** American Revolution Revolutionary War allies Spain








The American Revolutionary War: Allies--Spain


Figure 1.--This is ascene from the sirge of Pensacola (1781). Spanish troops of the Louisiana Regiment (white coats) and the Company of Free Blacks of Havana (red coats) can be seen storming Ft. George, which concluded the Spanish campaign against British forces in est Florida. The artist is H. Charles McBarron Jr., an Americamn military artist.

King Carlos III of Spain was a virtually absolute monarch, but he was also a man of the Enlightenment and open to new ideas. And he came to champion the American cause. Much more attention is given by historians to the French alliance and with good reason because it was key to the American victory. And the French fought alongside Washington at Yorktown. The Spanish alliance, however, should not be ignored. Spanish participation was also important. Here Count Aranda played a critical role championing the Americans at court. The Spanish asked for Gibraltar from the British in exchange for sideing with Britain. When Britain refused, Spain declared war on Britain (1779). The Spanish both provided financial assistance to the American cause as well as supplies and engaged in military action. Spanish military actions were conducted in Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, the American South and Midwest. While actual joint operations with Americans were limited, the extensive operations against the British diverted substanbtial forces that could have been used against the Colonists. Jorge Ferragut lead military campaigns against the British in North Carolina. Benjamin Franklin is best known for his role in France, but he was also the Continental Congress' Commissioner to Spain. He helped convince King Carlos to send money, uniforms, and military equipment to the Americans. The Spanish help finance the siege at Yorktown. Bernardo de Gálvez helped divert Royal Navy units at Pensacola assisting in Washington's victory at Yorktown (1781). Combat between the Americans and British essentially ceased after Yorktown. This was not the case with the Spanish. Spanish military actions after Yorktown, helped convince the British to make peace.

French and Indian War/Seven Years War (1756-63)

The Spanish sustained serious losses against the British in the Seven Years' War (1756-63). These painful losses less than two decades earlier greatly influenced their attitude toward Britain san the situation in the thirteen colonies breweed up (1770s) The British had attacked and occupied two of Spain's major trading ports: Havana and Manila (1762). In the peace settlement Spain recovered Havana by ceding Florida, including St. Augustine, which the Spanish had founded in 1565 (1763). Spain recovered the Philippines later. The Spanish had strategic concerns about Portugal, a hstorical British ally. The Spanish were also concerned about the security of their annual convoy of treasure ships. British posession of the Bahamas and Florida meant that the British could interdict the fleet after it set sail from Havana. But most of all the Spanish wanted Gibraltar back. Major efforts to regain Gibraltar had failed. As a Bourbon dynastic commection exisren between France and Spain, the French transferred Louisiana to France realizing that the British would demand it at the peace conference. For the Spanish this was not a huge gain. Louisiana was a huge territory. But few Spanairds lived there and little income was derived from it. Nor did Soasin have the resources to develop the huge potential.

King Carlos II

Charles was the son of King Philip V by his second marriage with Queen Isabella Elizabeth (Farnese) and was a grandson of French King Louis XIV. He was not initially in line to become king of Spain. This Parma and Piacenza in Italy were obtained for him as a youth to gratify the ambitions of his mother. Still a young prince, in 1734 he invaded the two Sicilies which at the time belonged to Austria. Charles succedded to the Spanish throne in 1759 on the death of his childless half-brother, Ferdinand VI. He allied Spain with France against Britain in the Seven Years War. Spain was forced to ceed Florida. King Carlos III of Spain was a virtually absolute monarch, but he was also a man of the Enlightenment and open to new ideas. And he came to champion the American cause. Of course the King saw major gains possible at tge expense of the British. Spain again joined France to assist the American colonies against the British. Efforts to take Gibralter in 1781 and 1782 failed. Some domestic reforms proved more succesful. The Jesuits wre expelled (1767). Major progress was made in restricting the reach of the Inquisition. He also made profress in reducing bringandage and piracy. He supported commerece, the arts, and science.

European Allies

Historians have given much more attention to the French alliance and with good reason because it was key to the American victory. And the French fought alongside Washington at Yorktown. The Spanish alliance, however, should not be ignored. Spanish participation was also important, especially because thary had a land birder with the colonies and bases in the Caribbean athat coukd help supply the Anmericans. The land border was no especially helpful in getting supplies to Washington's forces, this was accomploisdhed thriough the Caribbean bases. The land, actually Mississippi border did play an imortant role in the fight for the Midwest--the Notrthwest Territory.

