Spain Recaptures Florida
Between 1779 and 1782, Spain pressed the British in such disparate places as Gibraltar, the Caribbean, and Central America, and even threatened to invade Britain’s home islands, thus tying up dozens of British warships and numerous regiments of British regulars. Luckily for the United States, two key regions important to America became Spanish priorities as well – British held Florida and the Mississippi River Valley. Almost singlehandedly, the Spanish removed the British from West Florida, which forced England to also relinquish East Florida as part of the terms to end the war.
Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, explores how Spain was a great helpmate during our fight against England, and a real difference maker in the American Revolution, and why it still matters today.
Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Library of Congress, National Archives, Alamy, Wikipedia.
Because of Spain’s numerous possessions along the Gulf Coast and in Central America, France and Spain jointly decided to have Spain fight the British throughout the southern theater and in the Mediterranean, while France would send their soldiers and navy to help the thirteen American colonies. It is the reason why the French were at Newport, Savannah, and Yorktown while Spanish soldiers were not, leaving the mistaken impression in most American’s minds that France was our only ally in the American Revolution.