<P> On November 22, 1595, English privateer Sir Francis Drake--with 27 vessels and 2,500 troops--sailed into San Juan Bay intending to loot the city . However, they were unable to defeat the forces entrenched in the forts . Knowing Drake had failed to overcome the city's defenses by sea, on June 15, 1598, the Royal Navy, led by George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, landed troops from 21 ships to the east in Santurce . Clifford and his men met Spanish resistance while attempting to cross the San Antonio bridge (from an area known today as Condado) into the islet of San Juan . Nonetheless, the English conquered the island and held it for several months . They were forced to abandon the island owing to an outbreak of dysentery among the troops . The following year Spain sent soldiers, cannons, and a new governor, Alonso de Mercado, to rebuild the city of San Juan . </P> <P> The 17th and 18th centuries saw more attacks on the island . On September 25, 1625, the Dutch, under the leadership of Boudewijn Hendrick (Balduino Enrico), attacked San Juan, besieging Fort San Felipe del Morro and La Fortaleza . Residents fled the city but the Spanish, led by Governor Juan de Haro, were able to repel the Dutch troops from Fort San Felipe del Morro . The fortification of San Juan continued; in 1634, Philip IV of Spain fortified Fort San Cristóbal, along with six fortresses linked by a line of sandstone walls surrounding the city . In 1702, the English assaulted the town of Arecibo, located on the north coast, west of San Juan, with no success . In 1797, the French and Spanish declared war on the United Kingdom . The British attempted again to conquer the island, attacking San Juan with an invasion force of 7,000 troops and an armada consisting of 64 warships under the command of General Ralph Abercromby . Captain General Don Ramón de Castro and his army successfully resisted the attack . </P> <P> Amidst the constant attacks, the first threads of Puerto Rican society emerged . A 1765 census conducted by Lt. General Alejandro O'Reilly showed a total population of 44,883, of which 5,037 (11.2%) were slaves, a low percentage compared to the other Spanish colonies in the Caribbean . In 1786 the first comprehensive history of Puerto Rico--Historia Geográfica, Civil y Política de Puerto Rico by Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra--was published in Madrid, documenting the history of Puerto Rico from the time of Columbus' landing in 1493 until 1783 . The book also presents a first hand account of Puerto Rican identity, including music, clothing, personality and nationality . </P> <P> In 1779, Puerto Ricans fought in the American Revolutionary War under the command of Bernardo de Gálvez, who was named Field Marshal of the Spanish colonial army in North America . Puerto Ricans participated in the capture of Pensacola, the capital of the British colony of West Florida and the cities of Baton Rouge, St. Louis and Mobile . The Puerto Rican troops, commanded by Brigadier General Ramón de Castro, helped defeat the British and Indian army of 2,500 soldiers and British warships in Pensacola . </P>

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