French corsair (privateer) Louis-Michel Aury, along with Scottish adventurer Gregor MacGregor, raised the flag of the revolutionary republic of Mexico over Amelia Island in northeast Florida on this date, in 1817, beginning a brief occupation of the island. The occupation did not last long and authority was handed over to the United States within a few months. Aury served briefly in the French navy and was stationed in the West Indies, but by 1810 he had amassed enough wealth to become the master of his own vessel, and began working as a privateer. He supported the various independence movements from Spain that were happening in Central and South America, eventually making a home base near Galveston. Aury continued with his efforts to overthrow Spanish rule throughout the Caribbean for the next few years.
~Florida Historical Society
