The other significant military operations during the War of Jenkins’ Ear occurred along the disputed Florida-Georgia border. Tanzania Map Tourist Attractions British General James Oglethorpe, leading a combined force of nearly 2,000 Georgia and South Carolina troops, launched an attack on the Spanish garrison at St. Augustine in 1740. Early successes against outlying positions gave the general hope for a quick victory, like Vernon’s at Porto Bello. The initial plan called for simultaneous land and sea assaults against the St. Augustine fortifications so as to overwhelm the outnumbered defenders.
When a sea attack proved not feasible, however, Oglethorpe unsuccessfully struggled to find an alternative means of capturing his target. Plagued by internal bickering and a lack of direction, the army laid half-hearted siege to the town for about a month before retreating. Oglethorpe attributed the campaign’s failure to insubordination on the part of the South Carolina troops, but they placed the blame on the general’s indecision and lack of vision. The resulting controversy caused ill feeling between the two provinces for decades.
