Background
When Spain entered the war in 1779, Bernardo de Gálvez, the Governor of Spanish Louisiana, immediately began offensive operations to gain control of neighbouring British West Florida. In September 1779 he gained complete control over the lower Mississippi River by capturing Fort Bute and then shortly afterwards obtaining the surrender of the remaining forces following the Battle of Baton Rouge. He followed up these successes with the capture of Mobile on March 14, 1780, following a brief siege. After the capture the Spanish built an entrenched outpost on the east side of Mobile Bay, in an area that controlled Mobile's water supply. When the British troops arrived on January 7, the outpost was manned by about 200 men.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Mobile (1781)
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