Henry Morgan and the Assault on Panama

Captain Morgan was a strategist, tactician and revered leader of buccaneers during the 1600s. He was -- in a sense -- a living incarnation of the fictional character Jack Sparrow. Most depictions of pirates show ship battles on the open seas, but Captain Morgan often assaulted cities and forts from the sea, then invaded on land using canoes.

After receiving news that Spain had declared war on Jamaica, Captain Henry Morgan -- the Governor Lieutenant of Jamaica launched the single biggest pirate invasion in history on the region of Panama.

Captain Morgan assaulted panama with four squadrons of trained and battle-tested buccaneers. He approached their main point of defense through the jungle and overwhelmed the enemy with gunfire and artillery. Those that were not shot by muskets were cut down like livestock in an epic assault to take Panama. Don Juan (who was responsible for the defense of Panama and had also recently attacked Jamaican properties) made sure that if Captain Morgan was successful with his attacks that they would receive no treasure. Unfortunately for Don Juan, Captain Morgan and his buccaneers still came about with £31,000  in silver plate, gold and other liquidated assets.

Henry Morgan returned to a Jamaica much changed from the one he had left. In the Treaty of Madrid, signed in 1670, England had agreed to suppress piracy in return for Spanish recognition of its sovereignty in Jamaica. In 1672, Morgan was transported back to England to be tried for piracy, but he was received rather more as a romantic hero than as a vicious criminal. He was eventually pardoned and returned to Jamaica as Lieutenant Governor.