John Williams Captain, United States Marine Corps |
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When Congress authorized steps to be taken regarding the possible seizure of East Florida, the Navy sent a number of gunboats to the vicinity ostensibly to break up the smuggling trade. A detachment of two officers and 47 Marines went on the ship Enterprise to assist in the operations. On May 4 during the same year, Marines established a regular garrison at Cumberland Island, just off the coast of southeastern Georgia. Later, on March 17, 1812, American gunboats under Commodore Hugh Campbell, along with Marine and Army personnel, assisted local patriots, who had been organized and armed in Georgia and induced to fight by promises of land grants, in the capture of Fernandina on Amelia Island. As soon as the patriots had taken the garrison, held by 10 Spanish soldiers, Army and Marine personnel occupied the island. The patriots, followed by the Army troops, then advanced by marching and in boats furnished by the Navy on St. Augustine, leaving the Marines to hold Amelia. Shortly thereafter, the Army and the patriots
found themselves involved with maintaining a difficult line of communications
through hostile Indian country and called upon Captain Williams' Marines
to escort wagon trains and other convoys en route to their advanced position
near St. Augustine. On September 12, 1812, while convoying a wagon train
and some volunteer troops, Captain Williams and his men were ambushed by
a large band of Indians. This action resulted in one member of the detachment
being killed and scalped by the Indians and the wounding of seven others.
Captain Williams was wounded eight times during the fight and later died
on September 29. As a result of Williams' death, Lieutenant Alexander Sevier
assumed command of the Marines and continued to fight the Indians in other
engagements during the remainder of the year. By this time, the War of
1812 had begun, but Lieutenant Sevier and his men stayed on in East Florida
until May 13, 1813, at which time they withdrew by sea and returned to
Washington in time to take part in the effort to save the capital.
In the little known War in Florida against the Spanish Colony therein, in mid-September, Captain John Williams, USMC, with Twenty men had tried to get to the St. Johns River of Florida to bring supplies to the beleaguered American Forces cut-off there by the Seminole Forces of Spain, these same forces were brought to near starvation by the Seminole Warriors. As the wagon train of Captain Williams entered
the large swamp west of St. Augustine, a band of Seventy Black Seminoles
and Six Tribal Seminoles attacked the wagons. They killed two Americans,
and they wounded seven of them. Captain Williams, a Marine in the grand
tradition of the Corps, suffered Eight wounds before he fell: a broken
right arm, a ball in his left thigh near the groin, a punctured stomach,
three holes in his right hand, one in his shoulder, and one in his left
leg. He lingered in great pain for two weeks before dying on September
29th, 1812.
"Here
lie the remains of John Williams, late a Captain in the Corps of Marines
who was born in Stafford County, Virginia on the 24th of August 1785 and
who died on the 29th of September 1812 at Camp New Hope in East Florida.
On 29 September 1812, the Captain, on patrol with a command of twenty men
to Davis Creek Block-House in East Florida, was attacked towards evening
by upwards of 350 Indian and Negroes who lay concealed in the woods. He
instantly gave battle gallantly supported by his men, who inspired by his
animating example fought as long as they had a cartridge left. At length,
bleeding under eight galling wounds, and unable to stand, he was carried
off the battlefield whilst his heroic little band prefesed by superior
numbers was forced to retreat. Eminently characterized by cool intrepidity,
Captain Williams, envied, during this short but severe contest, those military
requisites, which qualify the officer for command and if his sphere of
action was too limited to attract the admiration of the world, it was sufficiently
expanded to crown his with the approbation of his country, and to addled
to his brethren in arms, an example as highly useful, as his exit was sealed
with honor the life of a patriot-soldier. The body of the deceased was
removed to this spot over which his brother officers of the United States
Marine Corps, having used this pile to be entered in testimony of his worth
and their eternal admiration of his gallant end."
The Seminoles and Africans attacked a group of U.S. Marines and Georgia militia escorting two wagons from the Patriot camp near St. Augustine to the St. Johns River. In the Twelve Mile Swamp, Prince Witen, a free black, led a troop of fifty Africans in the attack. Marine Captain John Williams who commanded the U.S. force was hit eight times. Captain Tomlinson Fort and six privates were also wounded. Captain Williams abandoned the wagons, rallied his troops and escaped. The Seminoles had effectively cut the U.S. supply route. When Congress authorized steps to be taken regarding the possible seizure of East Florida, the Navy sent a number of gunboats to the vicinity - ostensibly to break up the smuggling trade. A detachment of two officers and 47 Marines went on the ship Enterprise to assist in the operations. On May 4 during the same year, Marines established a regular garrison at Cumberland Island, just off the coast of southeastern Georgia. Later, on March 17, 1812, American gunboats under Commodore Hugh Campbell, along with Marine and Army personnel, assisted local patriots, who had been organized and armed in Georgia and induced to fight by promises of land grants, in the capture of Fernandina on Amelia Island. As soon as the patriots had taken the garrison, held by 10 Spanish soldiers, Army and Marine personnel occupied the island. The patriots, followed by the Army troops, then advanced by marching and in boats furnished by the Navy on St. Augustine, leaving the Marines to hold Amelia. Shortly thereafter, the Army and the patriots found themselves involved with maintaining a difficult line of communications through hostile Indian country and called upon Captain Williams' Marines to escort wagon trains and other convoys en route to their advanced position near St. Augustine. On September 12, 1812, while convoying a wagon train and some volunteer troops, Captain Williams and his men were ambushed by a large band of Indians. This action resulted in one member of the detachment being killed and scalped by the Indians and the wounding of seven others. Captain Williams was wounded eight times during the fight and later died on September 29. As a result of Williams' death, Lieutenant Alexander Sevier assumed command of the Marines and continued to fight the Indians in other engagements during the remainder of the year. By this time, the War of 1812 had begun, but Lieutenant Sevier and his men stayed on in East Florida until May 13, 1813, at which time they withdrew by sea and returned to Washington in time to take part in the effort to save the capital.
WILLIAMS, JOHN
Webmaster: Michael
Robert Patterson
Updated: 18 August 2001 Updated: 15 December 2001 Updated: 27 February 2004 Updated: 4 April 2004 Updated: 2 August 2004 Updated: 6 September 2004 Updated: 10 September 2005 |
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