The San Juan expedition anticipates the British pattern later associated with Gallipoli: signaling an amphibious objective and meeting a prepared defense. The Second Treaty of San Ildefonso allied Spain with France in 1796, opening Spain's Caribbean colonies to British attack. Admiral Henry Harvey collects Ralph Abercromby's army at Barbados, and the expedition quickly captures Trinidad before appearing off Puerto Rico on 17 April 1797. It has roughly seven thousand troops and a fleet of sixty-eight warships mounting about six hundred guns. Governor Ramón de Castro has assembled regulars, militia, French privateers, armed peasants, parolees, and extensive artillery around San Juan. Abercromby's methodical reliance on a standard plan becomes a liability when that plan meets a fully mobilized defense.
Chapter · 32:15-35:22
The British expedition targets San Juan
After capturing Trinidad, Ralph Abercromby and Henry Harvey bring a powerful expedition to a fully mobilized San Juan.