The Battle of Cartagena de Indias took place during the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear between Spain and Great Britain. The result of long-standing commercial tensions, the war was primarily fought
British attack on Cartagena de Indias by Luis Fernández Gordillo. Oil on canvas, Naval Museum of Madrid
Botanical study, captioned "The Manzanilla Tree taken at Bocca chica to show / the men that they might neither cut not sleep near it, a bow was / pin'd at the top of every Sergeant's tent, in order to make the soldiers / acquainted with and to avoid it... F.M: J.G: (?) March the 12th 1741" – a reference to Vernon's invasion fleet, before the battle. Manzanilla (Hippomane mancinella) fruit are poisonous when eaten, and the sap causes blistering.
Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of Great Britain, from the studio of Jean-Baptiste van Loo, 1740
Sebastián de Eslava, Viceroy of New Granada from an 18th-century painting
Blas de Lezo
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Admiral Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta was a Spanish Navy officer best known for his victory at the 1741 Battle of Cartagena de Indias, where forces under his command defeated a large British invasion for
Battle of Cartagena de Indias
…perhaps 4,000 to 6,000 defenders, manning six ships of the line and strategic fortifications—under the command of the Governor General of Cartagena, Don Blas de Lezo and the Viceroy of New Granada, Sebastián de Eslava. The expedition was very slow leaving Britain. Initially, contrary winds delayed the sailing until…
Portrait of Lezo, Museo Naval de Madrid
A 19th-century depiction of Blas de Lezo's frigate towing its prize, the Stanhope (ca. 1710)
Monument to de Lezo in Columbus Square, Madrid
Statue of Blas de Lezo in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia