Block Island

Readers living in the New York metropolitan area likely have heard the broad weather reporting, "From Cape May to Block Island." The latter is much more than a meteorological Geo-reference point. Block Island is a noted vacation spot for those who want to get the feel of a trip to Ireland or Scotland without the jet lag. Or who want to get the feeling of an earlier time in America. But one of the most picturesque and quietly enjoyable destinations in America also had a small but noteworthy role among the numerous actions of the American War for Independence.

Block Island sits in a strategic position

Background

Adriaen Block

The Narragansett Indians were the first inhabitants of Block Island.  Their name for the island was “Manisses” which translates to “Island of the Little God.” First noted by the same Verrazano whose namesake bridge spans New York harbor, the small island sits in a strategic location at the east end of the Long Island Sound and several miles off the New England coast. Verrazano wrote that the island was about the same size as the Mediterranean island of Rhodes, and this may have been the origin of the name of its parent colony and state: Rhode Island. In 1614, Adriaen Block, a Dutch explorer sailed to the island and gave it his name.  He called it Block Island and it was in 1661 that the Island was settled. Because of its geography, Block Island was a natural place for smugglers, pirates, and during the War for Independence, for privateers. From its location, ships could rapidly strike towards New England or New York, or escape out to sea. From 1775-1783, during the Revolutionary War, the Block Islanders kept a lookout on 211 feet high Beacon Hill by lighting fires to warn that an enemy was in sight.

Block Island - an ideal haven for smugglers

The New American Navy's Debut?

The Second Continental Congress established the Continental Navy in late 1775. By February 1776 the first ships of the fleet were ready for their maiden voyage. Commodore Esek Hopkins led a fleet of eight ships on an expedition to the Bahamas, where the British were known to have military stores. After executing a naval landing and seizing some stores and two prize ships, Hopkins sailed north on March 17th. He sent one ship to Philadelphia but took the rest of the fleet to the Block Island channel. At this time, there was still a controversy over the Continental Navy's role vis a vis British shipping. Some wanted the Continental Navy to focus on the Royal Navy to allow only privateers to seize British merchant ships as prizes. In any case, seizing prize ships of any kind was a key objective of all navies, as the prize money went to the officers and crew. When it did not kill you, war at sea could bring riches to some.

By April 4th, Hopkins's fleet had reached the waters off Long Island and quickly captured as prizes, HMS Hawk, and the Bolton. Hoping to catch more easy prizes, Hopkins continued to cruise off Block Island that night, forming the fleet into a scouting formation of two columns. The right, or eastern, column was headed by the USS Cabot, followed by Hopkins' flagship, the USS Alfred, at 20 guns the largest ship of the fleet, and the left column was headed by the USS Andrew Doria, followed by the USS Columbus. Behind these came the USS Providence, with USS Fly and USS Wasp trailing further behind as escorts for the prizes. Besides the relative inexperience of his men, the need to provide crews for the prizes further reduced the fighting effectiveness of the fleet's ships.



A Chance Encounter on a Clear Night


Nearby Newport, Rhode Island was a British naval base and the Royal Navy continued to go about the business they do so well: control the seas. A large British naval force was assembling off Charleston, South Carolina. In earl April, the Royal Navy 20-gun frigate, HMS Glasgow.under the command Captain Tryingham Howe was sent from Newport to deliver dispatches to the fleet  at South Carolina. Between 1 and 2 am on April 6th, with the American fleet headed in a generally southerly direction, Andrew Doria and Glasgow spotted each other about 20 nautical miles southeast of Block Island.Glasgow was heading westerly towards the open sea, on its way to Charleston.  Howe decided to "come about" (turn around) and reconnoiter the ships. For the Americans' part, Commodore Hopkins gave no signals so the fleet formed no battle line. A confused maritime skirmish would follow.

Chance encounter on a clear night

Howe first came upon the Cabot. After some furtive attempts at recognition, an overzealous seaman on this ship then tossed a grenade onto the Glasgow's deck. The battle had begun. Cabot, a small brig, began with one ineffective broadside of its six-pounders. Glasgow replied with two broadsides with its heavier guns, rendering  Cabot ineffective. As she drifted away, the Alfred sailed up to engage Glasgow, and again broadsides ensued. Once more, superior British gunnery disabled its opponent.  Glasgow raked the Alfred and sent her drifting directly into the course of the next American ship, the Andrew Doria, which also had to maneuver away to avoid the drifting Cabot. The movements of the last two American ships were uncoordinated and neither could do much damage to Glasgow.



