Spain's capture of Fort Charlotte expelled British forces from western West Florida and opened the path for further Spanish advances toward Pensacola.
Key Facts
- Siege duration
- Two weeks
- Spanish departure from New Orleans
- January 28, 1780
- Spanish landing near fort
- February 25, 1780
- British garrison commander
- Captain Elias Durnford
- British province
- West Florida
- Spanish commanding general
- Bernardo de Gálvez
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Anglo-Spanish War of 1779–1783, Spain sought to eliminate British frontier posts threatening New Orleans. Fort Charlotte, guarding the port of Mobile in British West Florida, was the last such post capable of menacing Spanish Louisiana, making it a strategic priority for Spanish forces under General Bernardo de Gálvez.
Gálvez led a Spanish army from New Orleans aboard transport ships on January 28, 1780, landing near Fort Charlotte on February 25. After a two-week siege, Spanish bombardment breached the fort's walls. The outnumbered British garrison, under Captain Elias Durnford, waited in vain for relief from Pensacola before surrendering.
The fall of Fort Charlotte removed the last British frontier post capable of threatening New Orleans and drove British forces from the western reaches of West Florida. British military presence in the region was reduced to the colonial capital at Pensacola, while Spain secured the western shore of Mobile Bay and gained a staging ground for future operations against Pensacola.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Bernardo de Gálvez.
Side B
1 belligerent
Captain Elias Durnford.