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Bernardo de Gálvez
 

Don Bernardo de Gálvez was a Spanish nobleman who became govenor of the province of Louisiana on January 1, 1777. By the time Don Galvez became Govenor of Louisiana the war was raging between England and her thirteen colonies.

Govenor Gálvez met with Oliver Pollock. An Irish-born merchant who had been living in New Orleans since 1768, and was acting as an agent for the American rebels. Oliver Pollock had previously been meeting with Govenor Gálvez predecessor, Luis de Unziga, who had sent shipments of war matériel up the Mississippi River to the Americans.

Govenor Gálvez continued to provide secret aid to the Americans.

Medicine, guns, cloth, gunpowder shipped from Cuba. The supplies went up the Mississippi flying the Spanish flag to enable them to run the British forts.

By the end of 1777, some seventy thousand dollars worth of ordance had reached Pittsburgh and other American posts.

Govenor Gálvez declared that the port of New Orleans would be open to American privateers also American trading vessels were welcomed.

Govenor demaned the surrender of all British Forts along the Mississippi, and after several battles with the British, the British Lt Colonel Dickson surrendered the forts to Govenor Gálvez.

While Galvez was capturing Manchac, Baton Rouge, and Natchez, other Spanish officers were seizing other British posts and numerous ships on the Mississippi and its tributaries.

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