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...

While George Washington fought the British in New England, a little-known hero joined the fight in Louisiana--Pierre George Rousseau. In 1779, Spain declared war on Britain, paving the way for Spanish involvement in the American Revolutionary War. Pierre George Rousseau, a Spanish naval officer, joined the fight. He led the Spanish campaign against the British in the Louisiana territory and captured the British strongholds of Baton Rouge, Mobile, and Pensacola.
After the war, Rousseau served as a commanding general under the last six Spanish-colonial governors of Louisiana, until the...