1. Kenrick Duran
Social Studies
Ms. Chan
4/9/12
Combatants and overview
The battle took place between an invading force from Mexico, attempting to assert Spanish
claims to present-day Belize, and a small force of resident woodcutters called Baymen, who
fought for their livelihood assisted by black slaves. After the final two and a half hour battle,
ravaged by sickness, the Spaniards withdrew and the British declared themselves winners.
Background
The territory that is now Belize was under dispute from as early as the mid 1750s by Great
Britain and Spain. Although Spain never occupied Belize, she considered it part of her Central
American territories, such as Mexico and Guatemala. The British had entered the territory as of
1638 to harvest logwood and later mahogany. Spain recognised this trade in the Treaty of Paris
(signed in 1763[1]) but did not undertake to draw boundaries (which would have suggested that
Spain was giving up claims of sovereignty to the area), leading to further disputes. Indeed, from
1779 to 1782 the settlement was abandoned, its settlers, known as the Baymen, and their African
slaves having been deported to Havana, Cuba following a Spanish attack.
The Treaty of Versailles and the Superintendency
In 1783, hostilities were brought to an end by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which
allowed the Baymen rights between the Belize and Hondo rivers; this was extended with the
1786 Convention of London to the Sibun River. Cutting rights were granted to the settlers on the
condition that the settlement berecognised as belonging to Spain; Superintendent Col. Edward
Marcus Despard was to administer the terms of the treaty. Due to conflicts with the inhabitants
Despard resigned, but by 1796 it was clear the issue would have to be settled.
Escalation and preparations
Humphreys relates that in a 1796 visit to the area, VisitadorJuan O'Sullivan claimed the British
were encroaching on Spanish territory in Mexico by cutting near the Hondo. Upon his return to

2. Spain, hostilities broke out between Great Britain and Spain as a result of the Napoleonic Wars.
The Spanish viewed the situation seriously and determined to remove the British.
Colonists appealed to Jamaican Lieutenant Governor Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres,
for assistance. Even though he was in the midst of the Maroon Wars, Balcarres nonetheless sent
muskets and ammunition to the settlement and a further shipment arrived on Lt. Thomas Dundas'
ship HMS Merlin in December 1796. But upon his arrival, Dundas noted panic in the settlement
and the subsequent dispatching of slaves to cut logwood instead of preparing to defend the
settlement.
Balcarres then named Major (promoted to Lt. Colonel) Thomas Barrow Superintendent of the
settlement. Barrow, a seasoned veteran of war according to Humphreys, immediately began
whipping the unruly Baymen into shape, and martial law, stopping all activities in the settlement,
was declared on 11 February 1797. On 18 March, magistrates Thomas Potts, Thomas Graham
and Marshall Bennett all asked Barrow whether there were any incoming messages from
Jamaica. Barrow admitted that more help would be on the way soon, to alleviate the fears of the
Baymen, but Humphreys calls the actions of Potts and company "cowardly" and says that even
after that reassurance morale was low.
The June evacuation meeting
Impatient with the plans to defend the settlement, the Baymen called a public meeting for 1 June
1797. At this meeting, the Baymen voted 65 to 51 to defend the settlement and cooperate with
Barrow. This initial support wavered considerably between then and September 1798, as reports
came in of the size of the Spanish fleet. Don Arturo O'Neill Tirone, Yucatán Governor and
Commander of the expedition, had secured:
“
...two very large frigates, an armed brig, and two sloops carrying two 100 pounders,
and four gunboats carrying each a 24 pounder in bow; with several other armed
vessels, arrived... at Campeachy, and taking aboard about 300 troops, then sailed and
(made a rendezvous) at the island of Cozumel;...the two frigates and the brig left the
fleet there and as the deserters understood, returned to La Vera Cruz... A schooner of
22 guns, to which they (the deserters) belonged, then became commodore...All the
small vessels of the fleet were to be sent to Bacalar to assist in embarking the troops
at that place, said to consist of 12 companies of 100 men each... ”
This estimate was severely reduced due to outbreaks of yellow fever and dissent in the Spanish
army. Nevertheless, it was enough to frighten the Baymen into posting lookouts near the
boundaries of the territory.
Baymen's preparations
The Merlin's command in 1798 was Captain John Moss, a strategist on the order of Barrow. By
18 July 1798 the fleet had reached Cozumel, leading the settlers to agree to arm their slaves, an
act that affected the outcome of the battle due to the slaves' knowledge of warfare. There were

3. still some who were cautious and demanded evacuation, including Potts, but Balcarres ignored
them and imposed martial law on 26 July. The Settlement lineup consisted of the following:
“
Merlin, HM's sloop of war; two sloops, Towser and Tickler, with one 18 pounder and
25 men each; one sloop, Mermaid, with one short 9 pounder and 25 men; the
schooners, Swinger and Teazer, with six four pounders and 25 men each; seven gun-
flats, one 9 pounder and 16 men each. ”
In addition there were 700 troops ready to deter attack by land.
The battle
From 3 to 5 September, the Spaniards tried to force their way through Montego Caye shoal,
blocked by the defenders. The military commanders, Moss and Barrow, differed on where to put
their resources for the next phase of the fight: Barrow thought they would go to the land phase,
while Moss decided on defending St. George's Caye. Moss arrived in time to stop the Spaniards,
setting the stage for 10 September.
10 September
At 1:00 p.m. that afternoon, the Spaniards and British lined up off St. George's Caye. The
Spaniards stormed through the channel, and at 1:30 engaged the British in a two-hour fight
which ended in defeat for the confused Spaniards. Moss reported no one killed and the Baymen
in good spirits. Barrow was dispatched and arrived in time to see the end of the battle and
prevent the slave men from boarding the enemy. The Spaniards were in full retreat by 13
September, and Barrow agreed to send vessels to further push the Spaniards back.
Aftermath
Conditions in Belize did not improve much after the battle, though the threat of Spanish attacks
decreased significantly. The event is celebrated every 10 September in Belize as St. George's
Caye Day or National Day.