Henry Morgan: "The Young Welsh" I appointment

This is the first Superimago's English Post. It reguards the most famous privateer in naval history: Sir Henry Morgan. Here is the first part of his biography, written by Superimago and related to the great web site: http://www.cavazzi.com/morgan/index.html Have a good reading!! What must first be made clear is that Henry Morgan was not a pirate. A rogue maybe, but not a pirate. He was a privateer. This meant he held a paper issued by a representative of the English government, the governor of Jamaica, empowering him to fight the Spaniards on England's behalf. His pay was in effect what he managed to steal from Spain. Today this might seem a dastardly way for any government to conduct itself, but in the world of the 17th century these were accepted means of conducting naval war among European powers. Hence Henry Morgan was not an outlaw pirate but a sea-raider authorised by an English Letter of Marque. Much about the legendary Sir Henry Morgan has become blurred by myth. Not even upon his birthplace can the historians decide. He was either born in 1635 in either Penkarne in Monmouth, England or Llanrhymny in Glamorgan, Wales. Though it is believed he spent his childhood in Wales and he and his family were indeed Welsh. As such his family appeared well versed in the art of warfare. Two of his uncles, Edward Morgan and Thomas Morgan were officers of some success although opposing camps. During the English civil war Thomas was a Colonel for the Royalist cause and his brother Edward even rose to the rank of Major-General in Cromwell's army. Most, if not all of Henry Morgan's youth is unknown. Also how the later infamous buccaneer ever reached the Caribbean appears to be disputed. I have come across two versions. One is that he was "Barbadosed". - Many a hapless visitor of Bristol was beaten over the head and found himself on a ship the next day, on the way to America where he would sold as an indentured labourer. Later, as England's Puritan Ruler Oliver Cromwell sent forward an army to the Caribbean under the command of General Venables to attack the Spaniards, Henry in early 1655 joined this army to escape his indenture on the island. The other version says Morgan joined General Venables' troops in 1654 as a volunteer at Plymouth. Either way, Henry Morgan joined up with Venables' forces. But, as so often in history, great careers arise as a consequence of complete disasters. General Venables' attack on the City of Santo Domingo was defeated. Exhausted and bruised the beaten army dragged itself back to its ships and limped on downwind to the then almost worthless island of Jamaica. There the remaining seven to eight thousand troops stormed the weakly defended shore against the efforts of 200 Spanish soldiers and conquered the island's only town, Santiago de la Vega. But this apparent victory was in fact a complete catastrophe. Cromwell had sent an army, backed up by a huge fleet. Venables had recruited in both England and the Caribbean around eight to nine thousand men. He had been expected to achieve a significant victory, capturing a Spanish stronghold, the likes of San Juan, Santo Domingo, Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Vera Cruz or even Cartagena. Instead the English had taken a totally undeveloped island. Both General Venables and Admiral Penn, the commander of the fleet, were immediately thrown in the infamous Tower of London on their return to England. Meanwhile on Jamaica the dying continued. The troops were being decimated by tropical diseases they knew little or nothing about. Yellow fever, dysentry and malaria killed droves of men. A Spanish resistance, fighting the English in the forests and savannas as well as runaway slaves, called Maroons, were reducing their numbers one by one. Throughout all this Henry Morgan survived. What followed in the next few years were the courageous naval escapades and raids on Spanish ports, first by Vice-Admiral Goodson, then by Commodore Mings. And with the latter Henry Morgan had finally a part to play. During Ming's 1662 raid on Santiago de Cuba Henry Morgan appears as a captain of one of the ships envolved. The attack was a thundering success, with the infamous Castillo del Morro guarding the entrance to the Bay of Santiago being totally destroyed. Then in 1663, once again a captain of a privateer ship, Morgan joined Mings on his daring attack on San Francisco de Campeche. And once more the ramshackle fleet of English navy vessels and privateers returned with rich plunder. But Henry Morgan and his privateering friends were not the kind to wait around. Before the end of the year 1663 they were already underway again. Villa Hermosa, Trujillo and Granada fell victim to their attacks in a campaign which surpassed anything seen so far. By the time the privateers reached Port Royal, the main harbour of Jamaica, he was indeed a wealthy man. By early 1665 Henry Morgan had married his cousin Mary Elizabeth, the exact date of the marriage being unknown. The Morgan family had arrived in force by now on Jamaica. His uncle Colonel Edward Morgan had also arrived since, though had sadly soon died during an attack upon the Dutch island of Statia, Holland and England being once again at war with eachother. In 1666 Morgan was made Colonel of the Port Royal Militia, a defence force in which he had long served as captain and which he now commanded. And with the Dutch leader of the Brethren of the Coast, Edward Mansvelt (called Mansfield by the English), having died on Tortuga, the buccaniers promoted Henry Morgan to take his place and be their "Admiral".