Colonial Wars and the Southern Frontier: Defining a New People

An anxious Governor Oglethorpe learns of Spain's grand intentions and requests South Carolina troops to help defend Georgia. South Carolina refuses, wasn't Georgia now the southern buffer against Spain and France, not South Carolina? James Oglethorpe, undaunted, recruits about 650 militia and Indians on short notice, and once assembled heads south to meet the invaders. By late June, Spanish ships appeared off Cumberland Island, south of Ft. Fredricka. Oglethorpe launches coastal boats and drives attackers away from the island. Next week a larger Spanish squadron appears off St. Simon's Island, near Fort Fredricka, landing an army of conquest. Cuban General Don Antonio Arredondo commands 2,400 troops, including regiments of artillery, Indians, Negroes, and mulattos. Mission: to drive Georgians back across the Savannah River. Outnumbered Georgians retreat: suddenly they turn as one; stubbornly faces their enemy. This nonfiction account of English colonies explores human and national events from privateer stations in 1584 to the end of the French and Indian War in 1763. Fluid engagements are described from a world stage perspective as England, France, and Spain collide in America. Out of the European intrigue, a diverse group of settlers, Indians, and Negro slaves create a mosaic of people today known as Americans.