CLAY COUNTY – The summer of 1812 brought the Patriot Rebellion to East Florida. The Patriots, a group of formerly loyal Spanish citizens led by John Houston MacIntosh (as in McIntosh Avenue in Orange Park), was raiding plantations up and down the St. John’s River at that time.

They were “shadow backed” by the United States as President Madison and Thomas Jefferson were more than interested in acquiring East Florida.

At one point, U.S. troops were discreetly sent to Florida to aid the Patriots. Some plantation owners were fed up with the endless Native American raids and felt that Spain had failed to protect them, leading to some of them being sympathetic to the Patriots. Spain had a unique relationship with the Indians, considering them a quasi-ally to be used as a hired gun.

Zephaniah Kingsley, owner of Laurel Grove (now the Town of Orange Park), was on the fence about whom he sided with – the Crown or the Patriots. He originally felt uneasy with the Patriots’ cause, but Kingsley later reconsidered and secured ammunition and arms for them. Kingsley’s plantation was also strategically located on a bluff overlooking the St. Johns River. It was the only large plantation on the west side of the St. Johns River, so it was a valuable base for checking up on the Seminoles. The rebels made themselves right at home by converting the main house into barracks.

St. Augustine had been under siege for several months by the Patriots, which forced the inhabitants and Governor Estrada to shelter behind the fortified city walls. Food was running low and so were munitions. Mercifully, on June 11, 1812, a fleet of Spanish ships appeared on the horizon. On board was new Spanish Gov. Sebastian Kindelan. He knew he had to break the siege, and he looked to the local Native American population for support. To break the siege, he had the Indians raid the Patriots' plantations and homes. Thus, they would have to return home to deal with the Indians and leave St. Augustine alone. The enemy of Spain’s enemy was Spain’s friend.

Kingsley’s Laurel Grove plantation was first on that hit list. Kingsley’s Cane Field plot was invaded on July 25, 1812. There was no resistance as it was a most stealthy raid. Slaves were bound up and taken as the spoils of war. The Natives had watched Kinglsey’s slaves from the tree line as they tended to the cotton crop and the orange groves; no one saw them coming. It was so quiet and quick that no one over at Laurel Grove or Spring Field, Kingsley’s other plot, knew about it until Laurel Grove was invaded later in the day.

With the need for further stealth eliminated, the band of Seminoles, about 60 strong, set upon Laurel Grove yelling and whooping. They were so loud that the commotion was heard on the east bank of the river. Buildings were burned, livestock were either stolen or slaughtered, crops were trampled in the field, and guns were fired. Kingsley’s new house was fortified and had a strong, tall wood fence built all around it. The Patriots took shelter inside alongside some of the slaves.

The enslaved people got the worst of it. Over at Spring Field, Peter (one of the higher-ranking and more trusted slaves) tried to defend the plantation but was shot and killed. Another young man, whilst holding his infant, tried to fight off the Indians and lost his life when he refused to leave with them. Montorro was his name. Because he was loyal to Kingsley, he didn’t want Kingsley to think he was a runaway slave. For his loyalty, he was shot in the head. His child and wife were tied up and forced to go with the raiders.

Abraham Hannahan was Kingsley’s foreman at Laurel Grove. He was one of the few slaves that were literate, and Kingsley truly trusted him. Abraham and Peter were working together one day when self-appointed officials showed up demanding all the guns held by the slaves be turned over to them. There had been rumors of a slave revolt, and it was decided that slaves would be disarmed. The problem that day was that Kingsley wasn’t home, and he had left Abraham in charge in his absence.

Because slaves could easily be kidnapped or even attacked by wild animals in the fields, those that were trusted were often given guns for self-defense. They also used guns to hunt. Abraham refused to give up these guns and cussed at the officials insisting that Kingsley had put him in charge. For his loyalty, the officials had him jailed. He was punished with fifty lashes and days of hard labor. Upon Kingsley’s return and in exchange for his loyalty, Kingsley gave him his freedom and acreage. On the day of the raid, Abraham tried to do his best to save the plantation. He was shot in the chest but survived. There was just one death among the rebels.

Kinglsey, who had been in Picolata, heard of the attack and rushed back home. When his ship pulled up to the dock, the smoke was still swirling around the burned-out buildings. Almost all of his slaves, but for ten or twelve women and children, remained. Crops lay ruined in the fields. Cattle were stolen and other animals lay slaughtered in their pens. The three dead men were laid out, unburied as of yet. The main house was still intact. Not one stolen slave from that day was ever recovered. The task of rebuilding his plantation was a long and hard one.

Using the Seminoles to do the dirty work had worked splendidly for the Gov. Kindelan. The siege of St. Augustine was lifted, and the Patriots and undercover U.S. troops withdrew, slinking off to their headquarters near Goodby’s Creek in Cowford (today’s Jacksonville). Today, it’s the site of the Goodby’s Creek Preserve.

The “official” Patriots group withdrew but their criminal element did not. They stuck around and took advantage of the lawlessness and lack of protection of Spain’s loyal citizens. In 1813, one such group took over Laurel Grove. Ana Kingsley, Zephaniah’s wife, with the help of Spanish ships, was determined to get rid of the scrum that had set up camp in her house. She had the sailors take her to the plantation dock, and she herself lit a smoldering fire that eventually burned down the main house, thus depriving the bad guys of shelter. Ana was a very loyal Spanish citizen.

In his later years, Kingsley stated that he only supported the rebels under duress. Clearly, he regretted getting involved. He chose the wrong side and lost. Next time you drive along Kingsley Avenue (named for him), remember this story of the chaos that once occurred there and the friends and enemies who made it all happen in the early 1800s.