Bernardo de Gi1/2lvez, Spanish colonial governor of Louisiana, earned a reputation for efficient government and intelligent military command through his civic policies and courageous military campaigns. A comprehensive study of the history of Spanish control in Louisiana, this work examines Gi1/2lvez's career as governor and the end of his career as a viceroy of New Spain.

An ally of the newly formed United States, Gi1/2lvez funneled money and supplies to the revolutionaries before entering the fray himself, commanding his troops in the only American Revolutionary War battle west of...