During the Revolutionary War, Louisiana was divided between the British and the Spanish. War was declared September 7, 1779. General Galvez, serving as the Spanish Governor of Louisiana, invaded British West Florida with an army of 1,400 men which included Spanish regulars, freed slaves, local militia, Choctaws and Acadians. After Galvez took Fort Bute, six Hessian mercenaries fighting for Britain escaped to warn the Baton Rouge garrison where British Lt. Colonel Alexander Dickson had staged troops, militia, and thirteen cannons. If they could hold out, Dickson’s force was capable of defeating Galvez.
