Date: May 9, 1781
Location: Pensacola, West Florida
Victor: Louisiana Spanish Governor Don Bernardo de Gálvez
Defeated: British Maj. General John Campbell
Summary
In June 1779, Spain officially declared war on Britain, but even before then Louisiana Spanish Governor Bernardo de Gálvez had been covertly supporting the American cause. With the official declaration, he launched a campaign in August 1779 and had secured the Mississippi River by October 1779. In 1780, Gálvez set his sights securing the Gulf of Mexico by driving the British out of West Florida. In March 1780, he captured Mobile, which left only the seat of British government of West Florida at Pensacola.
After storms, as well as political refusal of reinforcements, thrwarted Gálvez' efforts several times, he finally reached Pensacola in March 1781 and began a slow, methodical siege. During the course of the siege, he was joined by several French frigates that would go on to be involved at Yorktown. After destroying British powder stores, which severly damaged their fortifications, Gálvez secured a formal surrender from Maj. General John Campbell on May 10, 1781 and West Florida was once more in Spanish control.
View the following pages for a more detailed description on the Siege of Pensacola:
