Depicting Fort Caroline in Jacksonville, Florida. A French expedition, organized by Protestant leader Admiral Gaspard de Coligny and led by the French Explorer Jean Ribault, had landed at the site on the May River (now the St. Johns River) in February 1562. Here Ribault encountered the Timucuans led by Chief Saturiwa. Ribault took some 28 troops north along the coast, where on present-day Parris Island, South Carolina they developed a settlement known as Charlesfort.
Ribault returned to Europe to arrange supplies for the new colony. When he was captured and briefly imprisoned in England on suspicion of spying related to the French Wars of Religion, he was prevented from returning to Florida.

In the mid-16th century, Spain and France competed for control of North America. The Spanish government believed it had exclusive rights to the continent by the blessing of the Catholic Church, and France disagreed. To protect its Atlantic shipping route from English and French privateers, Spain colonized points along the southeastern coast from the Caribbean to the Carolinas.

Plate X. for "Les Grand Voyages". Picture of Fort Caroline. Thus was erected a triangular work, afterward named Fort Caroline. The base of the triangle, looking westward, was defended only by a small ditch, and a wall of sods nine feet high. The side near the river was built up with planks and fascines.

On the southern side was a building after the fashion of a citadel for a granary to hold their provisions. The whole was of fascines and earth, except the upper part of the wall for two or three feet, which was of sods. In the middle, if the fort was a roomy open space eighteen yards long, and as many wide. Midway on the southern side of this space was the soldiers’ quarters; and on the north side was a building that was higher than it should have been, and was in consequence blown over by the wind a little afterward.

The experience thus taught us that in this country, where the winds are so furious, houses must be built low. There was also another open space, pretty large, one side of which was closed in by the granary above mentioned, while on another side stood the residence of Laudonnière, looking out upon the river, and with a piazza all around it.

The principal door of this opened upon the larger open space; and the rear door upon the river.at a safe distance from the works, an oven was erected; for, as the houses were roofed with palm branches, they would very easily have caught fire.

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