The Siege of Fort Charlotte at Mobile in March 1780 was part of Spanish Governor Bernardo de Gálvez's brilliant campaign against British West Florida. Following his capture of British posts along the Mississippi River in 1779, de Gálvez turned his attention to Mobile — the princi…
The Siege of Fort Charlotte at Mobile in March 1780 was part of Spanish Governor Bernardo de Gálvez's brilliant campaign against British West Florida. Following his capture of British posts along the Mississippi River in 1779, de Gálvez turned his attention to Mobile — the principal British post on the Gulf Coast.
De Gálvez assembled about 1,400 men — Spanish regulars, Louisiana militia, free Black soldiers, and Native American allies — and transported them by sea from New Orleans to the Mobile Bay area. His operation was nearly derailed by a storm that damaged his fleet, but he pressed on with characteristic determination.
The siege was relatively brief. De Gálvez's artillery was well-positioned and the fort's walls were not strong enough to resist a sustained bombardment. British commander Elias Durnford negotiated a surrender on March 14, and the garrison marched out with honors of war. The fall of Mobile gave the Spanish control of the Gulf Coast east of New Orleans and set the stage for de Gálvez's most ambitious operation — the siege of Pensacola the following year. Spanish operations in the Gulf South significantly complicated British strategic planning and stretched their forces.
"The preservation of the names and services of those who achieved our independence is one of the highest duties of patriotism."
Search Patriots →