Declaration of War (1779)

From the outset of the Revolutionary War there was considerable sympathy for the colonists even in conservative Spain. Anti-British feeling was amajor factor, but there was also support for the Colonists, even at court. Newly appointed Prime Minister, José Moñino y Redondo, Count of Floridablanca, wrote 'the fate of the colonies interests us very much, and we shall do for them everything that circumstances permit' (March 1777). [Fernández y Fernández, p. 4.] Count Aranda played a critical role championing the Americans at court. The Spanish took a major step 2 years vbefore declaring war. Benjamin Franklin achieved a major success in Spain while working primarily in France. He informed the Congressional Committee of Secret Correspondence that the Spanish court quietly granted the Americans direct admission to the restricted port of Havana under most favored nation status (March 1777). From Havana, American privateers could more easily move arms and gunpowder to American ports. Franklin also noted in the same report that 3,000 barrels of gunpowder were sitting for the Colonists in New Orleans. And also there were supplies available in Bilbao where the merchants 'had orders to ship for us such necessaries as we might want'. [Sparks, 1:201] The Spanish would not have actually declared war without the French. But once France declarwd war (1778), the Spanish considered their options. The Spanish asked for Gibraltar from the British in exchange for sideing with Britain. When Britain refused, Spain declared war (1779).

Spanish Support (1779-83)

The Spanish provided financial assistance to the American cause as well as supplies and engaged in military action. Altyhough French support for the War is well known, Spanish support for the Americans is not as well known. It was, however, important especially as Spain was especially suited to get ad to the Ameticans wiyh vcintrol of the Mississippi and basses in the Caribbean, especially Havana. Although the Spanish only declared war 3 years after the war began, covert Spanish aid began from the earliert point of the War (1776). Benjamin Franklin is best known for his role in France, but he was also the Continental Congress' Commissioner to Spain. He helped convince King Carlos to send money, uniforms, and military equipment to the Americans. Roderigue Hortalez and Company through financing the final Siege of Yorktown (1781). They collected gold and silver in their Cuban colony. Spanish military actions were conducted in Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, the American South and Midwest. While actual joint operations with Americans were limited, the extensive operations against the British diverted substanbtial forces that could have been used against the Colonists. Jorge Ferragut lead military campaigns against the British in North Carolina. Especially importnt was the Spanish Govenor of Louisiana in New Orlans, Bernardo de Gálvez.

Financing

Benjamin Franklin is best known for his role in France, but he was also the Continental Congress' Commissioner to Spain. He helped convince King Carlos to send money, uniforms, and military equipment to the Americans. Luis de Unzaga y Amézaga, the Soanish governor of New Orleans assisted the Americans in various ways before the Spamish decakred war in America. He apparently was the first person to usev the term 'United States of America' in aletter to George Washington. Unzaga y Amézaga was replaced by Bernardo de Gálvez (1777) who was even more favorably disposed toward the Americans. The Spanish also helped finance Gen.George Rogers Clark camapaign in the Midwest. This was arranhrged by the merchant Oliver Polliock a friend of Gálvez. He borrowed $70,000 from Gálvez for Clark. (Clark's action and the Spanishg support for it was the nasis for the American claim to the Nirythwest Territory at the Parus Peace Conference, This was before Spain had offucially entered the War. Roderigue Hortalez and Company helped financing the climatic Siege of Yorktown (1781). The Soanish collected gold and silver in their Cuban colony.

Supplies

Spain actively supported the Colonies throughout the Revolutionary War. They jointly funded Roderigue Hortalez and Company, a trading company that provided critical military supplies and fnancing. [Chavez, p. 225.] Spain was in a much better position to supply the colonists than France. Possession of Cuba ans Louisiana opened ways of getting supplies to the Colonies. And before war was declared, the Royal Navy could not interdict Spanish shipping. Spanish aid could be shipped to the Comonies through four principal routes: 1) French ports with the funding of Roderigue Hortalez and Company, 2) the port of New Orleans and up the Mississippi River, 3) warehouses in Havana, and 4) from Bilbao, through the Gardoqui family trading company. An advantage the Colonists had was one of the largest merchnt marines in the world. They were mostly small, crudely built ships, but there were so many that the Royal Navy had trouble controlling them. Smuggling operations began at the onset of the War. General Charles Lee sent two Continental Army officers to request supplies from the New Orleans Governor, Luis de Unzaga. Unzaga agreed to covertly assist Lee, but insisted it be done covertly so as not to create an international incident. Unzaga made possible the shipment of gunpowder needed by the Continental Army in a transaction brokered by Oliver Pollock, a Patriot financier. [Caughey, p. 87.] At the onset of the War, the colonies had only one small powder mill and its quality was not sufficent to fire artillery. Even with efforts to expand production, the Continental Army was dependent on gunpowder imports for the entire War. Without European gunpowder, the Colonists could not have fought major battles with the British. [Dick] When Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez was appointed Governor of New Orleans (January 1777), he not only continued, but expanded this smuggling operations. [Mitchell, p. 99]

