1567-1568: During his third and “unfortunate” voyage, John Hawkins led an armed assault on a town in Guinea that was reportedly home to 8,000 inhabitants.

1567-1568: During his third and “unfortunate” voyage, John Hawkins led an armed assault on a town in Guinea that was reportedly home to 8,000 inhabitants. Aided by a local rival king, Hawkins’s men used fire and force to overwhelm the defenders, though they suffered casualties and many injuries during the battle. They initially captured 250 individuals, but were ultimately able to obtain between 400 and 500 captives after the African king removed his own prisoners in the night. Hawkins then proceeded toward the coast of the West Indies to sell these captives and other merchandise to recover the significant costs of the expedition.