Bernardo de Galvez: Hero of the American Revolution

xiv, 76 pp. "The life and times of Bernardo de Galvez are beginning to find a rightful place in American history. General de Galvez was commander of Spanish forces whose support for the American Revolution went well beyond statesmanship and moral encouragement. His direction of the Spanish military offensive against the British in Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida helped the colonists make the Declaration of Independence a reality. Dr. LaFarelle follows the life of the General from its beginnings in Andalusia on the south central coast of Spain near the Mediterranean. Born into a family long in the royal service of Spain, he was baptized and named Bernardo Vicente Polimar de Galvez y Gallardo. Eventually, he was to be known simply as Bernardo de Galvez. The author traces the General's life through his service in northern Mexico, and the Spanish territory that would become the American states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. He follows with his service as Viceroy of New Spain and his death in Mexico City. The author brings General de Galvez out of relative obscurity and presents him as one of the salient figures in both American and Spanish colonial history. He helps Texans to understand why one of the state's early gulf coast cities, Galveston, honors the General with its name."