Gálvez on the Gulf: Spain and the American Revolution

To set the stage for this lively narrative, Provan begins by explaining the various conditions that led to Spain’s entrance into the war. As he emphasizes, Spain entered the American Revolution in 1779 indirectly—as an ally of France rather than the United States. Yet through its attacks on British strongholds, Spain played a key role in providing military support for the American cause. In Spanish Louisiana, the firebrand governor Berardo de Gálvez assembled a polyglot army of “all nations, conditions and colours” to combat a determined British enemy. Against a backdrop of hazardous environmental conditions, sieges, and political intrigues, Provan recounts the unusual army’s series of victories, culminating in the Siege of Pensacola in 1781.

While other histories of the Gulf Cost Campaign have portrayed these battles through the eyes of Gálvez alone, Provan’s account moves beyond the story of one man. Engagingly written and comprehensive in scope, Gálvezon the Gulf demonstrates the campaign’s significance for the Revolutionary War, the history of the Spanish Empire, and America’s Hispanic heritage.