Francisco Menéndez: the story of a slave who became a captain in the Spanish Army

One of the most fascinating stories of Spanish America had as its protagonist a Creole from Portuguese Angola whose original name was Mandinga.

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A slave who fled the English and sought refuge in Spanish Florida

Mandinga - whose story you could read here in 2017 - was a free young man in his homeland, until as a teenager, he was kidnapped by slave traders and taken to the province of British Carolina in North America (in today's eastern United States territory). Mandinga managed to escape, living for a time with the Yamasee Indians in northeast Florida and fighting alongside them against the English. In 1724 he arrived in St. Augustine, Florida, where he was granted asylum. At that time, Spanish Florida was a refuge for slaves who had escaped from the British colonies and was, in fact, the first territory of the current United States where blacks were free.

He swore to shed every "last drop of blood in defense of the Great Crown of Spain"

After arriving in Florida and being baptized into the Catholic faith, Mandinga took the Spanish name Francisco Menendez and helped defend St. Augustine from the English in 1727, building a reputation as a leader. He was given the rank of captain in the black militia of the Spanish Army in Florida and became commander of Fort Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, better known as Fort Mose after its construction in 1738 (Francisco was only 24 years old at the time). The settlement was already home to 100 escaped slaves from the British colonies, including men, women and children.

Manéndez's black militiamen wanted revenge on the English for the suffering they had caused them during slavery. In addition, they were moved by a strong love and gratitude towards Spain, so much so that they swore to be "the cruelest enemies of the English" and to shed their last drop of blood in defense of the Great Crown of Spain and the Holy Faith". Alongside these black Spanish militiamen, Seminole Indians also fought.

The bloody Battle of Fort Mose in 1740

In June 1740, the English managed to take Fort Mosé, with their eyes set on St. Augustine. A month later, regular troops commanded by Captain Antonio Salgado and black and Seminole militias under Francisco Menéndez counterattacked, in an operation carried out at dawn. The attack caught the English by surprise, and they were massacred. This counterattack halted the British offensive on St. Augustine, allowing time for the arrival of Spanish reinforcements from Havana. The bravery shown by Menéndez's black militias was such that they received praise from Manuel de Montiano, governor of Florida. Unfortunately, Fort Mosé had been so damaged that Menéndez and his men had to settle in St. Augustine.

Captured and tortured by the English, he managed to escape once again.

Shortly after, Menéndez and some of his men joined a privateer ship supported by the town of St. Augustine. Unfortunately, the Spanish captain was captured in 1741 by a British ship called the "Revenge." When the English discovered who Menéndez was, they threatened to castrate him in revenge for the Spanish victory at Fort Mose. In the end, they opted for another brutal punishment: 200 lashes, to make matters worse by rubbing salt into his wounds so that they would not heal. After that, he was sent as a slave to the Bahamas, but managed to escape again and return to St. Augustine, where he helped rebuild Fort Mose in 1752, being its commander again, now 38 years old.

The march to Cuba and the founding of San Agustín de la Nueva Florida

In 1763, after the surrender of Spanish Florida to England, Menéndez and his black militiamen left for Cuba, refusing to live under the British flag. Once on the island, then part of Spain, they founded a community called San Agustín de la Nueva Florida, in the current Cuban province of Matanzas. He later moved to Havana, and that is where historians lose track of him. The story of Menendez and his black militiamen is claimed today by blacks in the United States as part of their Spanish legacy, with historical reenactments taking place of the battles between Spanish regulars, black militias and their Seminole allies against the English.

The Army has published today an interesting video in which it recalls the story of Captain Menéndez, a story that deserves to be remembered for his bravery and heroism, and also to respond to those who falsely accuse Spain of being "racist" (the video is in Spanish, you can activate automatic English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player):