Sir Henry Morgan


Henry Morgan's most notable accomplishment was the capture of Panama, which at the time was the capital of Spanish settlement in the new world. So in August of 1670, Morgan set sail with thirty-six ships and over two thousand men in hopes of capturing the city. 

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Henry Morgan 
Henry Morgan was a Welsh privateer who is one of the most notorious pirates of his period. There are many different truths and myths about Morgan, born in 1635. This is due to not much of his adventures being recorded first-hand by anyone.

Morgan was contracted by the English crown to be a Privateer. A Privateer is a sailor who sails the seas with permission from the government (in this case, the King) to steal from ships from another country (in this case, the Spanish).

Much of what is known about Henry Morgan was recorded first hand by the surgeon and barber one of his ships named Alexandre Exquemelin. Exquemelin recorded his time spent on the high seas with Captain Morgan, and it has become one of the few first-hand accounts of the pirates of this time.


Before entering the city, he and his men were met with Spanish forces that are said to be as big as twelve-hundred infantry and four hundred cavalries. Despite being severely outmanned by Spanish forces, Morgan and his men had much better weapons and much more experience in battle.

It is said that the Spanish lost over five hundred men in the fight, while only fifteen of the Privateers fell.

During this raid on the city, Morgan and his men looted the town and burned it to the ground as they did. The loot and burning of Panama were done while he was a Privateer within the English (Welsh) Crown. Meaning that the King of England sanctioned it, and most of the loot was meant to go back to the King. However, Morgan and his men secretly kept most of what they pillaged for themselves.

The spent an upwards of four weeks, burning and taking loot from within the city.

Though, by the time that the pillaging of the city happened, the Spanish and English had already agreed to peace.

Because of this, Morgan was arrested and returned to England. However, his time in jail did not last long as, as the peace between England and Spain quickly broke apart once again. He was realized from prison and knighted as Sir Henry Morgan not long after.

sources:
https://www.thoughtco.com/captain-morgan-and-sack-of-panama-2136368
https://caribbeanvoyages.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/pirate-barber-surgeon-who-was-alexandre-exquemelin/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Morgan-Welsh-buccaneer
Image Source:
https://career-accelerator.corsairs.network/captains-list-sir-henry-morgan-1678-b1c2feada4b5

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