Bernardo de Galvez Takes the Mississippi River
When Spain finally joined the Revolutionary War, Louisiana Governor Bernardo de Galvez eagerly joined the fight.
Galvez immediately attacked British forts along the Mississippi River, taking them with little resistance.
Spain Joins The War
In May of 1779, Spain officially joined France and the American Revolutionaries in the war against Great Britain.
When word arrived in New Orleans, Territorial Governor Bernardo de Galvez kept his true intentions a bit of a secret.
He called together his soldiers and set out for Fort Bute.
Bernardo de Galvez on the Move
Fort Bute was held by the British, and Galvez told his men they were simply going to prepare for an impending British attack.
He did not tell them that they would be initiating the attack.
After a trying march, which included Free Men of Color, Native Americans and Acadians, they arrived outside the Fort.
This is when Galvez announced they were not there for defensive action...they were there to attack.
This news brought roars of applause from the crowd.
The Capture of Fort Bute
As anticlimactic as it makes the story, Fort Bute was only guarded by twenty soldiers.
The Spaniards easily took the Fort, however, several men escaped and informed the main body of British troops of their movements.
These men, stationed at Baton Rouge, hunkered down and prepared for a fight.
The Siege of Baton Rouge
When Galvez arrived, he demanded the surrender of the Baton Rouge.
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Dickinson denied this request, however, once the Spanish began firing on the fort, it took Dickinson just three hours to change his mind.
The Redcoats surrendered Baton Rouge as well as the nearby Fort Panmure.
In less than a month, Galvez had essentially put the entire Mississippi River under Spanish Control.
He then returned to New Orleans to plan an invasion of Florida.
I have written about several Founders from VERMONT.
Here are a few of my favorites:
The Spitting Matthew Lyon - From Congress to Jail and Back
Writing Wrongs - Anthony Haswell’s Divisive Content
Free Canons - Seth Warner Takes Crown Point
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