Military actions

Although the Spanish only declared war 3 years after the war began, covert Spanish aid had began flowing from Spain beginning in the earliesrt point of the War (1776). Spanish military actions were conducted in Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, the American South and Midwest. While actual joint operations with Americans were limited, the extensive operations against the British diverted substanbtial forces that could have been used against the Colonists. Jorge Farragut Mesquida (George Farragut) was a Spanish naval officer. He commanded a Spanish trading ship in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. He joined the South Carolina Navy as a lieutenant when the war broke out and anglicized his name. He fought with the Continental Army in battles in the South. (His son David would play an important role in the Civil War.) Bernardo de Gálvez, the Spanish governor in New Orleans helped seize part of Florida, at the time a British colony--actually two colonies. The British had divided it into two coloniesWest Florida was governed from Penscola and East Florifda from St. Augustine. Florida was not settled by English colonists. Britain had obtained Florida from Spain as a result of the Seven Years/French and Indian War settlement (1763). There was no colonial legislature and Both West and East Florida remained loyal to Britain when the Thurteen Colonies declared independence. Florida was imortant to Britain as it was seen a a bulwark protecting the very valuable suugar producing Caribbean islands. West Florida was much larger than the modern Florida Pan Handle, extendiung north into much of modern Alabana and Mississiopi, including areas of Louiiana eastt of the Misissippi. There were two points in West Florida of particular imprtance: Baton Rouge on the Missiaaippi and Pesacola, Gulf of Mexico port. Gálvez led campamaigns that seized Nanchac and Baton Rouge (1779) and later Pensacola (1781). These actions cleared the Mississippi of British control and widened the area of Spanish control in the Gulf. Britain as part of peace following the War would ceed West Florida back to Spain. The British struck back weitha n expeditiuon to seized Nicaragua (1780), but it vfailed, primarily due to disease. A young Horatio Nelso was sickened. Combat between the Americans and British essentially ceased after Yorktown. This was not the case with the Spanish. A Spanish force under the command of Juan Manuel Cagigal arrived off the island of New Providence near Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas (1782). The British commander at Nassau, John Maxwell decided to surrender the island without a fight. Gálvez was preoaring an invasion of Japamica from Cuba whenthe war rnded. Spanish military actions after Yorktown, was a factor weighing on the British after Yorktown.

Peace Negotiations

Each of the parties entering the peace neotiations had different goals. The French after all thrir aid and being the established power, believed that the Americans would follow their lead. This did not occur. The American delegation brilliantly played the different European powers off one another. The Spanish had two goals: 1) to regain Florida from the British and 2) to ensure that the new American republic which they now haf a lrngthy border would be as weak as possible. They aschievedd their first coal, although only briefly. The second goal was a failure. The Spanish did want the new bordrr border to be with a strong, expansionist new mation, especially because both Florida and Louisiana were so lightly populated. The Spanish concerns were apparently well founded. Louisiana would be the first territory added to the United States following the Revolution (1803). It was not, howerver, seized by the Americans. Naopleopon seized it and sold it to the Americans. And Florida would follow soon after (1810-19). Spain was not damaged as badly as France from the financial strain of the War, in part because of their silver mines in Mexico and Bolivia. .

Sources

Caughey, John W. Bernardo de Gálvez in Louisiana 1776-1783 (Gretna: Pelican Publishing Company, 1898).

Chavez, Thomas E. Spain and the Independence of the United States: An Intrinsic Gift. (UNM Press: 2004).

Dick, Jimmy. "The gunpowder shortage," Journal of the American Revolution (September 9, 2013).

Fernández y Fernández, Enrique. "Spain's Contribution to the independence of the United States" (Embassy of Spain: United States, 1885). .

Mitchell, Barbara. "America's Spanish Savior: Bernardo de Gálvez marches to rescue the colonies". Military History Quarterly. (Autumn 2010), pp. 98-104.

Sparks, Jared. The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution. (Boston: Nathan Hale and Gray & Bowen, 1829-30).







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Created: 2:38 AM 3/24/2015
Last updated: 1:28 AM 7/5/2015