Anglo-Spanish War Volume 1

In 1655 Oliver Cromwell, England's Lord Protector, sent a fleet to attack and seize Spanish possessions in South America. The English were flexing their muscles on the international stage and for political, religious and commercial reasons chose to attack a weakened Spain in the West Indies believing it a soft target. In late 1654 possibly the largest military force to date ever to leave English shores set sail from Portsmouth under the command of General Robert Venables and Admiral William Penn.
This is the first of two volumes about the English attack on the Spanish West Indies. This volume extensively analyses the reasons for the English attack, its preparations and plans, and the composition of their army and navy. It describes first the voyage to the West Indies and the expEdition's delay in Barbados and then the attack on Hispaniola, including the many reasons for its dramatic failure.