CapitainDams
Pirate Spirit Crew's Captain
<b>L'île à vache : cow island</b>
<img src="http://force9.free.fr/loren/Illust/CarteHaiti.GIF" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<b>Sir HENRY MORGAN
(1635 - 1688)</b>
A Welsh buccaneer famous for his raids on Spanish possessions.
Morgan's raids were carried out in his capacity as a "privateer". Like commanders in many colonial outposts of the time, he was authorised to act as an agent of his country at a time when official government forces were often not available so far from home. He arrived at the West Indian island of Barbados in 1655 as a junior officer in an expedition sent out by Oliver Cromwell and commanded by General Venables. This was the time of the Commonwealth. King Charles I had been executed and Cromwell's head appeared on the coinage. Henry learned much from Commodore Christopher Mings when he sailed as part of the flotilla which first attacked and plundered Santiago (Cuba) and in 1663 when he commanded a vessel in the attack on the Mexican coast. Campeche, defended by two forts and regular Spanish troops, fell after a day of fighting and the buccaneers took fourteen Spanish ships from the port as prizes.
English authorities seemed to encourage the activities of the buccaneers because people in power in London knew that Britain's future prosperity rested on her ability to expand trading markets. The Spanish had claimed the New World and Spain had become dependant upon the gold and silver it produced. They sought to control trade and limit it to Spanish ships. England had no colonies where slaves toiled in gold mines and knew that only the outposts of the enfeebled Spanish empire prevented it from exploiting new opportunities for trade.
In 1663, Henry Morgan was one of five captains who left the old Port Royal in Jamaica and set a course for New Spain. The small fleet sailed from Jamaica and rounded the Yucatan peninsula to the Gulf of Mexico. They landed at Frontera and marched 50 miles inland to attack Villahermosa. After sacking this town they found that their own ships had been captured by the Spanish so they had to themselves capture two Spanish ships and four coastal canoes in which to continue their epic voyage. They sailed around the Yucatan peninsular and continued along the coast of Central America. They landed on the coast of modern Nicaragua and again struck inland to attack a rich town called Granada. Morgan and his men returned to Jamaica with great riches. By 1665 Morgan had taken the lead in the most audacious buccaneering expedition ever known in the West Indies. Morgan could have retired but it was felt that Jamaica was threatened and it seems Morgan was asked to organise the island's militia and defences. It was decided to attack the town of El Puerto del Principe, 45 miles inland from the Cuban coast.This raid did not provide much plunder and on their return to the coast most of the French captains decided to join up with their countryman, the bloodthirsty privateer L'Ollonais, at Tortuga. Thus, in May of 1668 Morgan sailed with his remaining force south, across the Caribbean to a place near the present day Panama Canal, called a council of war and announced his intention to attack the heavily defended harbour of Portobelo. They captured the fort of San Geronimo, this made Morgan's name as a daring and successful leader.
Later in 1668, Morgan sailed with ten vessels to Cow Island off the coast of Hispaniola (modern Haiti). Here the Oxford, a warship sent out for the defence of Jamaica by the British government, found the French privateer ship Le Cerf Volant. The French vessel had been accused of piracy so the Cerf Volant was arrested and condemned as a prize by the Jamaica Court of Admiralty. After the Oxford was blown up, the Cerf Volant ultimately became his flagship, under the new name of Satisfaction. After cruising east along the coast of Hispaniola and attacking coastal towns along the way, Morgan turned south to sail across the Caribbean again, making for Maracaibo in the Gulf of Venezuela. This he took, together with the more southerly town of Gibraltar. On their return journey, the privateers were bottled up at the lake of Maracaibo by several large Spanish warships and and a reinforced fort. Morgan had to use great ingenuity to escape. While doing so added to his treasure yet again.
In 1670 Morgan assembled an expedition of 36 ships and over 1800 men at a safe anchorage off Hispaniola (Cow Island). It was decided to attack Panama, the legendary Spanish city of the Indies. All the riches of the mines of Peru passed through here on the way to Spain and the city was known to be full of rich merchants and fine buildings. After many battles and privations Panama finally fell. Morgan returned to Jamaica minus his ship the Satisfaction which had been wrecked on a reef but his fleet docked at Port Royal with hundreds of slaves and chests of gold, silver and jewels.
