Rousseau: The Last Days of Spanish New Orleans

While George Washington fought the British in New England, a little-known hero joined the fight in Louisiana—Pierre George Rousseau.

In 1779, Spain declared war on Britain, paving the way for Spanish involvement in the American Revolutionary War. Pierre George Rousseau, a Spanish naval officer, joined the fight. He led the Spanish campaign against the British in the Louisiana territory and captured the British strongholds of Baton Rouge, Mobile, and Pensacola.

After the war, Rousseau served as a commanding general under the last six Spanish-colonial governors of Louisiana, until the Louisiana Purchase transferred control of the area to the United States in 1803.

Rousseau: The Last Days of Spanish New Orleans is the biography of this unsung American hero, outlining his voyages throughout the Louisiana territory and the anecdotes still told by his descendants today. It is not just the story of one man, but of life in Louisiana and New Orleans during the last years of Spanish colonial rule.