The Patriot War was a covert American attempt to take East Florida from Spain, tacitly backed by the Madison administration through agent George Mathews and carried out by a mix of American "Patriot" settlers, Georgia militia, and U.S. regulars, with Navy and Marine support. Marines under Captain John Williams, operating from a forward post on Cumberland Island, formed the principal Marine element, taking part in the occupation of Fernandina and operations as far south as the Alachua country. The scheme bogged down in a long siege of St. Augustine, stiff Spanish, Seminole, and Black militia resistance, and political disavowal once American involvement became an embarrassment during the new war with Britain. The last troops withdrew in May 1813. Though a failure, the Patriot War is seen as a step toward the eventual U.S. acquisition of Florida under the 1819 Adams-Onís Treaty.
Engagements in this conflict (4)
Record no. 207