The battle of the Bay of Mayagüez between the British frigate Glasgow and the North American schooners Endowack and the Henry April 1777 where Puerto Rico assisted the American ships thus becoming the first nation to recognize the sovereignty and flag of the United States.
Little-known crucial intervention from Puerto Rico
In the 1775 united states war of independence
This is a true fact that has never been recognized.
Rafin R. Mena
Yes, it is generally unknown; but Puerto Rico, in fact, surely played a significant role in the United States’ war of independence from Great Britain in 1777. An intervention for which it has never been recognized, much less appreciated.
It all happened back in April 14, 1777 in the old port of San Germán in the Mayagüez Bay, located on the west coast of the island. And it happened at a time that could not have been more urgent and critical to George Washington’s war effort. Britain had sealed off and blockaded almost every sea lane in the North Atlantic with a fleet of heavily armed warships. The Continental Army, which was waging a desperate war against this most powerful nation of the time, was in desperate and desperate need of the weapons and supplies necessary to face it. Reason why, the great commander, had commissioned some of the only small and medium schooners and sloops available, to make the trip to South America, specifically to Curaçao, to break the blockade and recover and bring back supplies and weapons. acquired. there. It really was a matter of life and death for the fledgling revolution, and it had to be carried out no matter what, no matter what the cost.
One of these small American vessels – the Henry barge – was able to do just that. By deceiving the blockade, he had been able to sail to Curaçao, load the weapons and was sailing back to Virginia to deliver his cargo when near Mona Passage, between Hispaniola and the west coast of Puerto Rico, he was intercepted by the British war frigate Glasgow. The Henry, being a rigged sail sloop, even when heavily loaded, could maneuver more than the Glasgow, which with square sails was much slower to do the same. They continued all the way, with the Henry hitting windward and veering the entire time, and in close pursuit, the Glasgow until they reached the sheltered waters of Mayagüez Bay, where the Henry was stranded and its cargo unloaded. His master, an Amos Weeks, requested protection from the local military port authorities of Puerto Rico. The Glasgow. By then he had also taken out one of his soft boats and was approaching said anchorage, with an armed detachment of sailors and their officer, to demand the delivery of the Henry’s men and cargo.
It was the morning of April 14, 1777. Then there was a stop, because apart from the unusual, the captain of the port, Captain Faustino Martínez de Matos, was in another place outside the city, and only his lieutenant Bernardo Zeno was available. It was a time of tremendous tension and expectation as anyone can imagine, with the men of Glasgow firmly pressing his request with weapons loaded, ready and pointed, and Henry’s people with cargo littering the beach, desperate for a solution. Fortunately, the port captain finally arrived and decided to grant military protection to Henry’s men and cargo; further requesting the Glasgow detachment to return to their ship. He then proceeded to notify the governor of Puerto Rico in San Juan: don Juan Duffresne, who not only instructed him to officially grant him military protection but also to ask Glasgow to leave the bay and return everything they took from Henry . The Henrys stayed in Puerto Rico for a time, repaired their gear, and when they learned that the Glasgows had left the waters in the area, they set sail and delivered the weapons they most needed.
Four months later, on August 1, again two US colonial ships arrived at the port of Mayagüez pursued by the Glasgow, which had obviously been lurking somewhere in the Caribbean islands. This time, in addition to the Henry, the Schooner Endowack had made the trip to Curaçao and loaded with war supplies and weapons, in the process of delivering them to Virginia. Knowing the predisposition of the local authorities towards them, they dock in that port with the Glasgow that decided this time to capture them no matter what, maneuvering sideways, very close to the coast, to be with their guns within reach of the American ships. Given this, and expecting the worst, the Puerto Rican authorities raised Spanish flags on both US ships to warn of their destruction; believing that the British, aware of the neutrality of Spain in that war, would not dare to attack neutral ships. The tactic worked and the Glasgow apparently confused and not knowing what to do, simply abandoning the chase, left the bay.
The townspeople welcomed the men and officers of both ships, of whom they were familiar with Captain Amos Weeks and the sailors of the Henry. They were fed and cared for, until they decided to return to Virginia with the weapons.
How many people know this? Where or when was it mentioned? And what is more curious, why has it remained on the sidelines of the history of the war of independence of the United States? Regardless of this, there is an indisputable fact: THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS A GREAT DEBT OF THANKS TO THE PEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO.