Foxardo Affair
27 OCTOBER-14 NOVEMBER 1824
FOXARDO AFFAIR
With a splash, the anchor of USS BEAGLE hit the water of Foxardo harbor (modern Fajardo), Spanish Puerto Rico. The 3-gun US Navy schooner and her commander, LT Charles T. Platt, were in search of stolen property. Several days earlier Mr. Stephen Cabot of Cabot, Bailey & Co., an American business operating in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, had reported the theft of $5000 worth of goods from their storehouse. Those goods were thought to have been smuggled to Foxardo, a town on the eastern end of Puerto Rico where pirates enjoyed an active market for plundered goods. Platt and Midshipman Robert Ritchie went ashore the following day, 27 October, to confer with the Captain of the Port and the local Alcalde, Francisco Caro, seeking redress. Reasoning they would appear less threatening, Platt declined to wear his uniform.
Those ashore were immediately suspicious of civilian-clad sailors claiming to be officers in the American Navy. After all, the sacking of coastal towns by pirates was not uncommon in the West Indies of this day. Outwardly, both the Port Captain and Alcalde Caro were cordial and feigned sympathy for Platt’s mission. But Platt’s subsequent breakfast in a local pub was cut short by an urgent call to the Alcalde’s office. Here Platt was summarily arrested! His protests went unheeded, though he was permitted to send to the ship for his uniform and a copy of his officer’s commission. These were dismissed as forgeries, and Platt and Ritchie were thrown into jail as suspected pirates themselves! Platt was later allowed to send to the ship for a copy of his orders from West India Squadron Commodore CAPT David Porter, which were received by local officials in a better light. The two were released to BEAGLE after several hours confinement. Platt immediately got underway for squadron headquarters in St. Thomas.
Porter was livid on 12 November when he learned of the incident. The next day, in JOHN ADAMS, 28, BEAGLE, and GRAMPUS, 3, he anchored opposite a shore battery in Foxardo harbor. BEAGLE positioned herself to cover a beach proposed as a landing site. Porter then led 200 officers, bluejackets, and Marines ashore. LT Cornelius K. Stribling was sent ahead to demand the Alcalde’s attention, and without hesitating further Porter stepped off toward the town. Two gun batteries along the way were assaulted, their defenders running in panic. Four Spanish 18-pounders were spiked. Porter moved his landing force within 200 yards of the town gate where he came face-to-face with a hastily assembled mob of 70 militia and armed townspeople. Tension gripped the scene until LT Stribling appeared under a white flag, with Caro. During three hours of talks Porter demanded an apology, promising that otherwise, “the total destruction of Foxhardo will be the certain and immediate consequence.” This prompted Spanish contrition, which Porter accepted.
Continued tomorrow…
Allen, Gardner W., Our Navy and the West Indian Pirates. Salem, MA: Essex Institute, 1929, pp. 66-72.
Miller, Nathan. The U.S. Navy: An Illustrated History. Annapolis, MD: American Heritage and USNI Press, 1977, p. 111.
Pratt, Fletcher. The Compact History of the United States Navy, 3rd ed. New York, NY: Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1967, pp. 106-07.
Reynolds, Clark G. Famous American Admirals. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1978, pp. 254-55.
Sweetman, Jack. American Naval History: An Illustrated Chronology of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 1775-Present, 3rd ed. Annapolis, MD: USNI Press, 2001, p. 38.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: To this day, the wearing of the uniform of the day is required when executing all official duties of the United States Navy.
Charles T. Platt had fought in the War of 1812 at the battles of Lake Erie and Lake Champlain, being wounded at the latter. He served on Active Duty until 1855 when he transferred to the inactive list. CDR Platt died 12 December 1860 as the clouds of the Civil War were gathering. Cornelius Stribling was also a veteran of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. During the Civil War he commanded the Philadelphia Navy Yard and the East Gulf Blockading Squadron from 1864 until the surrender. RADM Stribling died 17 January 1880. USS STRIBLING (DD-96, DD-867) remember Mr. Stribling.
