The failed San Lazaro attack left Wentworth with roughly 3,200 effective troops from an original 12,000. Although Lezo favored a more aggressive forward defense and Eslava preferred trading space through fortifications, both approaches bought time for the sickly season. Only about 300 of the 3,600 colonial troops eventually returned home, among them Lawrence Washington, who named Mount Vernon after the admiral. After 67 days, the expedition withdrew with about 18,000 personnel dead or incapacitated across land and naval forces. About fifty British vessels were lost, badly damaged, disabled, or abandoned, including nineteen damaged ships of the line, with frigates and transports also lost. Premature British victory medals and commemorative china sharpened the humiliation.
Chapter · 59:18-1:02:56
Spanish defensive depth lets disease defeat the expedition
Lezo's forward resistance and Eslava's defense in depth both serve the same strategy: delay the British until tropical disease makes continued operations impossible.