First Spanish Muster Site in Florida

The first muster of Spanish militiamen in the newly established presidio of St. Augustine took place in September 1565. As the San Mateo hurricane began, Adelantado Pedro Menendez de Aviles assembled 500 regular soldiers to attack the French settlement at Fort Caroline on the St. John's River while the French sailed south toward St. Augustine. Remaining in the presidio was a group of about 100 civilians, including craftsmen, laborers, farmers, priests, wives, and children. Among them, free white men were pressed into military service under Spanish law to defend the community and protect its supplies against a possible counterattack. Menendez's victory at Fort Caroline helped secure St. Augustine against further French threat. The Florida National Guard honors September 15, 1565, as the first muster of Florida's militia and therefore the birthdate of the militia in what was to become the United States. St. Augustine is the oldest permanently occupied European settlement in the continental United States.

St. Augustine, Florida · United States