Margen
In 1741, Britain sent against Cartagena de Indias one of the largest fleets ever assembled: some 180 ships and more than 25,000 men under Admiral Vernon. Defending the city were about 3,000 soldiers, six ships of the line and a Basque sailor known as 'Half-Man': Blas de Lezo — one leg, one eye and one crippled arm after a lifetime of battles.
London took victory for granted. So much so that commemorative medals were struck showing Lezo kneeling and surrendering his sword to a triumphant Vernon.
Reality had other plans. Lezo turned the defence into a trap: layered fortifications, counterattacks, yellow fever. After two disastrous months, Vernon withdrew with thousands of casualties.
The medals were already out there. Today they're collectors' items: official souvenirs of a victory that never happened.