Below is a list of all known Admiral Vernon medals related to
Admiral Ogle. Most are related to Panama (either Portobello or
Fort Chagre), but a few are not. There are approximately 270
different types. While this catalog will be complete to the
best of my knowledge, many medals lack an image or illustration.
History: In the 1730's the Spanish ruled from Florida and California
south to the southern-most tip of South America. The English were
limited on the mainland to north of Florida and were not allowed
to trade with the Spanish colonies. Tensions grew between the
English and the Spanish. A sea-captain by the name of Jenkin
accused the Spanish of illegally boarding his ship and cutting off
his ear when he resisted. In one account he threw the ear on a
table in the presence of Parliament. Thus started the "War of
Jenkin's Ear".
Captain Edward Vernon boasted to Parlament that he could take
Portobello with only six ships. He was given a commission as
Vice-Admiral of the Blue, placed in command of a group of ships
and given his chance. Sending an seventh "extra" ship away on
another mission, Admiral Vernon successfully captured Portbello
with six ships as he had boasted. The population of England was
elated, and these medals were issued to celebrate the occassion.
On November 21st, 1739, Admiral Vernon attacked the so-called
Iron Fort at the mouth of the harbor of Portobello with six ships.
The names of the six ships were: the Burford (flagship) with 70
guns, the Hampton Court (Commodore Brown's ship) with 70 guns, the
Worcester with 60 guns, the Strafford with 60 guns, the Princess
Louisa with 60 guns and the Norwich with 50 guns. The Sheerness
with 20 guns was sent as a scout in the direction of Cartagena.
After a short but spirited resistance the fort surrendered. The
next morning (November 22nd, 1739), before they could continue
their attack on the remaining fortifications of San Jeronimo
Battery and San Jago de Gloria Castle, a boat arrived under a flag
of truce. The result was that the Spanish agreed to a conditional
surrender.
As a result of the surrender, the English fleet secured
two Spanish men-of-war of 20 guns each, one other vessel, forty
brass cannon, four brass mortars, eighteen smaller brass guns, a
quantity of ammunition and about $10,000. The inhabitants of the
town were allowed to keep their possessions. The three
fortifications and about 80 iron cannons were destroyed by the
English before they left and returned to their base in Jamaica. The English accounts state that they defeated about 300 defenders;
the Spanish accounts put that number at 30 defenders. The truth
may lie somewhere in between.
After refitting his ships, Admiral Vernon went on to Cartagena
and bombarded it from March 6th to March 9th 1740, receiving some
damage to his ships in turn. He sailed once again to Portobello
and made some repairs to his ships. Then on March 22nd Admiral
Vernon started bombarding Fort Chagre at the mouth of the Chagre
River in Panama (known today as Chagres with an "s"). He kept up
the bombardment until the 24th when the garrision surrendered. The
ships that engaged in the bombardment were the Stafford, the
Norwich, the Falmouth and the Princess Louisa. He secured a large
quantity of goods from the custom house at Fort Chagre, and also
secured more brass cannons and other guns. Then Admiral Vernon had
the custom house burned down, and he returned to Jamaica.
In Jamaica Admiral Vernon concentrated on reinforcing his
squadron for an attack on Cartagena. When the task force set sail
in 1741 Admiral Vernon was in Commander-in-Chief of a fleet of
thirty ships of the line, 90 other vessels, and aided by 12,000
soldiers from England and 3,600 from the American Colonies.
Among the American officers was Colonel Lawrence Washington who
went on to name his home Mount Vernon after Admiral Vernon.
Later George Washington inherited that home. The overall command
of the land troops ended up going to Brigadier General Thomas
Wentworth, after the originally designated commander unfortunately
died. The naval forces were in three divisions, and the
division commanders were Vice Admiral Edward Vernon (also
Commander-In-Chief), Rear Admiral Sir Chaloner Ogle and
Commodore Lestock. On the Spanish side, the defending governor of
Cartagena was Don Blas de Leso.
The attack on Cartagena started on March 9, 1741. Early
on they were able to capture Fort Chamba, Fort San Jago and Fort
San Felipe. Then differences of opinion started to arise between
General Wentworth and Admiral Vernon. They finally were able to
take Castle Boca Chica and the fortress San Jose on March 26th.
With these victories the English forces were able to enter the
outer bay of Cartagena, and prepare for the assault on the inner
defences. Due to the shallow nature of the bay waters and the
twisting of the channel, it was difficult for the ships to bombard
the fortifications in support of a land assault. This lead
to more disputes between the leaders of the expedition. An
assault on the fortress of San Lazaro on April 9th ended in defeat
and a large number of casualties for the English troops.
Sickness was now at epidemic levels among the English forces, so
on April 12th the English decided to withdraw. Before they
left, Admiral Vernon had all the fortifications the British had
taken destroyed as well as Castillo Grande.
Before the attack on Cartagena took place, Havana on the island
of Cuba had been suggested as a target. After the debacle at
Cartagena, Admiral Vernon landed troops on the island of Cuba in
July 1741 with the intention of assaulting Santiago and Havana.
Sickness and other difficulties caused him to re-embark the troops
and return to Jamaica.
Admiral Vernon was born on November 12, 1684. He entered the
navy in 1701 at the age of 17. He retired in 1747, and died on
October 29th, 1757.
The medals were issued in celebration of Admiral Vernon's
victories, and purchase by the general public of England. As well
as the victories at Portobello and Fort Chagre, Admiral Vernon
sent home a premature dispatch announcing victory at Cartagena. So
those medals celebrate a victory that never was. Some even show
Don Blas surrendering, something that never took place. As well,
there was a proposed attack on Havana which did not take place,
but is celebrated by a few medals. Many medals celebrate a later
"victory" on the obverse, but use a Portobello reverse.
Collecting the Admiral Vernon medals is not for those who
expect to ever "complete" the series nor for those with a minimal
budget.
http://www.coins-of-panama.com/vernon.html
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