By the time that the sack of Panama was known in London, politics had taken a turn. There were those who sought to conciliate Spain, especially since reports from some European capitals suggested that she was near to declaring war on England. It was thought prudent to arrest Modyford, the governor of Jamaica and later to arrest Morgan. In 1672 Morgan sailed for London in the Welcome. There is no record of Morgan having been detained and he seems to have spent three years in London at his own expense but free to meet the people he chose. In time, England's attitude to Spain changed and when the King became aware that the English colony of Jamaica was under threat again, he asked Morgan for advice about the defence of the island, knighted him and wondered if he might like to return there as Lieutenant Governor. At the age of 45, Sir Henry was acting governor of Jamaica, `Vice-Admiral`, Commandant of the Port Royal Regiment, Judge of the Admiralty Court and Justice of the Peace. On the 25th of August he died.
For many of us today, Henry Morgan is little more than the name of a "pirate" of yore, but there are signs of Morgan being `re-evaluated` as one of Britain's most successful military strategists and as a man with the leadership qualities of an Alexander. He gained the loyalty of the buccaneers, who followed him without question, and the respect of kings and princes. Of all the great figures in Welsh history he must be counted among the most attractive and able.
<!--`QuoteBegin-Cow` island's website+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cow island's website)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Sea Explorer AG
Klaus Keppler and his team, with the collaboration of the canadian Ocean Discovery Network discovered Henri Morgan's boat, near our complex. The 16 members team lived in our complex from may, 1st to june, 23.
Sea Explorer AG returned in 2003, accompanying Spiegel TV, for the shooting of a film dedicated to Henry Morgan's life which was spreaded(diffuseded) the 9th septembre on ZDF(in german).[/quote]
Sources :
<a href="http://www.`port-morgan`.com" target="_blank">http://www.`port-morgan`.com</a>
<img src="http://force9.free.fr/loren/Illust/CarteHaiti.GIF" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<b>Sir HENRY MORGAN
(1635 - 1688)</b>
A Welsh buccaneer famous for his raids on Spanish possessions.
Morgan's raids were carried out in his capacity as a "privateer". Like commanders in many colonial outposts of the time, he was authorised to act as an agent of his country at a time when official government forces were often not available so far from home. He arrived at the West Indian island of Barbados in 1655 as a junior officer in an expedition sent out by Oliver Cromwell and commanded by General Venables. This was the time of the Commonwealth. King Charles I had been executed and Cromwell's head appeared on the coinage. Henry learned much from Commodore Christopher Mings when he sailed as part of the flotilla which first attacked and plundered Santiago (Cuba) and in 1663 when he commanded a vessel in the attack on the Mexican coast. Campeche, defended by two forts and regular Spanish troops, fell after a day of fighting and the buccaneers took fourteen Spanish ships from the port as prizes.
English authorities seemed to encourage the activities of the buccaneers because people in power in London knew that Britain's future prosperity rested on her ability to expand trading markets. The Spanish had claimed the New World and Spain had become dependant upon the gold and silver it produced. They sought to control trade and limit it to Spanish ships. England had no colonies where slaves toiled in gold mines and knew that only the outposts of the enfeebled Spanish empire prevented it from exploiting new opportunities for trade.
In 1663, Henry Morgan was one of five captains who left the old Port Royal in Jamaica and set a course for New Spain. The small fleet sailed from Jamaica and rounded the Yucatan peninsula to the Gulf of Mexico. They landed at Frontera and marched 50 miles inland to attack Villahermosa. After sacking this town they found that their own ships had been captured by the Spanish so they had to themselves capture two Spanish ships and four coastal canoes in which to continue their epic voyage. They sailed around the Yucatan peninsular and continued along the coast of Central America. They landed on the coast of modern Nicaragua and again struck inland to attack a rich town called Granada. Morgan and his men returned to Jamaica with great riches. By 1665 Morgan had taken the lead in the most audacious buccaneering expedition ever known in the West Indies. Morgan could have retired but it was felt that Jamaica was threatened and it seems Morgan was asked to organise the island's militia and defences. It was decided to attack the town of El Puerto del Principe, 45 miles inland from the Cuban coast.This raid did not provide much plunder and on their return to the coast most of the French captains decided to join up with their countryman, the bloodthirsty privateer L'Ollonais, at Tortuga. Thus, in May of 1668 Morgan sailed with his remaining force south, across the Caribbean to a place near the present day Panama Canal, called a council of war and announced his intention to attack the heavily defended harbour of Portobelo. They captured the fort of San Geronimo, this made Morgan's name as a daring and successful leader.
