Action Around Apalachicola Bay-- Part 3: Why Was Forbes Mad?

At Prospect Bluff, George Woodbine conscripted John Forbes' agents, William Hanby and Edmund Doyle, along with 25 black slaves, to help build and manage their fort.  With Doyle and Hanby preoccupied, the British and their allies looted the Forbes store.

The former slaves were recruited into the Colonial Marines, and 300 of Forbes' cattle were confiscated to feed Creek and Seminole Indians., who were starving because Andrew Jackson's  forces had burned their villages and crops during the Creek War of 1813.

Woodbine's actions at Prospect Bluff convinced Forbes' partners, James and John Innerarity, the firm would fare better with the Americans than the British.  For the rest of the war, they aided Americans by sharing crucial information they gleaned from their vast trading network that extended from Amelia Island to Pensacola and New Orleans.

--Brock-Perry