Direct Intervention of Spain
History textbooks are filled with many details concerning the success of the Franco-American Alliance during the Revolutionary War. Of lesser-known consequence, however, was the direct intervention of Spanish forces, especially during the waning years of the struggle. Some assume that Spain’s involvement in the conflict was limited to her joint declaration of war against Great Britain and the shipping of war materials to the colonies.
Popular history, however, occasionally overlooks the direct military involvement of Spaniards on both sides of the Atlantic, including engagements in Gibraltar, Minorca, Spanish Louisiana, sections of Northern Florida, parts of the American Midwest, and the Siege of Yorktown.
The Spanish harassed British shipping across the North Atlantic Ocean by capturing or sinking supply vessels bound for North America. In the Mediterranean, they additionally challenged Great Britain at two strategic locations. The first was the small Balearic Island of Minorca, just off the eastern coast of Spain. A Franco-Spanish coalition gained permanent control of the island on January 5, 1782. Further to the west, the Spanish also faced the British during the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779-83). Considered one of the largest continuous actions of the entire war, the siege lasted over three years, placing a tremendous strain on King George III’s forces.
Across the Atlantic, Charles III opposed the British Crown during several pivotal engagements. In the Caribbean, the Spanish foiled the British at Cuba, West Florida, and Belize. A string of effective naval blockades and grinding sieges frustrated Great Britain at almost every turn. British forces additionally tasted defeat further inland, where Count Bernardo de Gálve captured several key forts along the winding Mississippi River. History Professor William Collins, in writing for the National Park Service, even cites lesser-known instances where battles raged as far north as Fort St. Joseph. The old fort once stood in what is modern-day Niles, Michigan!