Henry Morgan's raid on Porto Bello was a military event which took place in the latter half of the Anglo-Spanish war beginning on 10 July 1668. Welsh buccaneer Henry Morgan led a largely English privateer force against the heavily fortified Spanish controlled town of Porto Bello (now Portobelo in modern Panama). After landing, Morgan and his men attempted to take the castles protecting the town. One such attempt involved using captured citizens as human shields to seize one of the castles. After capturing them all by force the privateers subsequently entered the city and then plundered it before Morgan demanded a large ransom from the Governor of Panama Don Agustín de Bracamonte. While the negotiations for this was going on, Bracamonte led a sizeable force from Panama City intent on recapturing the city and putting the privateers to the sword.
Morgan however managed to ambush and repel Bracamonte's counter attack forcing him to deliver the ransom. Having achieved this, Morgan and the privateers left Porto Bello intact as promised and returned to Jamaica unhindered. The attack was highly successful and garnered some 100,000 pieces of eight as well as other valuable booty.
Background
England and Spain had remained in a state of war in the Caribbean following the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. England's taking possession of Jamaica since 1657 had yet to be confirmed by Spain in a treaty. As a result buccaneers were invited to base themselves at Port Royal to help defend against Spanish attacks.
Henry Morgan, who had been in charge of the Port Royal militia and the defence of Jamaica, took over further privateering expeditions as Admiral in Chief of the Confederacy of Buccaneers.
In March 1668 Morgan set out on his first commanded expedition to the Spanish island of Cuba to seize Puerto Principe. Outside the town the privateers defeated the militia in a pitched battle known as the Battle of la Savana. They then captured the town, plundering and sacking it while also gathering a ransom for citizens it seized. The President of the Real Audiencia of Panama, Don Juan Perez de Guzmán, then launched a retaliatory attack on Providence Island, capturing it and sending the prisoners to Porto Bello. Despite this Guzmán had fallen afoul of the new Viceroy of Peru and was now imprisoned and replaced by the young Don Agustín de Bracamonte.
After dividing the spoils of the conquest of Puerto del Príncipe, Morgan announced a plan to attack Porto Bello in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The city was the third largest and strongest on the Spanish Main as it was one of the main routes of high value goods between the Spanish territories and Spain. Silver and other treasures would be sent from Peru to Panama City. Then it was carried by mules overland to Porto Bello, where it was loaded onto the Spanish Plate fleet. Porto Bello was protected by two castles in the harbour and another under construction in the town. The port had been attacked by English privateers before; Francis Drake had been repelled in 1595 and then died of disease not far off the coast, and William Parker six years later captured and ransomed the place.
The 200 French privateers, unhappy with the division of the treasure at Puerto Principe and the murder of their countryman, left Morgan's service and returned to Tortuga. On June 26 Morgan and his ships briefly landed at Port Royal before leaving for Porto Bello but only he and the captains (including Edward Collier) knew – the rest were not told of the destination until they landed.
Raid
On 10 July Morgan weighed anchor with 470 men on his nine vessels at Naos, a village twelve miles from Porto Bello in the Bay of Bocas del Torro. From there he sailed along the coast to the port of El Puerto del Ponton, four miles from Porto Bello, and transferred his men to 23 canoes. While this was happening six emaciated English prisoners captured from Old Providence appeared who were able to guide them and also gave valuable information. From there they paddled to within three miles (4.8 km) of the target where the Privateers approached a blockhouse at La Rancherria – an old pearling station guarded by five men. They were asked to surrender by the English, but were met with a volley of fire which wounded two men. The English then assaulted the blockhouse putting all to the sword. Although the blockhouse was captured, the surprise had now been lost. The musket fire had been heard in the city and the mayor immediately called his men to arms.
Taking the castles
As dawn broke the following day Morgan now had to rush his men two miles across the beach towards Santiago Castle. The former prisoners guided them to Santiago from the landward side, where they arrived half an hour before dawn. Morgan suddenly saw how high the walls of the castle were and had second thoughts about making an assault. From the prisoners' information Morgan instead sent two groups – one to head into town to capture it and the other to approach a hill which would give a commanding view of the castle's rear gate.
The first detachment charged towards the castle – however the Spanish garrison had loaded the cannons with round shot and not grapeshot. The shots they fired were ineffective and the men were able to get under the guns at the bottom of the castle walls.
The other group penetrated the town and shot at everything they saw to incite terror, taking prisoners and looting everything they could before the Spanish could hide their valuables.
The town was captured with ease and both groups now combined and headed towards the other unfinished fort San Geronimo that lay across the other side of the harbour. Realizing the water was shallow, Morgan's men then assaulted it with ease and the Spanish gunners surrendered. Morgan also released eleven badly treated chained up English prisoners captured during Guzman's attack on Old Providence. They had been working on the construction of the castle and the privateers were furious on seeing their condition and demanded revenge. One of the prisoners claimed that the Spanish were raising levies to attack Jamaica.
Meanwhile on the hill the musketeers were picking off men in Santiago castle. Morgan now had to take the castle quickly – he ordered a number of long ladders to be built, and came up with a controversial stratagem. He ordered Spanish prisoners to be placed in front of the assault force to be used as human shields.
