Bernardo de Galvez

Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid was born on July 23, 1746 in Malaga, Spain. He was a key element in the Revolutionary War. Galvez started his military career at age 16 when he was appointed as a lieutenant in a conflict with Portugal. He was promoted to Captain due to his notable performance in this conflict. In 1769, Galvez was appointed as a general in New Spain, which meant his moving to America. He fought against the Apache. In 1777. Galvez had become the governor of Louisiana. Louisiana was French territory but due to the good relationships between France and Spain he was appointed as a governor. Galvez supported the Patriots even before Spain allied with the French in favor of the Patriots. Galvez provided ammo, as well as food. He also helped to stop the British from moving to the Mississippi River. After King Carlos III declare war, Galvez was responsible for tactical moves that eventually helped the Patriots to win the war. Bernardo brought several disappointments to the British. Galvez was guilty of: capturing Mobile, Alabama and also Pensacola from the British (These were important sea ports for British purposes). When the war ended, Bernardo de Galvez moved back to Spain but eventually had to return to serve as a governor of Cuba. Galvez then was appointed with his father charge; viceroy of New Spain. Galvez moved to Mexico City and made a positive impact in this poor region. A pair of contributions he made were: the rebuilding of the Castle of Chapultepec and the finishing of Mexico´s Cathedral. In 1786, Bernardo died due to an illness. An interesting fact is that many of his family members served in the military therefore he continued a family tradition.