On This Day..

[Keith]

[imgleft]http://lh3.ggpht.com/_cQOyQjTP3GY/SzdzjT8-9qI/AAAAAAAAAIw/UJBFa27Du4w/s128/wiki.gif[/imgleft]Big day in the chronicles of piracy today as on this day back in 1671 Henry Morgan captured Panama from the Spanish.

On January 18, 1671, Morgan discovered that Panama had roughly 1,500 infantry and cavalry. He split his forces in two, using one to march through the forest and flank the enemy. The Spaniards were untrained and rushed Morgan's line where he cut them down with gunfire, only to have his flankers emerge and finish off the rest of the Spanish soldiers. Although Panama was at the time the richest city in New Spain, Morgan and his men obtained far less plunder than they had expected. Much of the city's wealth had been removed onto a Spanish ship that then stood out into the Gulf of Panama, beyond the looters' reach.[sup][4][/sup] Most of the inhabitants' remaining goods were destroyed in a fire of unclear cause. Morgan's men tortured those residents of Panama they could catch, but very little gold was forthcoming from the victims. After Morgan's attack, the Panama city had to be rebuilt in a new site a few kilometres to the west (the current site). The former site is called Panamá Viejon and still contains the remaining parts of the old Panama City.

For what would seem to be a great achievement, Henry had only beaten some local militia, got bugger all of the loot and then got shafted by the people whose very interests he was looking after. Not a good day at the office.... In fairness he got off of the charge and ended up doing pretty well for himself. Read all about it HERE