Key Facts
- Duration
- Two weeks (February–March 1780)
- Spanish commander
- General Bernardo de Gálvez
- British commander
- Captain Elias Durnford
- Strategic effect
- British driven from western West Florida
- Departure point
- New Orleans, Louisiana
Strategic Narrative Overview
Gálvez assembled a force at New Orleans and sailed aboard a small transport fleet on January 28, 1780. Spanish troops landed near Fort Charlotte on February 25 and commenced siege operations. The British garrison, commanded by Captain Elias Durnford, held out stubbornly despite being outnumbered, awaiting relief from Pensacola that never arrived. Spanish artillery eventually breached the fort's walls, leaving Durnford no option but to surrender.
01 / The Origins
Spain entered the American Revolutionary War against Britain in 1779, seeking to recover territories lost in earlier conflicts and to protect its North American possessions. Fort Charlotte, guarding the port of Mobile in the British province of West Florida, was identified as the last British frontier post capable of menacing Spanish New Orleans, making its reduction a strategic priority for Governor-General Bernardo de Gálvez.
03 / The Outcome
Durnford's capitulation ended British control of western West Florida. Spain secured the western shore of Mobile Bay, eliminating the threat to New Orleans and positioning Gálvez to mount further operations eastward. The fall of Fort Charlotte confined the remaining British military presence in West Florida to the provincial capital at Pensacola, which Gálvez would subsequently besiege in 1781.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Bernardo de Gálvez.
Side B
1 belligerent
Elias Durnford.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.