Bernardo de Galvez is important to me because of his great contributions to the Revolutionary War and that he fought very close to where I live. Galvez fought only a few minutes away from my house in Manchac. Also, Galvez led many assaults against British forts on the Gulf of Mexico. I chose Galvez because he is a war hero and a former Louisiana governor. He governed Louisiana from 1777-1783 and contributed to the war effort against Britain in the Revolutionary War.
Bernardo de Galvez was born in Malaga, Spain on July 23, 1746. He was the son of Matìas and Josephina Madrid y Gallardo de Gàlvez. They were royalty, yet they lived in poverty. Galvez didn’t have any siblings and lived in a very mountainous village in Spain, Macharaviaya.…show more content… Bernardo de Galvez governed Louisiana from 1777-1783, was the captain-general and governor of Cuba in 1784, and was the viceroy of New Spain in 1785 until his death on November 30, 1786. Galvez captured many forts along the Gulf Coast, most notably fort George at Pensacola and Fort Charlotte in Mobile. As viceroy of New Spain, Galvez began the reconstruction of the Castle of Chapultepec, and he completed the Cathedral of Mexico which is still the largest cathedral in the western hemisphere. A Taovayan village along the Red River was named after Galvez in 1778 and was called San Bernardo. Jose de Evia, the man Galvez ordered to survey the Gulf Coast, named Texas’ largest bay after Galvez. He called it Bahia de Galvezton, and it is now known as Galvezton. In 1784, Galvez became the principal adviser for Diego de Gardoqui during negotiations with America about the boundary of Florida, a treaty of commerce, and the right of Americans to travel along the Mississippi River. These negotiations finally resulted in the Jay-Gardoqui treaty. Finally, Galvez was thanked by the American Congress for his help in the Revolutionary War and later for his part in freeing American merchants from Havana, Cuba. These are the major life accomplishments of Bernardo de Galvez. Bernardo de Galvez died on November 30, 1786 from an illness. At the time, Galvez and his family lived in Mexico City which was plagued by disease and famine. The poor conditions that Galvez lived in likely caused his ultimate
