New Orleans
New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS. A source of Spanish military aid. When the British naval blockade cut off normal routes of American supply from Europe, the colonists turned to Spanish New Orleans as well as the Dutch and French West Indies. Although the Spanish were careful to avoid war with Great Britain, they had much to gain by furnishing supplies to the rebels, not the least of which was the weakening of their British competitor. Oliver Pollock was invaluable as the intermediary between American agents and the Spanish authorities starting in 1776, and the rebels were able to purchase weapons, ammunition, blankets, and such critical medical supplies as quinine. These supplies were moved up the Mississippi under the Spanish flag, which got them safely past British posts above New Orleans. Under the governorship of Bernardo de Gálvez, who succeeded Luis de Unzaga in 1777, the support became even more significant. Spanish supplies sent by Gálvez made George Rogers Clark's campaign in the Northwest possible. French entry into the war opened the Atlantic routes of supply in 1778, and the Spanish alliance in 1779 eliminated the need for secrecy in the river trade, which by then had diminished in importance.
SEE ALSO Pollock, Oliver.
revised by Michael Bellesiles