Battle of San Juan (1797)
Part of theWar of the First Coalition and theAnglo-Spanish War of 1796-1808
TheFortín de San Gerónimo
Date 17 April – 2 May 1797 Location San Juan, Puerto Rico Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Ralph Abercromby Henry Harvey	Ramón de Castro Francisco Díaz †
Strength
7,000 68 warships with 600 guns	6,000–7,000 376 guns and 12gunboats
Casualties and losses
37 killed 70 wounded 124 captured or missing 400 surrendered[1] Total: 631	47 killed 28 wounded 56 captured or missing 18 surrendered Total: 149

TheBattle of San Juan was an ill-fatedBritish assault in 1797 on the Spanish colonialport city ofSan Juan inPuerto Rico during the1796–1808 Anglo-Spanish War. The attack was carried out facing the historic town ofMiramar.

Spain aligned itself with France by signing theSecond Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1796. Britain then targeted both countries' Caribbean colonies. Admiral Sir Henry Harvey's fleet picked up Sir Ralph Abercromby's army in Barbados. Together, theycaptured Trinidad from the Spanish, before heading for San Juan.^[2][3]

On 17 April 1797, Lieutenant-General SirRalph Abercromby's fleet of 68 vessels appeared offshore Puerto Rico with a force of 7000, which included German auxiliaries and French émigrés. Two of his frigates then blocked San Juan harbor.^[2][3]

The governor,Field MarshalDon Ramón de Castro y Gutiérrez, had already mobilized his 4000 militia and 200 Spanish garrison troops which, combined with 300 Frenchprivateers, 2000 armed peasantry, and paroled prisoners, brought his troop strength up to almost equal that of the British. He also had 376 cannon, 35mortars, 4howitzers and 3swivel guns.^[2][3]

Abercromby landed 3000 troops on 18 April and took control ofCangrejos. Castro moved his forces to Escambrón and the Spanish First Line of Defense.^[2][3]

On 21 April, the British started a 7-day artillery duel with the Spanish forts of San Gerónimo and San Antonio, located at the Boquerón Inlet. At the same time, further Spanish forces put pressure on the British positions, the Spanish recapturedMartín Peña Bridge, while the militia led byJosé "Pepe" Díaz (1776 - April 30, 1797) andSergeant Francisco Díaz (1777 - ?), both cousins, raided behind British lines, bringing back prisoners. Then, on the 29th and 30th, the Spanish crossed the Boquerón Inlet, and forced the British to pull back.^[2][3]

On 1 May, the Spanish learned the British were gone, leaving behind arms, stores and ammunition.^[2][3]

• Alonso, Mariá M. and Milagros Flores (1997).The Eighteenth Century Caribbean and the British Attack on Puerto Rico in 1797. San Juan: National Park Service, Department of the Interior, Publicaciones Puertorriqueñas.ISBN 978-1-881713-20-3
• Marley, David (1998).Wars of the Americas: a chronology of armed conflict in the New World, 1492 to the present. ABC-CLIO.ISBN 978-0-87436-837-6

• History of the Fixed Regiment of Puerto Rico by Coronel Héctor Andrés Negroni
• Alonso, María M."Chapter XIV – Abercromby's Siege".The Eighteenth Century Caribbean & The British Attack on Puerto Rico in 1797. Archived fromthe original on 30 June 2006. RetrievedJuly 7, 2006.

• Military history of Puerto Rico
• Battles involving Spain
• Battles involving Great Britain
• Amphibious operations involving the Great Britain
• Invasions by Great Britain
• Conflicts in 1797
• History of San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Battles of the War of the First Coalition
• Spanish colonization of the Americas

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