William Augustus Bowles

William Augustus Bowles (HMZKA)

Location: Eastpoint, FL 32328 Franklin County
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Country: United States of America
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N 29° 41.088', W 84° 47.689'

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Inscription
During a storm in 1799, the schooner Fox ran aground off the eastern end of St. George Island. On board was William Augustus Bowles, a British citizen and self-styled leader of the Creek-Cherokee nation. Bowles was bringing gunpowder and bullets, he hoped to re-establish his prominence among the Creeks, drive the Spanish out of Florida, and create an independent Muskogee state under British protection.

The Creeks were the most organized of the southern Indians and still controlled much of their territory. Because of Florida's strategic location, the U.S., Spain, Britain, and France were all interested in Bowles' actions.

With supplies salvaged from the shipwreck, Bowles paddled up the Apalachicola River to reunite with his Creek family and begin rallying native support. The ship captain and crew camped on the island until rescuers returned them to Jamaica.

Bowles and his Creek, Seminole, black, and white followers captures the Spanish fort at St. Marks in 1800 and held it for over a month. Losing control of its only fortification between St. Augustine and Pensacola was an embarrassment to Spain and a sign of its fragile hold on Florida.

Britain's peace with France and Spain through the Treaty of Amiens, 1802, removed any hope of British support for Bowles' schemes. Bowles lived among the Creeks until his recapture in 1803, and died in a Cuban prison. Although Bowles' dreams were not realized, he plagued the Spanish for almost two decades, preventing them from maintaining complete military control of Florida.

Details
HM NumberHMZKA
Tags
Marker NumberF-319
Year Placed1988
Placed ByFlorida Historical Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, October 16th, 2014 at 10:29am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16R E 713380 N 3285893
Decimal Degrees29.68480000, -84.79481667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 29° 41.088', W 84° 47.689'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds29° 41' 5.28" N, 84° 47' 41.34" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)850
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 303 St Co Rd 300, Eastpoint FL 32328, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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