After the Battle


But with Glasgow now facing three ships, Howe broke off the battle in order to avoid being boarded and returned to Newport. Despite overwhelming superiority in ships, Esek Hopkins had little to show for the night's work but damaged ships and the Glasgow's tender. This, he brought to New London, Connecticut on April 8. The American officers suffered must criticism, censure, and even military discipline for their less than glorious efforts. The battle also pointed out deficiencies in the new Continental Navy's gunnery - the few British casualties were caused by musket fire.

Yo Solo

A Fighter


He fought the Apaches. He fought the Algerians. He fought the Hessians. He fought the Portuguese. He fought the British. He Fort Dix...Okay, the Fort Dix part was a Mel Brooks rip off. But who was he?  Bernardo de Galvez was a Spanish governor, soldier, and diplomat who played a significant role in the time of the Yankee Doodle Spies. I have received feedback from folks interested in the American Revolution when I post things about the traditional venues. They often lament not being closer to Yorktown, Lexington, etc. But the war rippled across the world, expanding in scope when our allies entered the fray. We see little on the American War for Independence in the west, and even less on the southwest and other actions outside the original thirteen states. I thought it time to remedy that a bit.

Bernardo de Galvez

Old Spain


Bernardo de Gálvez was born on July 23, 1746, in Macharaviaya, a mountain village in the province of Málaga, Spain, the son of Matías and Josepha Madrid y Gallardo de Gálvez. During his lifetime his family was one of the most distinguished in the royal service of Spain.  Bernardo came from a military family, so in keeping with tradition, he chose a military career. His first action came in 1762 when he served as a lieutenant fighting Portugal. When the war ended, the King of Spain promoted the promising young officer to captain. His appointment was to the infantry regiment  La Coruña.


New Spain

In 1769 Gálvez was sent to the northern frontier of New Spain, where he was appointed commander of Spanish forces in Nueva Vizcaya and Sonora. Spain's big enemy there were the Apaches, whose depredations seriously crippled the economy of the region. Always aggressive in his tactics, Galvez led several major expeditions against the fierce warriors. Galvez was wounded twice in the campaigns along the Pecos and Gila rivers in 1770 and 1771. But the action blooded him and he forged a style of command that would later serve him well.


Old Spain and Beyond


Gálvez was ordered back to Spain in 1772  for a new assignment. This time in France, with the Regiment of Cantabria.  Besides developing a more formal study of the military arts, Galvez became fluent in French, a skill that would prove invaluable later in life on several fronts.
He was ordered back home in 1775 to serve in the Regiment of Seville (solders renowned for their haircuts, I am sure). War loomed again and Galvez participated in the renowned Captain-General Alejandro O'Reilly's failed attack on Algiers. Galvez received another wound for his efforts in the campaign, but also promotion to lieutenant colonel. Galvez's career took an upward arc when he was transferred to Louisiana in 1776 and promoted to colonel of the Louisiana Regiment. Then, on January 1, 1777, the promising young officer was named governor of Louisiana. While governor, he reached out to the local French populace. His knowledge of French-made him popular with the locals. Especially a young Creole woman, Marie Felice de Saint-Maxent Estrehan of New Orleans, whom he married.

Alejandro O'Reilly

Yankee Doodle Spaniard?


