The island of Galveston off of Texas had been known to sailors for generations under such names as the "Isle of Doom" or "Culebra Island" after the snakes that infested it. Galveston Island stretched 30 miles between the Gulf and Galveston Bay. The island protected the bay from the Gulf, making the harbor accessible only by a quarter mile wide pass between the island and Bolivar Point. In the early 1800s Galveston Island was under the control of the fledgling Republic of Mexico and Louis-Michel Aury was appointed the resident commissioner. Prior to Aury's arrival the land was a desert belonging to the snakes, deer and alligators. But Aury quickly built a small earthen fort with six cannons on the bay side and established commercial trade with New Orleans. Aury also setup a "court of justice", where he tried privateers and conveniently condemned as prized goods anything and everything that was brought in by privateers, except for that of Americans. By October of 1815, vessels were leaving New Orleans almost daily with men and supplies bound for Galveston Island and returning with prized goods. It was a very lucrative business for all involved and quite often the prized goods included weapons, ammunition and gun powder.
By the end of 1815, the privateers were depositing large amounts of money in the Bank of Louisiana. This activity frightened American shippers and caught the attention of Captain Daniel Patterson, a hero of the Battle of New Orleans who was stationed at New Orleans. Patterson had been aware of the situation but now he had to take action so that any involvement he had would not be exposed. So, Patterson commissioned the Navy warship General Jackson to accompany the Firebrand on a mission to help initiate a mutiny against Aury. The Firebrand which was originally a privateer schooner had been refitted by Patterson with a crew of 52 men and a dozen twelve-pound cannons. Now under the command of Lieutenant Cunningham, she was one of Patterson's best armed schooners, but still was no match for the Spanish warships. In late August, the ships were off Vera Cruz when the General Jackson encountered a small armed Spanish schooner that it over took when three Spaniard warships came in sight overpowered and attacked the General Jackson. Lieutenant Cunningham responded by raising the American flag om the Firebrand, and was captured by the Spanish flotilla. The commander of the flotilla kept Firebrand captive for a day, arresting Cunningham briefly before releasing the ships. The General Jackson sustained heavy damage was never to see action again. The Firebrand returned to New Orleans on September 7, and because of the anti-Spanish sentiment that prevailed in America, Patterson was able to escape any recrimination for putting a United States Navy ship at risk escorting an unrecognized insurrection against a neutral state. Instead a sense of indignation swept New Orleans and the nation. America was appalled that Spanish war ships would fire on an American navy vessel. According the Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle, Part 1 pg 74, Lieutenant Cunningham, the commander of the Firebrand was tried by a Court-Martial for his conduct, but was honorably acquitted. Instead, the court martial severely censured the conduct of the Spaniards as a wanton outrage and an insult to the American flag.
Even the President James Madison was swept up in the indignation. In his final State of the Union address to Congress he expressed this indignation to Congress. In his addressed, he called it an insult that calls for "prompt reparation" for an attack "by an over-powering force under a Spanish commander, and the American flag, with the officers and crew".
"An occurrence has indeed taken place in the Gulf of Mexico which, if sanctioned by the Spanish Government, may make an exception as to that power. According to the report of our naval commander on that station, one of our public armed vessels was attacked by an over-powering force under a Spanish commander, and the American flag, with the officers and crew, insulted in a manner calling for prompt reparation. This has been demanded. In the mean time a frigate and a smaller vessel of war have been ordered into that Gulf for the protection of our commerce. It would be improper to omit that the representative of His Catholic Majesty in the United States lost no time in giving the strongest assurances that no hostile order could have emanated from his Government, and that it will be as ready to do as to expect whatever the nature of the case and the friendly relations of the two countries shall be found to require."I think the "smaller vessel of war ordered into the Gulf" was the Firebrand. Of course, Madison was giving very few details. Perhaps, he was aware of the international controversy that Patterson stumbled into.
One year later, after a similar incident on Amelia Island in East Florida, then President James Monroe, compared Amelia Island to these events at "Galvezton". Monroe told congress that thee establishments, no matter who may have sanctioned them have forfeited all claims due the their abuse of our trust, and orders to suppress them have been issued to that effect. Monroe was beginning to flex America's muscle to control the coastal waters.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29458
The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis pgs 307-312
http://www.historycentral.com/navy/Brigatines/Firebrand.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Michel_Aury
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Patterson_(naval_officer)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Map_of_Galveston_County.jpg
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