An Actual Pirate

This year at St Augustine Florida's annual Colonial Night Watch, which is held on the first Saturday in December, I was portraying William Augustus Bowles. Being one of the southeast's most colorful historical figures, I have been eager to bring him to life for some time. The stars eventually aligned and the opportunity finally presented itself. 

Bowles was originally born in Frederick, MD prior to the revolutionary war, during which he was able to secure a commission as a British loyalist, an d was eventually sent to Pensacola. becoming cross threaded with his superiors for reasons that are unclear, he either quit or was kicked out of the  army. Eventually falling into the hands of local Indians, he married into two tribes while continuing to exert martial pressure onto the Americans. regaining some royal support towards the dusk of the century, he gained three vessels with which he waged continual yet limited warfare towards anyone he deemed an enemy, which was pretty. much everyone but the British.

He was basically like that one Family Guy episode where Peter declared his home the sovereign state of Pretoria. Yes, he actually declared himself the king of all the Southeastern tribes which he then united in to the sovereign State of Muskogee, wrote himself letters of marquis, and then began predating on the Spanish shipping around Florida. Its little wonder that he was arrested by them twice. The first time he actually escaped to Africa before making his way to London, and then back to Florida. If not like Peter Griffin, then definitely something like Captain Jack Sparrow.