About the end of June, 1742, the Spanish fleet, amounting to thirty-two
sail; and carrying above three thousand men, under the command of Don
Manuel de Monteano, came to anchor off Simons's bar. Here they continued
for some time sounding the channel, and after finding a depth of water
sufficient to admit their ships, they came in with the tide of flood into
Jekyl sound. General Oglethorpe, who was at Simons's fort, fired at them
as they passed the sound, which the Spaniards returned from their ships,
and proceeded up the river Alatamaha, out of the reach of his guns. There
the enemy having hoisted a red flag at the mizen top-mast-head of the
largest ship, landed their forces upon the island, and erected a battery,
with twenty eighteen pounders mounted on it. Among their land forces they
had a fine company of artillery, under the command of Don Antonio de
Rodondo, and a regiment of negroes. The negro commanders were clothed in
lace, bore the same rank with white officers, and with equal freedom and
familiarity walked and conversed with their commander and chief. Such an
example might justly have alarmed Carolina. For should the enemy
penetrate into that province, where there were such numbers of negroes,
they would soon have acquired such a force, as must have rendered all
opposition fruitless and ineffectual.

General Oglethorpe having found that he could not stop the progress of
the enemy up the river, and judging his situation at Fort Simons too
dangerous, nailed up the guns, burst the bombs and coehorns, destroyed
the stores, and retreated to his head quarters at Frederica. So great was
the force of the enemy, that he plainly perceived that nothing remained
for him to achieve, with his handful of men, and therefore resolved to
use his utmost vigilance, and to act only on the defensive. On all sides
he sent out scouting parties to watch the motions of the Spaniards, while
the main body were employed in working at the fortifications, making them
as strong as circumstances would admit. Day and night he kept his Indian