The battle took place between an invading force from Mexico, attempting to assert Spanish claims to present-day Belize, and a small force of resident woodcutters called
Baymen, who fought for their livelihood assisted by black slaves. After the final two and a half-hour battle, ravaged by sickness, the Spaniards withdrew. The control of a territory including portions of what is now known as Belize was contested by Britain and Spain from as early as the mid-1750s. Although never occupying the territory, Spain considered it part of its Central American territories, which then included portions of present-day Mexico and
Guatemala. The British had
entered the territory in 1638. However, the settlement of Belize/British Honduras was somewhat accidental. British sailors became shipwrecked along the coast and decided to settle there. These
buccaneers decided to stop raiding Spanish
Treasure Fleets for imaginary gold and harvest
Logwood and later
Mahogany which were plentiful in Belize. Spain recognized this trade in the
Treaty of Paris (signed in 1763) but did not end the dispute by ceding interest, delineating boundaries. The
Spaniards had previously attempted to expel the colonists on six occasions,
most recently in 1779. The settlement on
St Georges Caye was abandoned,
Baymen and their
African slaves relocating to
Havana,
Cuba. One tactic the Spanish utilized in the early 18th century was a propaganda campaign in which Spanish officials enticed the enslaved woodcutters, often poorly treated, to defect. This campaign was successful for a time, and many enslaved Africans were given freedom by the governor of
Yucatan. Eventually the enslaved population would side with the British in the battle.
Treaty of Versailles and the Superintendency In 1783, hostilities were temporarily halted with signing of the
Treaty of Versailles, which conveyed the Baymen rights between the Belize and
Hondo rivers; this was extended with the
1786 Convention of London to the
Sibun River. Cutting rights were granted to the settlers on condition the settlement be recognized as belonging to Spain. Superintendent Col.
Edward Marcus Despard was to administer the terms of the treaty – however, Despard's refusal to acknowledge race or colour as a distinction in law, prompted the Baymen to petition London for his removal. The Treaty of Versailles in 1783 affirmed the boundaries set by the Treaty of Paris to cut logwood and later extended by the Convention of London in 1786. In this treaty, Spain gave permission to the British to cut mahogany and logwood from way down south to the Sibun River. It strongly forbade the British to settle any formal government during the agriculture work. Absolutely no economical activity more than cutting logwood. The Convention of London also specified that in return for the concessions Spain had made, the British were to give up all its other settlements in the region, notably the Mosquito Shore and the island of Roatan. The British were forced to evacuate 2,650 colonists and slaves from the
Roatan and the Mosquito Shore to Belize. As part of the
1783 Treaty of Versailles the British recognized Central and South America as a "Spanish Continent". Unlike the
Mosquito Shore and the island of
Roatan, British Honduras was never conquered from the Spanish, therefore the British were allowed to keep the colony. The idea that British Honduras was on a continent acknowledged by the British as Spanish led to a persistent desire by the Spanish to take the colony.
Ships The British ships that were sent from Jamaica to assist the baymen were , and . Dobson, N. (1979) On the morning of 10 September, fourteen of the largest Spaniard ships approached and anchored approximately one mile away from , the leading vessel that was relocated from Jamaica to assist the Baymen, and the other British seacrafts. Captain John Moss, captain of the
Merlin, believed that the Spaniards would wait to attack the following day, however, the attack ensued at 2:30 pm. The conflict launched approximately two hours and a half of action until the Spaniards abruptly cut their cables and departed towards Caye Chapel. The
Merlin was unable to chase after them due to the shallow waters. == Prelude ==