Henry Morgan and the Sack of Panama

Henry Morgan and the Sack of Panama

Beginning in the sixteenth century, the Spanish used the Chagres River as the route to supply Panama City and move gold and silver from the city to galleons in the Caribbean. In 1671, famed English privateer Captain Henry Morgan took the largest pirate fleet in history up the river to sack the city and rattle Spain’s control of the Americas.

On February 24, the pirates began the march back with 175 pack animals laden with treasure. They also brought along 600 prisoners of all ages, most of whom were ransomed before they reached the Chagre. Halfway through the trip, Morgan ordered his entire army to be stripped and searched, himself included, in order to ensure that no one was concealing any valuable from the communal coffers. Before leaving when his last shot at a ransom was unsuccessful, he ordered the town and its fortifications demolished. While his men were engaged in that work, Morgan slipped out of port with most of the loot, leaving his former companions at the mercy of the Spaniards.

As a young man, Henry Morgan was sold into indentured servitude in the Caribbean. After regaining his freedom, he would go on to be recruited by a pirate crew and later would leave a legacy of unprecedented pirate rampage. His power and prestige were sufficient to assemble 12 vessels and 700 men.

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