Two days afterwards, on July 31—a day consecrated to the glorious patriarch St. Ignatius de Loyala, founder of the Society of Jesus—our commander trusting to the fact that the saint was his countryman and patron, besought him, with ardent faith, to further, as a matter of justice, the accomplishment of the hopes which we based upon his patronage. Finding that he was sailing with a north wind, to windward of the enemy, our commander, with eager courage, ordered all sails to be spread, and started in pursuit of the enemy; he soon overtook the Dutch ships between the island of Maesse de Campo[11] and Mindoro, At two o’clock on the same day, he courageously forced our two galleons among the six vessels of the enemy, and another horrible battle was fought. The artillery was all fired as often and as skilfully as musketry could have been used. The enemy attacked our almiranta, but it defended itself and assailed the enemy so bravely that it inspired fear and astonishment. Our flagship was so veritable a volcano that no vessel dared to give her a broadside. The enemy’s flagship attempted to do so, but was so badly damaged that it had to retreat, setting more than twenty men to work the pumps; but, finding it impossible to keep afloat, they raised a piece of canvas in our sight, a sign that she was in great danger of sinking. Throughout the afternoon the fight continued with the same obstinacy and vigor, with the determination on our part not to stop until we should reduce the enemy’s ships to splinters, or send them to the bottom. The heretics made their last effort by attempting to send close to our flagship their second fireship, which was large enough to carry thirty cannon; it was escorted by two other ships and towed by some lanchas. Our commander, as one so experienced in military affairs, ordered the musketeers to fire on the men who were directing the lanchas, and at the same time, the artillery on the starboard from which the fireship was coming, to fire at its sides; the guns on the lookout and the poop were fired with such effect that the vessel quickly sank in sight of all, listing to port and going down bow first. The heretics were so badly beaten and cowed that, spreading all their canvas, they basely fled toward the land. Our squadron followed in pursuit, but as night was approaching, and there was a squally wind from the northwest, accompanied by thunder and lightning, the enemy escaped by spreading their canvas aft and extinguishing their lights.
This signal and miraculous event was attributed by our commander and by the entire armada to the special patronage of the blessed Virgin of the Rosary and to the glorious Viscayan St. Ignatius, in whose names the cannon-shots on our side piously succeeded one another, that day. The disastrous rout of the enemy was publicly known, and our victory was proclaimed all the more by their cowardly flight. The losses on our side were as insignificant in this as in the previous battle; and, in both, the courage, spirit, and skill of our men—leaders, captains, pilots, and private persons—was very great, as was evident in the result. By their ignominious flight the insolent heretics left our coasts free, and departed from the islands well sheared by the Embocadero, where they had come for wool, or for the money brought from Nueva España for our relief.
The governor and captain-general, Don Diego Faxardo, was informed of all this; and by his orders our armada retired to the port of Cabite in the latter part of August, after a six months’ voyage, in such need of repairs as can well be imagined from the foregoing account of the three battles. As soon as they landed, all our men marched with their commander to the church of the glorious patriarch St. Dominic, to return humble and tender thanks to the blessed Virgin of the Rosary for victories so signal.
11. Second armada, and its battles
About this time the galleon “San Diego,” recently built, sailed from this port for Nueva España. Regarding it as certain that the coasts were clear of enemies, the authorities did not carry out their first intention of sending our armada to escort the “San Diego” as far as the Embocadero. But, as the enemy had so many squadrons (as I mentioned at the outset), it happened, a few days later, that our galleon, having left the port, found itself, while still in sight of Mariveles near an islet called Fortun, at nightfall near a Dutch ship, one of three that were in that quarter; these were part of the third squadron, which had come to join the twelve ships of the two squadrons before mentioned. As the commanders of these ships did not know what had happened to the others, they dared to await the fleet thus near Manila. Our galleon carried her guns on the ballast and the various decks were littered with boxes and utensils, as is usually the case when one of those ships sails on so long a voyage. The enemy recognized, at once, that our vessel was not a warship and attacked it furiously. They approached so close that the conversation of various persons could be heard, but they did not venture to board the galleon; for General Christoval Marquez de Valençuela, commander of the galleon, a brave and experienced soldier, hurriedly disencumbered five iron cannon, and, bringing them to bear on the enemy, stood on the defensive. That action was sufficient to secure his retreat toward Mariveles; entering the bay, with the loss of a few killed, he arrived at the port of Cavite and made a report of the occurrence.
