The British Attack on Havana(By Gus Nace)

Global War

Over 150 years before the First World War, the European powers and their colonies would wage war across five continents during the 7 Years’ War. The Caribbean would not be spared from the fighting as intense naval warfare broke out, and rival European powers looked to capture and seize profit centers. The brutal British Siege and capture of Spanish Havana would serve as the prime achievement of British Caribbean forces in conflict.

Havana’s Role in the Caribbean

Havana was the Jewel of the Spanish Caribbean because of all the investment placed in it by the Spanish crown. It had the largest shipyard in the Americas, capable of producing ships that outclassed those made back in Europe. It had two separate, fully functional fortresses guarding the entrance to its harbor with full garrisons manning the forts. All this investment would eventually turn it into not only a military center of power but an economic center as industries and trade networks popped up to support the growing city.[1]

Siege Goals and Strategies

British strategy was derived from their experience in the War for Jenkins’ Ear, when they learned of the true threat to any long-term siege, disease. Troops shipped in from outside the Caribbean could have mortality rates as high as 85% to diseases such as yellow fever. The British at the time only had two methods of combating this speed and overwhelming numbers. They solved this by bringing an astonishing 28,400 men on around 200 vessels through a shortcut the Spanish thought was impossible to cross with large warships. The Spanish were well aware of the devastating effect disease could have, making their strategy revolve around buying enough time for the Caribbean itself to break the British. Their defenders would be the garrison of Spanish soldiers, as well as the local militia of the Island, and the city would have already built natural immunities to Caribbean diseases.[2]

Forces

-British Forces: Led by Sir George Pocock(Fleet) and Sir George Keppel(Land Forces)

Approximately 16,000 Soldiers, 10,000 sailors, 2,400 enslaved Africans, for a total of 28,400 men, carried on 50 warships and 150 merchant ships with 2,292 cannons in tow.[3]

-Spanish Forces: Led by Governor Juan de Prado

Approximately 1,500 Soldiers, 2,100 militiamen, 4,000 sailors, plus militias located in the region around Havana, for a total of over 10,000 men. Two separate fortresses that overlook both sides of the entrance to the harbor of Havana. Castillo del Morro on the Eastern side and Castillo de la Punta on the Western side.[4]

Siege

Castillo del Morro was the signature defense of Havana, with its masterful construction and fierce garrison, but it had one critical weakness La Cabana Hill, which could be used as high ground to shell both the fortress and the city. Governor Prado attempted to secure the Cabana early into the conflict but failed, giving Britain the small advantage it needed to overcome the fortifications. Approaching the Morro even with artillery support was no easy feat, as British forces had to clear trees, build batteries, and set up sandbag fortifications. The British forced their enslaved Africans to do as much of this hard labor as possible because they did not trust them in combat. After several weeks of Bombardment and approaching the fortress, the British leadership decided the only way to take the fortress would be by mining into the limestone underneath and blowing it up from below. On July 30th British forces blew the mine, creating a breach in the walls that allowed them to storm and seize the fortress. With the Morro secured, Britain had managed to establish two locations from which it could bombard the city.[5]

Taking of the City

After the capture of the Morro, the British strategy revolved around bombing the city of Havana as much as they could to force a surrender. After 12 days of this onslaught, Governor Juan de Prade submitted his surrender, citing “considerations of humanity” as his reasoning. He would manage to secure favorable terms for the population of the city, including protection of property and religion, as well as the continuation of the city council and legal system. The military commanders leading the city’s defense and militias felt this was a betrayal meant to protect the wealthy’s riches in the city, and if given more time, the British would yield. This feeling of betrayal would be compounded by the fact that instead of burning a third of the Spanish navy in the harbor, he allowed the British to take the ships intact, turning this primarily land victory into a bigger gain than the British navy could dream of. Britain also seized the 1.8 million pesos stored within the royal treasury and distributed it among the British forces.[6]

Results

British forces would occupy the city for the next eleven months. During this time, Britain would be unable to change Havana in the way it once imagined it could, but it still managed to further strengthen ties between the British colonies and Havana. The Siege of Havana would be remembered as one of the most impactful events of the Seven Years’ War. Britain and Spain both committed thousands of men to the operation and lost thousands to disease and bombardment. Britain would turn 1/3 of Spain’s navy into its own while robbing the Spanish crown of the wealth stored within Havana. The negotiation for the return of Havana would play a key role in the treaty to end the war, giving Britain the Florida territory.[7]

[1] Elena Andrea Schneider, The Occupation of Havana War, Trade, and Slavery in the Atlantic World (Williamsburg: Omohundro Institute, 2022). 70-76

[2] Elena Andrea Schneider, The Occupation of Havana War, Trade, and Slavery in the Atlantic World (Williamsburg: Omohundro Institute, 2022).  160-162

[3] Elena Andrea Schneider, The Occupation of Havana War, Trade, and Slavery in the Atlantic World (Williamsburg: Omohundro Institute, 2022). 126

[4] Elena Andrea Schneider, The Occupation of Havana War, Trade, and Slavery in the Atlantic World (Williamsburg: Omohundro Institute, 2022). 121

[5] Elena Andrea Schneider, The Occupation of Havana War, Trade, and Slavery in the Atlantic World (Williamsburg: Omohundro Institute, 2022). 113-126

[6] Elena Andrea Schneider, The Occupation of Havana War, Trade, and Slavery in the Atlantic World (Williamsburg: Omohundro Institute, 2022). 156-162

[7] Elena Andrea Schneider, The Occupation of Havana War, Trade, and Slavery in the Atlantic World (Williamsburg: Omohundro Institute, 2022). 210-216

Works Cited

Schneider, Elena Andrea. The occupation of Havana War, trade, and slavery in the Atlantic World. Williamsburg: Omohundro Institute, 2022.