Historic District in St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

It Begins / Ya comienza

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

1. It Begins / Ya comienza Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

It Begins (English) After days of watching the British prepare, bursts of smoke signal their attack from Anastasia Island. The sentry in the San Carlos watchtower in front of you yells and rings the bell. His quick action alerts the garrison that the British are firing at the Castillo. Soldiers surge to their posts or run for cover.

This marked the beginning of a 38-day siege in 1740. In the end, cannon fire partially damaged the eastern outer wall and the bombardment killed two townspeople.

Ya comienza (Spanish) Días después de ver a los británicos prepararse, ráfagas de humo señalan el ataque desde la isla Anastasía. El centinela de la torre de vigía de San Carlos que tiene frente a usted lanza un grito y hace sonar la campana. Su rápida acción alerta a la guarnición de que los británicos están disparando al castillo. Los soldados se dirigen a sus puestos o corren para ponerse a salvo.

Así comenzó el asedio de 38 días que sufrió la ciudad en 1740. Al final, los cañonazos dañaron parte de la muralla del este y el bombardeo cobró la vida de

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dos habitantes.

Erected 2018 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Forts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1740.

Location. 29° 53.891′ N, 81° 18.675′ W. Marker is in St. Augustine, Florida, in St. Johns County. It is in the Historic District. Marker can be reached from the intersection of South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A) (Business U.S. 1) and Cuna Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located on the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument grounds, near the northeast corner of the fort, atop the San Carlos Bastion, overlooking the San Carlos Watchtower and Matanzas Bay. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 South Castillo Drive, Saint Augustine FL 32084, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Vigia de San Carlos (a few steps from this marker); St. Charles Bastion (a few steps from this marker); 1740 Siege (a few steps from this marker); Indian Prisoners (within shouting distance of this marker); Northern Defense Lines (within shouting distance of this marker); Cannon (within shouting distance of this marker); Reading the Cannon / Claves de cañones

It Begins Marker (<i>wide view; San Carlos Bastion, Watchtower, and Matanzas Bay in background</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

2. It Begins Marker (wide view; San Carlos Bastion, Watchtower, and Matanzas Bay in background)

(within shouting distance of this marker); Sizzling Salvo / Al rojo vivo (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Augustine.

More about this marker. Marker is a large rectangular composite plaque, mounted horizontally on waist-high metal posts.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Also see . . . The Siege of 1740. NPS Castillo de San Marcos National Monument Florida website entry:
In June of 1740, British Governor James Oglethorpe attempts to exploit the city’s weaknesses. The resulting siege lasted nearly a month. Oglethorpe successfully encircled and besieged St. Augustine, forcing the inhabitants inside the sheltering walls of the city while he bombarded the Castillo for nearly a month. But, as one Englishman observed, the native rock "will not splinter but will give way to cannon ball as though you would stick a knife into cheese..." Coquina, the stone from which the fort was built, actually absorbed the cannon balls fired at it. While the walls of the city defended the townspeople, the heavy guns of the Castillo de San Marcos and the long-range 9-pounders of the maneuverable Spanish galleys in the harbor

It Begins Marker (<i>wide view looking north across the San Carlos Bastion; marker at left</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

3. It Begins Marker (wide view looking north across the San Carlos Bastion; marker at left)

held the enemy at bay. (Submitted on December 15, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

San Carlos Watchtower (<i>view northeast across San Carlos Bastion into Matanzas Bay</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

4. San Carlos Watchtower (view northeast across San Carlos Bastion into Matanzas Bay)

Vigía de San Carlos Marker (<i>related marker located adjacent to the San Carlos Watchtower</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

5. Vigía de San Carlos Marker (related marker located adjacent to the San Carlos Watchtower)

Signals were exchanged between this tower and a similar one across Matanzas Bay, on the ocean shore near the present lighthouse.

Plaza de Armas, north side, Castillo de San Marcos (<i>view downward from San Carlos Bastion</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

6. Plaza de Armas, north side, Castillo de San Marcos (view downward from San Carlos Bastion)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 14, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 173 times since then and 7 times this year. Last updated on December 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photos: 1. submitted on December 14, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 15, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.