he sent ashore, to secure success without risk, because if he considers that the operation is somewhat difficult he must not expose himself, but instead will send with the greatest dispatch one or two launches, well-armed and manned, to the south through the channels, with an officer to report everything accurately to the general; and, in addition, the conclusion he had come to in respect of what is needed to attack and conquer the said fort and settlement. The officer will be enjoined to travel night and day until he shall have met the interior flotilla. He must be furnished with the countersign and parole because it is considered important that this information should reach the general as soon as possible. 32. Even should the commanding general of the fort surrender without resistance, the two launches will be sent to report this result to the commanding general with all the incidents which may have occurred, and with an account of the state in which it was found. 33. Since it is possible in the said port to find a few vessels from Europe, bringing stores and people, for the support of these settlements, he will take as many as he shall have found, using them for the service and re-enforcement of his squadron. He will take the most exact precautions for safety until the general shall have joined and given directions, the expedition being concluded, for its orderly and well-arranged withdrawal. There is no doubt that in all relations the general will labor, in accordance with the zeal and experience he is known to have, for the complete success of the royal service, and the glory and reputation of the king's arms. In respect of accidents which cannot be anticipated, I have confidence that his experience and prudence will lead him to display the same zeal in prosperity as in adversity, and a perfect constancy, such that neither will success produce the slightest carelessness nor misfortune abate his courage, keeping in mind, as he will, that all of us depend upon the Divine Omnipotence to which must be attributed both prosperity and adversity, while displaying on his own part the diligence, activity and strength that are required to achieve success in anything upon which we have set our hearts.