Table Of Content

The Forts of Old San Juan FEDERAL PUBLICATION i-Jft;*dk !S« £:,** Official National Park Handbook The Forts San Juan Old of San Juan National Historic Site Puerto Rico Produced by the Division of Publications National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. National Park Handbooks are published to support the National Park Service's management programs and to promote understanding and enjoyment ofthe more than 370 National Park System sites that represent important examples of our country's natural and cultural inheritance. Each handbook is intended to be informative reading and a useful guide before, during, and after a park visit. They are sold at parks and can be purchased by mail from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government DC Printing Office, Washington, 20402-9325. Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Theforts ofold SanJuan: SanJuanNationalHistoric Site, Puerto Rico/produced by the Division of Pub- lications, National Park Service, — p. cm. (National park handbook series; 151) 1. San Juan N—ational Histor—ic Site (San—Juan, PR.) 2. Fortification Puerto Rico SanJuan History. 3. PuertoRico—History—To 1898. 4. SanJuan (PR.)— Buildings, structures, etc. I. United States. National Park Service. Division of Publications. II. Series: Handbook (United States. National Park Service. Division ofPublications); 151. F1981.S2F6 1996 623'.197295—dc20 96-21604 CIP ISBN 0-912627-62-X : PUBLIC DOCUMENTS Contents DEPOSs ; ! "EM DEC 8 1997 cle LIE Parti Old Forts in a Modern World 4 Part 2 Gateway to the Indies 14 Strategic Seaport 18 Point ofEntry:The San Juan Gate 20 La Fortaleza 26 1595: Drake'sAttack 32 1598: Cumberland'sAttack 36 Ordnance 40 How a Siege Works, Circa 1700 42 1625:The DutchAttack 44 Part 3 A "Defense of the First Order" 50 El Morro 54 Aspects ofa Soldier's Day 56 San Cristobal 62 Of Cisterns and Bulwarks 64 1797:Abercromby'sAttack 70 San Juan Under Fire 1898 74 Defenders of Old San Juan 76 CL i O) o o OG c - -4M£ 1 - Forts in a Modern WorJcL i ' .V 3«*a> • B m mm i Old San Juan lies at the gateway to the Caribbean from Europe. It is situated on the western end ofa small barrier island that lies A between the broad SanJuan Bay and the open sea. steep headland overlooks the only navigable en- trance to the town's deep and landlocked harbor, and the island's rocky seacoast is skirted by a treacherous reefover which long Atlantic rollers crash like thun- Thepresententranceorsally der. Boqueron Inlet, at the eastern end ofthe island, portto ElMorro isreached is too rocky and shallow for large ships and forms a byanarchedmasonry cause- natural water barrier to the harbor. 1w8atyhtcheanttudrayt.esItfrreopmlatcheedlaate- Inthe dayswhen sailingvesselsfollowedthe north- wooden drawbridge. easttradewindsthatblewfromAfricatotheWest In- dies, the port was a safe haven from tropical storms. Precedingpages:ElMorro But far more important, it provided a secure naval dominatestheharboren- base from which to control shipping into the trancelikeamightybattle- ship. Thefortress, alongwith Caribbean and on to the shores ofMexico and South otherfortificationsaround America. The English, and later the French and the thecity, made18th century Dutch, wanted the port for this very purpose. Conse- SanJuanoneofthebest-pro- quently, although Puerto Rico was an ocean away, tectedportsin the Caribbean. Spain was obliged to hold it firmly or risk the loss of itsotherterritoriesintheAmericas.Thefortifications of San Juan cost Spain dearly; but because of them, would-be attackers faced almost insoluble logistical and strategic problems. Infortifyingthe old city, Spanish militaryengineers made maximum use of San Juan's natural defensive features and erected fortifications that controlled both land and sea approaches. Many of the works also served as operational bases for Spanish military and naval units. The Spanish forts in the city of Old San Juan have evolved in a surprisingly logical way from their 16th- century nucleus, much of which still exists. Part of their construction also dates from the 17th and first halfofthe 18thcenturies,butmostofthemassivefor- tifications seen today were built between 1765 and 1800. They reflect the best military thought of their time. The story ofthose fortifications and how they grew is a tale that mirrors the history of great world pow- ers. It is also a tale of gold and silver, pirates, sugar, and slaves, and the impact of the trade winds on the history ofthis sun-drenched tropical isle. Right: OldSanJuan was oncecompletely enclosedby a wallthatlinkedthemajor fortificationsandhelpedto protectthecityagainstattacks fromany direction. Portions ofthe wallwereremovedin the 1890stoallowforthe city'sexpansion Thissmall, 50-foot-square Nextpages: Thecourtyardor fortstandsacrossfrom El mainplazaofSan Cristobal, Morroon the westsideofthe amassivefortification whose harborentrance. Itsofficial completion in theearly1790s nameisSanJuan de laCruz, gaveSanJuan a "Defenseof or "St. Johnofthe Cross,"but theFirstOrder."Itsarchitec- mostpeopletoday callitEl turereflects theengineering Cahueloafterthetiny island competenceandcraftsman- on which itwas builtin the ship, as wellasthecost, that early1660s. Its wallsstand wentinto creatingafirst-class about15feethigh. Theflat fortification. roofprovidedaplatformfor cannon. Beneath thisdeck aretheruinsofacisternand powdermagazines. El Cahuelo wassituatedso that itsfiresectoroverlappedEl Morro's. Thelittlefortalso defendedthemouth ofthe BayamonRiver, which linked SanJuan with thebackcoun- try. ElCahuelo wasfarmore thanasimpleartillery battery. Itwasa closedredoubtwith themagazines, quarters, and cisterns tosustainagarrison formanydays.