Born free in Africa, Francisco Menendez endured the Middle Passage to North America after being enslaved by the British. In 1724, he and at least ten other runaways avoided British patrols in the Carolinas and Georgia and safely reached Florida with the assistance of the Yamassee tribe. Although on November 7, 1693, King Charles II of Spain had labeled Spanish colonies as a sanctuary for runaway slaves, many colonial Spanish elites did not share the crown's sentiment, and five years later, Governor Antonio de Benavides sold Menendez to a Spanish colonist. On October 29, 1733, Charles II reissued his proclamation, but this time appeased the colonists by requiring that all slaves serve a term of four years in the Spanish military to earn their emancipation.
Francisco Menendez’s life transcended the stereotypical role of a black man in the North American colonies. He managed not only to endure the horrors of slavery, but also to bring the battle back to the British while personifying the racial pride that slavery attempted to erase.


Taking advantage of this opportunity, Menendez formally petitioned the new Governor of Florida, Manuel de Montiano, who granted his freedom on March 15, 1738, under the condition that Menendez be stationed at Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose ("Fort Mose") in northeast Florida. Fort Mose's stone walls not only protected nearby Saint Augustine, but also provided a settlement for recently freed slaves and their families. Governor Montiano allowed Menendez to oversee the inhabitants and day-to-day activities of Fort Mose, which played an important role in the colony's economy and defense. The runaways and freed slaves living there not only performed military duty, they also possessed valuable skills and vocational knowledge that served the economic interests of the more affluent Spanish colonists.

Menendez and the other black residents of Fort Mose were not merely tools of the Spanish, however. They actively participated in the colony's affairs and gladly defended the Spanish borderlands, a task that offered them the opportunity to take revenge on their former British masters. These newly appointed freedmen promised to be "most cruel" to the enemies of Spain and vowed to fight until they spilled their last drop of blood.

Violent episodes occurred when British troops attempted to reclaim slaves by force. In the May 1740, Menendez and his soldiers briefly lost Fort Mose after [Georgia's] Governor, James Oglethorpe, ordered an invasion. By June, however, "Captain" Menendez once again commanded the fort. This battle became synonymous with both the valiant nature of the black militia and tales of atrocities and mutilations that the freedmen unleashed on Oglethorpe's men. Other encounters with the British include accounts of Menendez's subjects scoffing and ridiculing white men who came to reclaim their slave property. In one account, Captain Caleb Davis left in shame after his former slaves mocked him and forced him to retreat from their new home empty-handed.

Francisco Menendez's life transcended the stereotypical role of a black man in the North American colonies. He managed not only to endure the horrors of slavery, but also to bring the battle back to the British while personifying the racial pride that slavery attempted to erase.