Preston Somers Expedition

Preston-Somers Expedition

Map of the Venezuela Province coast from 1570's - Caracas is center

Date	29 May - 29th July 1595
Location	Venezuela Province & Spanish West Indies
Result	English victory

Belligerents

Spain

England

Commanders and leaders

Diego Osorio Villegas
Juan de Riberos

George Somers
Amyas Preston

Strength

200-300 militia
50 Cavalry

8 ships,
500 sailors,
300 soldiers

Casualties and losses

Unknown
11 ships burned or captured

80 dead from disease

The Preston Somers Expedition or the Capture of Caracas was a series of military actions that took place from late May till the end of July 1595 during the Anglo–Spanish War. An English expedition headed by George Somers and sailed to the Spanish Main initially intending to support Sir Walter Raleigh's expedition which set out at the same time. After failing to meet, the expedition went on their own venture along the coast of the Spanish Province of Venezuela and captured the fort at La Guaira before they headed South inland. After making an arduous trek through the mountains the English were able to outmanoeuvre the waiting Spanish force and captured the colonial city of Caracas. After the failure of a ransom they plundered and torched the city and then went to capture Coro before they made a brief excursion to the Spanish West Indies. Despite the challenges they faced the expedition was a success for the English who were able to return unmolested with some profit having set out as only a supporting expedition.

England's war with Spain had been going on for nearly ten years; Spanish colonies, warships and merchants were subject to attacks by English privateers. Many of these were ordered by the Queen Elizabeth I but a number were also operated as ventures similar to the English Armada. In 1595 one such expedition was that of Amyas Preston and George Sommers with their privateer ships Ascension, Gift, Julian and Darling (owned by Sir Walter Raleigh), Angel, and a pinnace called Delight. The expedition's purpose was to co operate with Raleigh's work of exploration in the same year at Trinidad and Guiana in the hope of finding El Dorado as well as to commit to amphibious descents throughout the Spanish Main with them. For this purpose they had a disembarkation force of 300 men, many of them were professional soldiers of the English army who had been fighting against the Spanish in Holland and in France. Preston made a name for himself during the battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588. Somers first sailed into the public eye when, heading toward Spain in command of the Flibcote, and in the company of three other vessels, he brought home Spanish prizes worth more than £8,000.

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Wikipedia