Academic literature on the topic 'Siege of Pensacola'

On October 16, 1780, Bernardo de Gálvez’s forces sailed from Cuba to Pensacola. Two days later, a hurricane sank several ships, damaged most of the remaining ones, and scattered them off course. At his arrival to Havana, Gálvez faced the island’s high command who not only demanded his replacement but the cancellation of the attack against Pensacola. After several months of discussions and with the crucial assistance of Francisco de Saavedra, José de Gálvez special appointee to Cuba, Gálvez was able to reassert his authority and foster preparations for a second attempt to capture Pensacola. On February 28, 1781, “the expedition for the relief of Mobile and the conquest of Pensacola” set sail from Havana. Once in Pensacola, the navy officers refused to continue inside the bay since it was reputed too shallow for the ships’ draft. To prove them wrong, Gálvez embarked on the Galvezton, a small ship under his command as Louisiana’s governor and safely entered the bay. The fleet commanders had no choice but to follow. The siege works started shortly afterwards. However, reinforcements and supplies were needed for the operation to succeed. The first to arrive were from Mobile and New Orleans (March 22, 1781), but those from Havana, including French naval and army forces, did not reach Pensacola until April 19. On May 8, 1781, an anticipated long siege was abruptly ended when a shot from the Spanish batteries impacted the Queen’s Redoubt’s magazine, producing a big explosion. Two days later, Pensacola surrendered.