Fort Mose II

Twelve years after the Bloody Mose battle, Mose residents returned to the frontier and constructed a second fort and community. Mose's fort, houses, and surrounding fields were destroyed during the siege of St. Augustine. From 1740-1752, most Mose residents assimilated into urban life in St. Augustine. Some engaged in craftsmanship, artisanry and trade, while others worked as cattlemen and foragers. Others served as sailors and corsairs in raids against English settlements and ships. The new Spanish Governor, Flugencio Garcia de Solís, was troubled by so many new Africans and Indians in the city. He ordered the reconstruction of Fort Mose in 1752. The reluctant free blacks rebuilt their settlement near the original fort, and once again became Spanish Florida's first line of defense.

St. Augustine, Florida · United States