Today is Friday, January 28th, 2022.

On this day in 1671, famous privateer Henry Morgan led a raid on Panama City,

disrupting a pivotal Spanish settlement.

Welcome to Today in True Crime, a Spotify original from Parcast.

Due to the graphic nature of these crimes, listener discretion is advised.

This episode includes discussions of violence.

We advise extreme caution for children under 13. Today we're covering

Captain Morgan's violent descent on Panama and the carnage he left in his wake. Now let's go back

to January 28, 1671 to Cologne, Panama.

The siege was beginning across the inlet at Fort San Lorenzo. There, the famed English privateer, Henry Morgan, led an attack with 36 ships and over 1,500 buccaneers.

Their goal was to rattle one of Spain's chief cities.

In the 1600s, Panama was ruled by the Spanish Empire, and it was a vital asset to global

trade.

Before the construction of the canal, ships were unloaded on one end of the inlet.

Goods were then carried to Panama City and loaded back onto vessels to continue their voyage west.

These ports were also a critical part of Spain's economy, which is why they weren't happy to see them targeted by Captain Morgan.

The Spanish military felt confident that they could ward off the incoming pirates. Their fort was well defended,

and Mother Nature was on their side. When Morgan's fleet approached San Lorenzo too quickly,

their hulls were destroyed by the Lahas Reef. Morgan's flagship sank to the sea, but the captain

was aboard another vessel, and he was ready to fight.

Even with fewer men and resources, Morgan and his crew descended on the fort.

Supposedly, it was this determination that completely turned the tide in Morgan's favor.

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