We discuss the refugee influx to East Florida and the Shipwrecks involving loyalists fleeing to St Augustine in the 1782-83 time period.

After defeat at Yorktown loyalists flee to East Florida, now a fortress British colony with an elected provincial legislature. But Governor Tonyn clashes with the legislature over a tough slave code and as refugees keep coming St Augustine becomes more and more crowded.

An episode requested by listeners, before we continue our Revolution narrative next week, we tackle Andrew Turnbull and the failure of the New Smyrna colony in 1777.

American patriots of note were hauled off from Charleston after the British capture of the city in 1780 and imprisoned in St Augustine. This included three signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Even after American forces were rebuffed again at the Battle of Alligator Creek Bridge, up in New Jersey and Pennsylvania General George Washington was gaining intelligence from the Culpher Spy Ring that tempted him to attack East Florida again in late 1778 and in 1780.

However, the Continental Congress had seen enough and did not sanction the invasion.

The Americans are coming! Again! Another attempted invasion of British East Florida is thwarted in modern-day Nassau County at a bridge over Alligator Creek (near present-day Callahan). This battle took place in June of 1778.

In early 1777, the American Continental Army resolved to invade Florida but they failed miserably being turned back at Thomas Creek near the modern-day Nassau-Duval County line.

This ended up being the deepest penetration of American forces into East Florida during the Revolution. Despite defeat several more invasions would be planned.

A narrative not often told in US History is how obsessive General George Washington became about conquering East Florida and specially St Augustine. We discuss the origins in this podcast.

This is the first in a series of four podcasts the next four weeks on this subject.

We discuss José Solano y Bote the Spanish Admiral who lead the siege of Pensacola in 1781.

We will be back with new episodes starting next Tuesday, May 13. Life happens unfortunately and both Robert and Kartik have been exceptionally busy the last several weeks.