The French in Early Florida
In the Eye of the Hurricane
John T. McGrath
John McGrath offers a careful reconstruction of the dramatic fate of the expeditions that attempted to plant a permanent French presence on North America's eastern seaboard during the 1560s--the first full treatment of these events from the French perspective. This campaign became one of the most stunning defeats in the history of European colonialism when Spanish commander Pedro Menéndez de Avilés destroyed France’s Fort Caroline and its relief fleet during the late summer and fall of 1565.
McGrath analyzes and reconstructs events as the French and the Spaniards tried to outmaneuver and outguess each other. The fatal weakness of the French ultimately turned out to be the inability of their leaders, especially Jean Ribault, to carry out orders--not, as most historians have claimed, that French designs were poorly conceived. By comparison, the decisiveness, ingenuity, and extraordinary leadership of Menéndez enabled him to defeat his rivals in the face of extreme adversity.
Until now, McGrath argues, this story has been told either inaccurately or incompletely. By scrutinizing written testimonies left by participants on both sides, he re-creates the conditions and perspectives of the actors involved and reevaluates how and why they made the crucial decisions that ended in such a bloody tragedy. Claiming that this initiative was far from a hopeless cause, he demonstrates that the French came tantalizingly close to wresting the east coast of North America from Spanish imperial control.
John T. McGrath, assistant professor of social science at Boston University’s College of General Studies, has written numerous articles on French and French colonial history.
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"McGrath does a masterful job of showing how the French came very close to victory only to suffer a stunning reversal of fortune that cost the lives of Ribault and most of his men. A very interesting book on a long neglected topic." - The Mariner's Mirror, Society for Nautical Research
--The Mariner's Mirror for Society for Nautical Research
"A rich and valuable guide to this important chapter of history- a chapter that, as McGrath clearly shows, could well have had a very different ending." The Sixteenth Century Journal
--The Sixteenth Century Journal
"a well-written work that helps to set the record straight." "the author has done an excellent job of synthesis, and the book should be required reading for those interested in the history of European expansion to North America." - Journal of Southern History
--Journal of Southern History
"[It] is not so much a book about a brief period of Florida's early colonial history, as the title suggests, but an accessible and balanced introduction to the wider diplomatic, confessional and colonial history of the sixteenth century which will appeal to students and general readers alike." - French History
--French History
"McGrath makes a particular effort to explore why the major players in the drama - and it was a drama from beginning to end - did what they did, and the context of their actions. And as with any good story, McGrath leaves you wanting to know more." - Georgia Times-Union
--Georgia Times-Union
"For scholars of Florida, this book offers a richly detailed overview of the domestic and international motivations that framed sixteenth-century French interest in Florida." - H-Florida
--H-Florida
"An excellent addition to Spanish Borderland literature. McGrath had done a splendid job presenting the basics of a story essentially known." - American Historical Review
--American Historical Review
"Brings to light a little-appreciated colonial confrontation between France and Spain. McGrath is scrupulous in maintaining an objective analysis of the events and never oversteps the bounds of logical deduction. He handles the vast amount of detail deftly for the most part, dividing his work into digestible chapters . Unquestionably, McGrath's work enriches Florida history with fresh insights into its colonial past." Georgia Historical Quarterly
--Georgia Historical Quarterly
"Historians of the early modern era, Atlantic history, European- Amerindian relations, and the history of imperialism more generally will benefit from this solid, carefully researched monograph. His careful reconstruction of the events and judicious interpretation of motives will likely make the book a standard for a long time" - The International History Review
--The International History Review
"a definitive history of the Ribault and Laudonniere expeditions to northeast Florida." "an essential addition to any library of borderlands or Florida history. It is a definitive study of the Franco-Spanish struggle not only for Florida but for America north of Mexico. With this work, John T. McGrath has made a significant contribution to colonial American historiography, and his excellent book should by read by scholars and students alike." - The Journal of American History
--Journal of American History
"McGrath uses a wealth of primary sources from both sides of the conflict, and his writing is a colorful telling of this story." - Southern Historian
--Southern Historian
"a very detailed and painstakingly researched study of mid-sixteenth century France in so far as it related to the attempts of Admiral Gaspard de Coligny to establish a French colonial empire in the New World." - Hispanic American Historical Review
--Hispanic American Historical Review
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