War with Spain in 1739 created ambitions for long-distance treasure raids in the Caribbean and Pacific. Anson's Pacific command was expected to plunder the South American coast, capture the Manila galleon, and encourage resistance to Spanish rule. His 500 troops were raw recruits or disabled veterans, while French intelligence warned Spain before the squadron sailed. A delayed departure brought the ships to Cape Horn in severe winter conditions, where storms, disease, and scurvy exhausted men and damaged ships. Severn and Pearl turned back, and Wager's wreck removed field artillery and much of the landing force. By the rendezvous at Juan Fernandez, the surviving ships lacked the soldiers and guns required for substantial operations ashore.
Chapter · 49:20-54:30
Anson's Pacific expedition: unsuitable troops, disease, and ship losses
Andrew Lambert's account of George Anson follows the strategic ambitions and preparation failures that weakened his Pacific expedition's capacity for landing operations against Spanish possessions.