Later in 1668, Morgan sailed with ten vessels to Cow Island off the coast of Hispaniola (modern Haiti). Here the Oxford, a warship sent out for the defence of Jamaica by the British government, found the French privateer ship Le Cerf Volant. The French vessel had been accused of piracy so the Cerf Volant was arrested and condemned as a prize by the Jamaica Court of Admiralty. After the Oxford was blown up, the Cerf Volant ultimately became his flagship, under the new name of Satisfaction. After cruising east along the coast of Hispaniola and attacking coastal towns along the way, Morgan turned south to sail across the Caribbean again, making for Maracaibo in the Gulf of Venezuela. This he took, together with the more southerly town of Gibraltar. On their return journey, the privateers were bottled up at the lake of Maracaibo by several large Spanish warships and and a reinforced fort. Morgan had to use great ingenuity to escape. While doing so added to his treasure yet again.
In 1670 Morgan assembled an expedition of 36 ships and over 1800 men at a safe anchorage off Hispaniola (Cow Island). It was decided to attack Panama, the legendary Spanish city of the Indies. All the riches of the mines of Peru passed through here on the way to Spain and the city was known to be full of rich merchants and fine buildings. After many battles and privations Panama finally fell. Morgan returned to Jamaica minus his ship the Satisfaction which had been wrecked on a reef but his fleet docked at Port Royal with hundreds of slaves and chests of gold, silver and jewels.
By the time that the sack of Panama was known in London, politics had taken a turn. There were those who sought to conciliate Spain, especially since reports from some European capitals suggested that she was near to declaring war on England. It was thought prudent to arrest Modyford, the governor of Jamaica and later to arrest Morgan. In 1672 Morgan sailed for London in the Welcome. There is no record of Morgan having been detained and he seems to have spent three years in London at his own expense but free to meet the people he chose. In time, England's attitude to Spain changed and when the King became aware that the English colony of Jamaica was under threat again, he asked Morgan for advice about the defence of the island, knighted him and wondered if he might like to return there as Lieutenant Governor. At the age of 45, Sir Henry was acting governor of Jamaica, `Vice-Admiral`, Commandant of the Port Royal Regiment, Judge of the Admiralty Court and Justice of the Peace. On the 25th of August he died.
For many of us today, Henry Morgan is little more than the name of a "pirate" of yore, but there are signs of Morgan being `re-evaluated` as one of Britain's most successful military strategists and as a man with the leadership qualities of an Alexander. He gained the loyalty of the buccaneers, who followed him without question, and the respect of kings and princes. Of all the great figures in Welsh history he must be counted among the most attractive and able.
<!--`QuoteBegin-Cow` island's website+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cow island's website)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Sea Explorer AG
Klaus Keppler and his team, with the collaboration of the canadian Ocean Discovery Network discovered Henri Morgan's boat, near our complex. The 16 members team lived in our complex from may, 1st to june, 23.
Sea Explorer AG returned in 2003, accompanying Spiegel TV, for the shooting of a film dedicated to Henry Morgan's life which was spreaded(diffuseded) the 9th septembre on ZDF(in german).[/quote]
Sources :
<a href="http://www.`port-morgan`.com" target="_blank">http://www.`port-morgan`.com</a>
" border="0" alt="onya.gif" /> 
k" border="0" alt="huhh.gif" />
" border="0" alt="keith.gif" />
" border="0" alt="w00t.gif" /> 
" border="0" alt="icon_wink.gif" /> <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/onya.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />