Spanish Bayonet
Dublin Core
Abstract
Historical background: The Turnbull Colony/plantation at New Smyrna Beach was started by a doctor during the British Period using "indentured servants" from the Mediterranean. The horrific living conditions led to most of the people from Minorca, Italy, and Greece dying during the years of indenture; however, at the end of their years working for Dr. Turnbull, he refused to release them. A delegation travelled to St. Augustine to implore help from the governor, who agreed to give them protection if they came up from New Smyrna. The survivors left Turnbull's plantation with anything they could carry and walked to St. Augustine. When St. Augustine was transferred back to the Spanish in 1784, about the only people left in St. Augustine were the Minorcans. If it had not been for them, St. Augustine would not be able to claim the title of oldest, continuously inhabited town in the United States.
Stephen Vincent Benet writes Spanish Bayonet based on the historical record, but makes some mistakes, one is calling New Smyrna Beach, Anastasia Island. His characters set sail for a city in Florida, and the character, Mr. Zafortezas, describes his love for the Floridas. He has great anticipation for setting foot in St. Augustine.
It is hard to identify specific locations in this story.
Stephen Vincent Benet writes Spanish Bayonet based on the historical record, but makes some mistakes, one is calling New Smyrna Beach, Anastasia Island. His characters set sail for a city in Florida, and the character, Mr. Zafortezas, describes his love for the Floridas. He has great anticipation for setting foot in St. Augustine.
It is hard to identify specific locations in this story.
Benet's grandfather, also a Stephen Vincent Benet, was a U.S. Army Brigadier General and a Minorcan descendent born in St. Augustine in 1827.
Identifier
PS3503 .E5325 S63 1926
Access Rights
This item is part of the Circulating Collection and can be checked out with a valid Flagler ID. Non-Flagler affiliates will need to request this book through their local library's Inter-Library Loan program.
Creator
Title
Spanish Bayonet
Publisher
New York: George H. Doran, Co.
Date
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Audience
Subject
Historical
Coverage
British Period
Has Format
Available for free on HathiTrust.
References
Gardner, Janette C. An Annotated Bibliography of Florida Fiction, 1801-1980. St. Petersburg, FL: Little Bayou Press, 1983.
Mason, Walter Scott. The People of Florida as Portrayed in American Fiction. Nashville, TN: George Peabody College for Teachers, 1949.
McCarthy, Kevin. M. “Historical St. Augustine in Fiction.” El Escribano 15 (1978): 61-69.
Bibliographic Citation
Benet, Stephen Vincent. Spanish Bayonet. New York: George H. Doran Co., 1926.
Collection
Citation
Stephen Vincent Benet, “Spanish Bayonet,” St. Augustine Fiction, accessed July 9, 2025, https://staugustinefiction.omeka.net/items/show/21.