This new accident did not depress the brave heart of his Lordship [the governor]; he ordered that the two strong galleons should be immediately prepared to go out again, in convoy of this third one. As promptness was so important in this matter, his Lordship, recognizing the energy and ability of his sargento-mayor and commander of infantry, Manuel Estacio Venegas, ordered him to proceed in person to the port of Cavite to despatch the galleons. This task he performed admirably, for by his efforts there was accomplished in one week what by other methods would have seemed much to do in a month.
His Lordship had previously rewarded General Lorenzo de Orella y Ugalde with one of the best encomiendas in these islands and he therefore, on this second occasion, appointed Admiral Sebastian Lopez commander-in-chief of the armada, and Sargento-mayor Don Agustin de Zepeda admiral—thus rewarding these officers for their achievements in the first fight by giving them the highest rank in the second one. To Captain Don Francisco Roxo was given the post of sargento-mayor, and Captains Salvador Perez and Felipe Camino were placed in command of the infantry companies on the flagship, and Juan de Mora and Francisco Lopez Ynoso on the almiranta. An excellent galley was also equipped with a cannon amidships, carrying a thirty-five pound ball, and small culverins [moyanas] carrying fourteen-pound balls; it contained also an infantry company of one hundred picked men. Admiral Francisco de Esteyvar, commander of his Lordship’s company of arquebusiers, was made commander of this galley. He was a soldier of well known bravery and experience, and as admiral, a post which he held in these islands, he showed himself a match for the Dutch, in carrying the relief to the forts of Terrenate. The galley was also accompanied by four brigantines of good capacity, well equipped with musketry, and each carrying a cannon at the prow; Captains Don Juan de Valderrama, Juan Martinez Capelo, Don Gabriel Miño de Guzman, and Francisco de Bargas Machuca were respectively in command of these vessels. The chaplains of the fleet were: on the flagship, two friars of the Order of St. Dominic; on the almiranta, two of the Order of St. Francis; and on the galley, one of the order of the glorious St. Augustine. By order of his Lordship the vow which had been made in the first expedition, of a magnificent festival to the Virgin of the Rosary, was renewed; and the devotion was continued of reciting aloud prayers every day, in concert, all kneeling before the image of that sovereign lady.
On the fifteenth of September the three galleons, “Encarnacion,” “Rosario,” and “San Diego,” sailed from the harbor of Cabite, accompanied by the fleet of oared vessels formed by the galley and the four brigantines aforesaid. Continuing their voyage, they arrived at Fortun and saw, toward a point called Calavite,[12] on the island of Mindoro, three of the enemy’s ships under sail. Our brave commander was glad of the opportunity and at once invited them to fight by firing a few cannon. The heretics did not dare to measure their forces at close range with ours; nor was the wind favorable for our galleons to sail in among those of the enemy. This gallant war was therefore waged with the artillery of longest range, the conflict lasting from four o’clock in the afternoon until nine at night. At that hour our almiranta—either because it was swifter, or because it was carried on by some current—found itself in the midst of the enemy’s three ships, and fought with them a furious battle, lasting four long hours—doing considerable damage to the enemy and being itself not a little injured as to masts, rigging, and sails. Admiral Don Agustin de Cepeda showed himself, on this occasion, as brave in sustaining the combat as he was skilful in engaging the enemy. In the thick of the fight he ordered the artillery to stop firing. The enemy taking this for a sign of weakness, their vessels came very close to our ship on both sides, in order to vanquish it; then our almiranta reopened fire with her artillery on both sides, so vigorously that the enemy, unable to endure it, basely retreated. As soon as the sun rose, our flagship bore down upon the enemy and offered fight. But the foe, who had more need for repairs than desire to fight again, put in at a place near Calavite point whence he had sailed, among some shoals where our galleys could not follow.
Our commander then decided to continue the voyage, to furnish an escort for the galleon “San Diego.” But, as it was a recently-built vessel, and had not yet been tested, it was soon discovered that it did not answer its helm, or carry its sails well. As, too, the vendabals had now ended, and the north winds prevailed, which are unfavorable for a voyage to Nueva España, General Sebastian Lopez, in accordance with the opinion of a council called for this purpose, decided that the galleon “San Diego” should put in at Mariveles, and remain until his Lordship could be informed of the matter and despatch new orders. The “San Diego,” then, anchored off Mariveles, and our flagship remained outside, held by one anchor, since the almiranta was carried far to leeward by the currents; and its efforts to join the flagship were unavailing, for in those places the force of the currents is irresistible.