The Second Spanish Period
1784-1821
Part Three
William Augustus Bowles – Part two
Bowles Takes Over Trading Post on Wakulla River
On
January 16, 1792, William Augustus Bowles, still seeking to break the monopoly
that Panton, Leslie and Company had on the Indian fur trade, attacked and
seized its store on the Wakulla River, just north of Fort San Marcos. One of
Bowles’s men, Lt. William Cunningham, along with a group of warriors including
Cowitas Broken Arrows, Hitchetas, Ufales, Chichas, and Ousutches, arrived at
the trading post first.[1] Cunningham soon unsheathed his sword and stated that the post was now
his, and he assured the employees that he would kill anybody who resisted.
Cunningham promised his men he would pay them $12.50 for each Spanish head or
scalp they brought him.[2] Shortly after the seizure, Bowles arrived accompanied by
more Creeks. They began to loot and plunder the trading post while complaining about the high
prices the Panton store charged them. Cunningham was drunk, and his talk of
brutality towards the Spanish disturbed Bowles and he had him tied up but he
managed to escape shortly after. Bowles did not attack the fort at this time,
because he sought a diplomatic negotiation with the governor of Louisiana and
West Florida, Francisco Luis Hector de Carondelet, regarding the Independent
Indian state of Muskogee.
Two
weeks later, Edward Forrester, the factor at the Panton store, managed to grab
the company books and fled to the safety of the fort a few miles down river. Francisco Guesy,
commander of Fort San Marcos, dispatched twenty-three soldiers under the
command of Sub-lieutenant Juan Bautista Pellerin to capture Bowles. The
detachment returned to the fort quickly once it discovered they were outnumbered three to
one. To lure him into being captured, Governor Carondelet accepted Bowles’s
request for an audience, and invited him to speak in New Orleans. Unaware of the seizure of the
Panton, Leslie and Company’s Wakulla store, a message was written to Bowles
from the governor that stated, “You can embark with all security on His
Majesty’s schooner Galga. Its
commander is Jose de Hevia, captain of the New Orleans port, who has orders to
treat you with distinction during the voyage to this city, where I anxiously
await you.”[3] The Galga was well equipped with eight cannon, several swivel guns, and
twenty-four soldiers commanded by Captain Pedro Rouseau. Hevia was ordered to
leave with haste and to capture the pirate Bowles as soon as possible.
On
February 18, 1792 the Galga entered
Apalachee Bay and noticed a schooner flying the Union Jack anchored at the
mouth of the San Marcos River. It was
a merchant ship belonging to Panton, Leslie and Company called the Mary, and was piloted by Matthew
Forrest. Numerous Creeks, Miccosukees, and Seminoles were on the shore and in
canoes, so Hevia decided to unload a warning shot from the ships cannon telling the Indians to not dare approach his ship. After stealing twenty-seven
tons of animal furs and forcing the Panton employees to flee to San Marcos,
Bowles
remained in the area. The Panton employees were able to confirm that Bowles
had taken all the stolen goods to a warehouse he had built on the Ochlocknee
River, which included guns, shot, and powder. Forrest offered to help Hevia any
way he could. Hevia met with Guesy and told him about his intentions of capturing
Bowles. Guesy then informed him that Bowles had with him around two-hundred
Indians, so capturing him was not going to be easy.
The Arrest of Bowles
Hevia
decided to take the diplomatic approach to capturing Bowles, and had a letter
sent to him stating that he wished to meet with Bowles to discuss “commercial
matters.” He asked Bowles to meet him on his ship or at the fort, whichever he
preferred. He even offered to take Bowles directly to the governor in New
Orleans. Bowles, being very full of himself, felt that he was equal to
governors and other high officials, so he agreed, stating that he wished to
establish “harmonious and desirable principles” between “his” Creek nation and
the Spanish.[4]
Bowles agreed to meet Hevia at ten o’clock on the morning of February 22, not
on his ship or the fort, but at the stone watchtower across the Wakulla River
from the garrison, which at this point in time the Indians used more often than the Spanish did.
Hevia
prepared for Bowles’s arrival by readying the Galga’s cannons, and having Guesy do the same at the fort. He also
deployed soldiers in strategic positions. A few days later on the morning of
February 25, sentries at the fort noticed some Indians gathering at the old
watchtower. Hevia had a letter sent to them to give to Bowles, apologizing for
not meeting him at the watchtower, and claimed he had been sick the last few
days, which was a lie. He again invited Bowles to enter the fort to discuss
economic issues, promising he would not be harmed and allowing him to bring
twenty men with him as guards. Then around eleven o’clock in the morning, Hevia
spotted a strange looking white man with feathers in his hat approaching the fort on
horseback, followed by a large number of Creeks, Seminoles, and other Native American allies. He was met at
the edge of the St. Marks River on the eastern side of the fortification by
Hevia and Guesy. Believing he had some kind of diplomatic immunity, Bowles
agreed to accompany the men to Guesy’s quarters inside the fort for lunch.
After
lunch the three discussed Bowles’s “economic issues.” Hevia informed Bowles
that he had the authority to discuss Bowles’s projects, but none to make a
final agreement. Bowels must get that from the governor in New Orleans. Bowles
agreed to travel with Hevia to New Orleans, but he first wanted to return to
his camp to retrieve some papers. Hevia did not allow this because he felt that
Bowles would flee and once again escape Spanish authorities. Bowles told his body guards to inform the other chiefs of his
departure and speedy return. While Bowles was going to be away, his allies decided to loiter around the vicinity of the fort, which made Guesy
nervous. Before Hevia departed to New Orleans, Guesy asked him to spare a few
soldiers to help protect the fort. Hevia declined, stating he would need all his
men to make sure Bowles did not escape. On February 29, Hevia was preparing to
cast off towards New Orleans, when some of Bowles’s Indian supporters at the
watchtower offered to trade all the goods they looted from the Panton store in
return for their leader. Hevia refused the offer. Once Bowles reached New Orleans, he was
arrested and spent seven years in captivity in Cuba, Spain, and the
Philippines. But, we have not seen the last of William Augustus Bowles.
To be continued in William Augustus Bowles Part Three...
Sources
used:
Din, G. C. (2012).
War on the Gulf Coast: The Spanish Fight Against William Augustus Bowles.
Gainesville: University Press of Florida.
Kinnaird, L.
(1931, January). The Significance of William Augustus Bowles' Seizure of
Panton's Apalachee Store in 1792. The Florida Historical Quarterly Vol. IX,
No.3, pp. 156-192.
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