The traditional narrative of the American Revolution is that of thirteen colonies rebelling against the British crown. This is the story that is taught in history books and classes. It is rare that Americans place the revolution in the context of the imperial struggle taking place on the North American continent during the eighteenth century. During this period, Great Britain, France, Spain, and Russia clashed for supremacy on the continent and outlying islands. When thirteen British colonies declared independence and engaged the British army, other imperial powers sought to use the war to their advantage. While the fact that France provided aid to the British colonies is fairly well known, less familiar is the role Spain played in the struggle for independence.
While the Spanish crown was hesitant to back the rebelling colonists, fearing it would set a bad example for their own American colonies, they viewed the revolution as a chance to deal a blow to the British Empire and strengthen the northeastern frontier of New Spain. Spain and Britain had been on opposing sides during the Seven Years War (1754–1763) — more commonly referred to as the French and Indian War in American History. At the end of the war, European possession of North American lands was reconfigured with Britain claiming land from the eastern bank of the Mississippi River to Florida and Spain possessing Louisiana. Spain saw the revolution as a chance to gain control of both banks of the Mississippi River and reclaim Florida.
On July 21, 1779, Spain officially declared war against Great Britain and Louisiana Governor Bernardo de Gálvez, whom Galveston Island is named after, was commissioned to lead Spanish troops against the British throughout the Mississippi Valley and along the gulf coast. Gálvez, who had long been fearful of a British invasion of the port of New Orleans, was a staunch supporter of the British colonists and had been in communication with many leaders of the revolution. He and his uncle José de Gálvez, minister of the Indies, had also built up an extensive network of spies that was able to report on British movements in the gulf. From 1779 through 1782, Gálvez and his troops engaged the British army in battles from Baton Rouge to the Bahamas. The most notable of these battles was the successful capture of Pensacola in 1781.
One of the greatest challenges Gálvez faced was how to feed his troops. Early in his career Gálvez was stationed in Chihuahua, a state in northern Mexico near the province of Texas. While stationed in Chihuahua, Gálvez became aware of the ranches in south Texas and the large herds of cattle that roamed the territory. Gálvez, therefore, wrote to Texas Governor Domingo Cabello requesting cattle to feed his troops and authorizing a cattle drive from Texas to Louisiana. Prior to this it was illegal for Texans to export cattle to neighboring provinces, so this was the first official Texas cattle drive. In August 1779, 2,000 head of cattle departed La Bahia (present day Goliad) for Louisiana. From 1779–1782 between 10,000–15,000 head of Texas cattle were driven eastward to feed the Spanish forces engaging the British along the gulf coast.
The Spanish impact on the American Revolution was significant. First, Spanish troops forced the British to fight a three-front war, making it easier for the American colonists to be successful in their campaigns along the eastern seaboard. Second, as Spain gained control of the eastern bank of the Mississippi they were able to keep the Mississippi River, a vital transportation corridor, open to move desperately needed men, money and supplies for the rebelling colonists. Gálvez also helped to draft the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the war. Although Texas would not become a part of the United States until several decades later, Texas ranchers, and the cattle they provided for the war effort, played an important role in the success of the Spanish in their gulf coast campaign and therefore had an impact on American independence.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Handbook of Texas Online, Robert H. Thonhoff, “Galvez, Bernardo De,” accessed June 21, 2016, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fga10. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Modified on May 5, 2016. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
David J. Weber. The Spanish Frontier in North America, The Brief Edition. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009).
Gilbert C. Din. “Protecting the ‘Barrera’: Spain’s Defense of Louisiana, 1763–1779” in Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, Vol. 19, No. 2 (Spring, 1978), pp. 183–211.
Robert H. Thonhoff. “Texas and the American Revolution” in The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Vol. 98, No. 4 (Apr. 1995), pp. 511–517.