Morgan had all the prisoners bound and locked in the Santa Maria church. He then chose a set number of prisoners – the town's mayor, friars and nuns and the sick and the elderly. They were marched towards the castle – and the Spanish realised what was happening. The privateers were crouched behind the prisoners who shouted at the castle not to shoot. As they got closer and closer to the main gates the castle's gunners reluctantly opened fire – despite the pleas of the prisoners. The guns firing chain shot wounded a number of the prisoners and an Englishman. Now close to the walls the English rushed through the prisoners and hacked away at the gate with axes. While this was going on, another force swept round the castle and with ladders managed to scale the wall. The Spanish defended with all kinds of weapons including stones and anything they could get their hands on.
The privateers managed to cut the defenders down using earthen pots filled with gunpowder, and swept over the ramparts. One Englishman managed to raise the red flag, meaning 'no quarter'. At the same time the main gate was breached and the privateers poured in. The Spanish were all put to the sword with seventy four dead including the commander. The English lost only an eighth of the attacking force.
With the capture of the two fortifications Morgan now only had San Felipe to capture. It stood in the way of the other side of the harbour and was held by fifty men with Castellan Alejandro Manuel Pau y Rocaberti. Morgan needed it taken quickly too so he could get his ships in to offload and on load supplies. He intended to take it peacefully but when two canoes were sent to ask for its surrender and were shot at, it was clear it had to be taken by force.
200 men in eleven canoes with two Spanish prisoners as guides at gunpoint went in to the attack. One group fired at the men in the castle in the fort and attempted to set fire to the gate. The other group attempted to charge the fort but this attempt was repelled with the loss of five casualties amongst the privateers. Nevertheless the castle was running short of powder and food, so surrender was inevitable. After a heated discussion the castle commander surrendered and Morgan agreed under generous terms and kept their swords but before Rocaberti came out of the fort, he was given a vial of poison and drank it.
Sack of Porto Bello
Morgan ran up the English flag on all three forts. The Privateers then stripped the city of its wealth; torture was used on the residents to uncover hidden caches of money and jewels. Nevertheless there were no first-hand reports from witnesses that confirmed claims of widespread rape and debauchery. Morgan now set the task of interrogating all the Spanish prisoners for information and the whereabouts of any hidden valuables. Some had escaped into the hinterlands along with their possessions. More importantly, one of the prisoners under torture gave information regarding plans of an attack against Jamaica. This was what he needed; proof that the Spanish were planning an imminent and large attack. As such, this made the attack on Porto Bello justifiable in regards to his letter of marque.
The privateers went out in groups beyond the town to find any of the residents in hiding. After settling in for a week, Morgan then demanded 100,000 Pesos as a ransom for the town or he would burn it down. He sent two men to the President of Panama with these demands.
Spanish counter attack
At Panama City 70 miles from Porto Bello, news of the latter's fall had been given by a Spanish horseman who had escaped and managed to trek all the way. On July 14 Governor Don Agustín de Bracamonte quickly set out with some 800 soldiers, militia and natives to try and retake the city. As such he made the mistake of not having enough necessary provisions to keep them sustained – instead provisions were to be sent later while they were on the march. Bracamonte also sent out hurried appeals to Cartagena and Lima to send out an expedition to pursue and put all the English pirates to the sword.
Meanwhile in Porto Bello natives from the region who were never friends of Spain soon had friendly relations with the English. This was fortunate for Morgan as they gave him news and updates of Bracamonte's Spanish army column which had been approaching over the mountains and through the jungles towards Porto Bello.
On hearing of the Spanish approach Morgan wrote to the Bracamonte the acting president of Panama, demanding a ransom for the city of 350,000 pesos. The two men that Morgan sent finally reached Bracamonte's force and gave them the accounts of Morgan's actions in Porto Bello.
Bracamonte wrote back and accused Morgan of being a pirate; he refused any concessions and warned his troops they would spare no 'pirate' alive. Morgan angry at being called a pirate, threatened to torch the city, demolish the castles and treat the prisoners in the same manner as the English prisoners had been treated by the Spanish.
Morgan acted quickly by setting up defences around the town towards where the Spanish would approach. Having done this he then sent 200 men down the only passable road to a narrow pass to set up an ambush. The Spanish already bogged down by lack of supplies and growing disease were approaching the town from the South. As they approached the English launched the ambush towards the leading elements, sending many retreating in panic. The ambush was a huge success with the Spanish losing eight men to one Englishmen. Bracamonte not to be deterred ordered his men on, but ordered a halt when his scouts reported the strong defences that lay before him.
Bracamonte, despite this setback, ordered an attack as a soon as possible. However, only a series of small weak attacks were made and all were easily repelled by the privateers. Another attempt was made to rescue some certain prisoners and valuables, as well as the statues of the Virgin which Bracamonte assumed would be desecrated by the English. This also failed.
Negotiations and ransom
Bracamonte backed off, and now with news of delays of provisions and his force already weakened by disease, decided to change his tone. The Spanish were also concerned that the French were about to join the English privateers and reinforce them and there were even rumours of an impending attack on Panama itself. Bracamonte formed a junta and after some discussions reluctantly agreed to offer a reduced ransom. After some more exchange of letters over a week between himself and Morgan a deal was finally struck for 100,000 pesos.