Fort Mose Historic State Site, Florida-- Part 3

A wall was built around the settlement with dwellings inside it.  An earthen fort was also constructed.

It is believed that Fort Mose's existence was a big reason for the South Carolina Stono Rebellion in September 1739.

In 1740, James Oglethorpe led a retaliatory British attack and siege on Fort Mose, but was defeated by a combined force of Spanish, Indians and free black militia.  The fort, however, was destroyed and Oglethorpe retreated back to Georgia.  The Fort Mose inhabitants then stayed in St. Augustine until 1752 when the fort was rebuilt and blacks relocated there.

East Florida was ceded to the British by the Treaty of Paris ending the Seven Years War (French and Indian in North America) in 1763 and most blacks around St. Augustine migrated to Cuba which was still a Spanish possession.  At that time it was estimated that the black population of Fort Mose and St. Augustine numbered around 3,000 with about 1/4 being free.

--Brock-Perry