The activities along the Atlantic seaboard in the near to mid-1770s did not go unnoticed by Spanish authorities. Factions in Madrid struggled with the idea of supporting a rebellion against a  lawful king but some factions favored it as a way to get back at the British for previous losses and insults to Spain. Galvez was among the latter. Before Spain entered the American Revolutionary War, he secretly aided the American cause. Galvez had secret correspondence with some of the most notable first patriots:  Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and Charles Henry Lee. As important, he personally received their emissaries, Oliver Pollock and Capt. George Gibson. He reacted to their request for support by securing the port of New Orleans and allowing only American, Spanish, and French ships up and down the Mississippi River. He used the river to send arms, ammunition, and military supplies to the American forces under Colonel George Rogers Clark. When Spain formally declared war against Great Britain in  1779,  Gálvez raised a force of men and conducted a campaign against the British along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast. He requested cattle and horses from the Spanish governor of Texas. This enabled him to feed the troops and move guns and supplies. Gálvez, in command of 1,400 men (including Americans, French, free blacks, and Indians), went on the offensive in the fall of 1779, defeating the British at Manchac, Baton Rouge, and Natchez. For its time and place, a veritable blitzkrieg against the unprepared British. Once the lower Mississippi was secured, he turned his attention to a larger prize, the British port, and garrison at Mobile. He waged a month-long siege with land and sea forces now numbering over 2,000 and captured the British stronghold of Fort Charlotte on 14 March 1780.

Galvez's Campaigns

West Florida

General John Campbell

Anxious to rid the gulf coast of all British, Galvez turned his attention to West Florida (the panhandle). He led a joint land-sea attack on Pensacola, the British capital. But he did so without the help of the Spanish navy whose commander, Admiral Don Jose Calbo de Irazabel thought the shallow waters too treacherous. Tired of delays, Galvez ventured on his own.He had raised more than 7,000 men for the two-month siege of Fort George. Pensacola proved a tough nut to crack. It had 900 British and German defenders under General John Campbell and was well fortified. Tenacious fighting took place and Galvez himself was wounded twice as they advanced their trenches. Then luck took its turn. A stray Spanish cannonball struck and ignited the British powder magazine. The ensuing explosion sent stone, wood, and limbs into the air and collapsed a part of the defense works. Short now on powder and exposed to assault by the Spanish,  Campbell surrendered on 10 May 1781. In recognition of his conquests, Spanish King Carlos III promoted Galvez to lieutenant general, captain-general of Cuba, and governor of Louisiana. He also raised Galvez to the peerage as a Conde (Count) and gave him a coat of arms with the inscription "Yo Solo" (I Alone) to commemorate his attack on Pensacola without naval support.

A year later,  Spanish forces under Galvez captured New Providence in the Bahamas, a telling blow to the British. Galvez quickly set to planning a move on Jamaica, Britain's prize possession. But peace negotiations ended things before he could act. Gálvez played a role in developing the terms of the peace treaty. The Continental Congress praised Galvez for his aid during the conflict. The pressure placed on Britain by France and Spain, especially the gulf losses and the threats to the West Indies, were both factors in Britain seeking peace terms. Bernardo de Galvez played no small role in providing that pressure.

Spanish troops storm Pensacola

Viceroy of New Spain


After a short rest back in Spain, Galvez was sent once more to America in October 1784. This time to serve as captain-general and governor of Cuba. In 1785 he was appointed Viceroy of New Spain (central and north America plus the islands) to succeed his father, who had held the post but died in November 1784. So the ever flexible and upwardly mobile Gálvez and his family moved to Mexico City. He proved as effective a governor in peace as general in war. The new Viceroy quickly became endeared to the people by opening up not only the resources of the government but also his personal fortune to help the populace, who were suffering from famine.  Among Galvez's achievements as Viceroy were the start of the reconstruction of the Castle of Chapultepec, and the completion of the Cathedral of Mexico, the largest cathedral in the western hemisphere. As is the case so often in history, when the smoke of battle clears, true warriors, become builders.



A Sudden End, or Not...


Unfortunately for the people of New Spain, Bernardo de Gálvez died suddenly of the fever on 30 November 1786. They buried him alongside his father in the wall of the Church of San Fernando. Eight days after his funeral, his widow gave birth to another child. But his name lives on beyond his progeny. There are numerous streets and towns named for this great Spanish hero of the American Revolution. While he was Viceroy of New Spain Gálvez ordered José de Eviaqv's survey of the Gulf Coast. The mapmaker named the biggest bay on the Texas coast Bahía de Galvezton, a name later altered to Galveston. One can only speculate what might have transpired had Galvez not died so young. Clearly, one of the most remarkable and talented soldiers and statesmen Spain ever produced, Galvez might have accomplished much more in developing Spanish America. Who knows, had he lived, the face of the Americas might have been vastly different. Just how different, I shall leave to speculation.