Spain Enters the American War

June 21, 1779

Charles III declared war on Britain, hoping to recover Gibraltar and Florida. Spanish forces in Louisiana, under the young governor Bernardo de Galvez, would sweep British posts from Baton Rouge to Pensacola. The Great Siege of Gibraltar, Europe's longest, would go on for three and a half more years. Spain's contribution to American independence, often overlooked, was critical in stretching British resources across multiple theaters.