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2 years, 8 months, 21 days to St. Augustine's 450th anniversary
December 24, 1702, Christmas Eve, 49 days into the British siege on St. Augustine.
Some 1,500 are huddled inside the protective walls of the massive Castillo de San Marcos, including "all priests, friars, women, children, Negro slaves, free Negroes and all Indians of whatever nation which have rendered obedience to his Catholic Majesty." 
Forty-nine days since Governor Joseph de Zuniga y Zerda issued his proclamation: "The enemy is approaching by land and by sea and they are bringing the means to attack and besiege the royal fort."
Forty-nine days of constant pounding of cannon balls against the fortress walls - ineffectively absorbed into the soft coquina.
Forty-nine days of building siege trenches along the expanse of the fort's perimeter, ever closer to the target.
Now the English await mortars, able to lob deadly missiles over the walls and onto the crowded grounds, while the Spanish await a relief fleet from Havana.
Christmas Eve. Two sails are sighted. They are English. Morale inside the fort hits bottom. The ships have not come from Jamaica; they do not carry the dreaded mortars. But the defenders don't know this.
The governor focuses on morale: A Christmas Eve party for all and bonuses for the troops. His accountants say the treasury can't afford it. The governor replies, "Charge it to next year's account!"
Two days later, four sails are sighted on the southern horizon. As they near, they are identified as men-of-war. Finally, the welcome report: They are Spanish, the relief fleet from Havana.
The sight of the Spanish fleet is enough to make the English retreat. Deciding a retreat by sea would be stopped by the fleet, the English destroy their own ships and flee on foot.
December 29, 1702, after 54 days of siege, the St. Augustine garrison can finally celebrate Christmas.
Excerpt from Siege, St. Augustine Bedtime Stories.
Image: Detail of graphic by Buff Gordon describing dates and events in the 1702 Siege. The graphic is in the Middleton Archaeology Center.
Detail text: Castillo de San Marcos, the fort built with coquina stone 1672-1695 saved the citizens of St. Augustine in 1702. They lived in the fort 52 days. In 1702 the covered way (moat), glacis, and stone tower had not been built.
This year, give the gift of history, St. Augustine Bedtime Stories, dramatic accounts of famous people and events in St. Augustine's history. Information here.
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