FIRST SPANISH MUSTER SITE IN FLORIDA

The first muster of Spanish militiamen in the newly-established presidio (fortified encampment) of St. Augustine took place in September of 1565. During the onset of the San Mateo hurricane of 1565, 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 towards St. Augustine. Staying behind in the presidio was a group of some 100 civilians including craftsmen, laborers, farmers, priests, wives, and children. Among them, free white men were pressed into military service in accordance with Spanish law to defend the community and protect its supplies against a possible counterattack. Menendez’s victory at Fort Caroline helped to secure St. Augustine against further French threat. The Florida National Guard honors September 16, 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.