Bernardo de Gálvez Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid , Viscount of Galveston and Count of Gálvez ( July 23 , 1746 – November 30 , 1786 ) was a Spanish military leader and colonial administrator who served as colonial governor of Louisiana and Cuba , and later as Viceroy of New Spain . Gálvez aided the American Thirteen Colonies in their quest for independence and led Spanish forces against Britain in the Revolutionary War , defeating the British at the Siege of Pensacola ( 1781 ) and reconquering Florida for Spain . He spent the last two years of his life as Viceroy of New Spain , succeeding his father Matías de Gálvez y Gallardo . The city of Galveston , Texas was named for him . Origins and military career . Gálvez was born in Macharaviaya , a mountain village in the province of Málaga , Spain , on July 23 , 1746 . He studied military science s at the Academia de Ávila and at the age of 16 participated in the Spanish invasion of Portugal , which soon stalled after the Spanish had captured Almeida . During the conflict he was promoted to Lieutenant . He arrived in Mexico , then New Spain , in 1762 . As a captain , he fought the Apaches , with his Opata Indian allies . He received many wounds , several of them serious . In 1770 , he was promoted to commandant of arms of Nueva Vizcaya and Sonora , northern provinces of New Spain . In 1772 , he returned to Spain in the company of his uncle , José de Gálvez . Later , he was sent to Pau , France with the Cantabria regiment . There , he learned to speak French , which served him well when he became governor of Louisiana . He was transferred to Seville , in 1775 , and then participated in the disastrous expedition of O ' Reilly to Algiers . Gálvez himself was seriously wounded . After capturing the fortress that guarded the city , he was promoted to lieutenant colonel . He then became a professor at the military academy of Ávila . Spanish governor of Louisiana . In 1777 , he was sent to Louisiana , as a colonel and interim governor of the province . This was the vast territory that later became the object of the Louisiana Purchase . It had been ceded by France to Spain , in 1763 , obstensibly as compensation for the loss of Florida to Britain , when Spain was urged late in the Seven Years War to enter into battle on the French side . In 1779 , he was promoted to brigadier . In 1777 , he married doña Marie Felice de Saint - Maxent Estrehan , a young Criolla widow . They had three children , Miguel , Matilde and Guadalupe . He practiced an anti - British policy as governor , taking measures against British smuggling and promoting trade with France . He also established free trade with Cuba and Yucatán . He founded Galvez Town , in 1779 , and promoted colonization of Nueva Iberia . Galvez Street in New Orleans is named for him . Indian policy . Prior to Gálvez , Spanish policy had always been to deny firearms to the native peoples ( Indians ) in the New World . However , Gálvez had relatively few troops and was vastly outnumbered by the Indians , who had historically warred with each other . He therefore reversed the Spanish policy and actively provided guns to the Indians . American Revolutionary War . Under Royal Order from Charles III of Spain , Gálvez continued the smuggling operations to supply the North American rebels early in 1777 . The British blockaded the eastern colonial ports , and the route from New Orleans up the Mississippi River was an effective alternative . Gálvez worked with Oliver Pollock , a North American patriot , shipping gunpowder , muskets , uniforms , medicine and other supplies . Gálvez let an American force through New Orleans before Spain joined the cause . Gálvez was sent to Florida by New Spain Viceroy Martín de Mayorga , at the head of an expedition of colonial troops to aid American colonists in their rebellion against Britain . Spain ' s motive was the chance to recover territories lost to the British , particularly Florida , and to remove the on - going British threat . On June 21 , 1779 Spain declared war on Great Britain . On June 25 , 1779 a letter from London marked secret and confidential , went to General John Campbell of Strachur at Pensacola from King George III and Lord George Germain . General John Campbell was instructed that it was the object of greatest importance to organize an attack upon New Orleans . If General John Campbell thought it was possible to reduce the Spanish fort at New Orleans , he was ordered to proceed immediately to make preparations . These preparations included : ( 1 ) secure from Vice - Admiral Sir Peter Parker as many armed vessels as could be spared from Jamaica , ( 2 ) collect all forces which could be drawn together in the province , ( 3 ) take as many faithful Indians as the Superintendent could supply , ( 4 ) draw on the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury for all expenses . As an unfortunate twist of fate for General John Campbell , upon which his whole career was decided , this secret communication fell into the hands of Governor Galvez . After reading the communication from King George III and Germain , Gálvez , Governor of Louisiana swiftly and secretly organized Louisiana and New Orleans for war . Gálvez carried out a masterful military campaign and defeated the British colonial forces at Manchac , Baton Rouge , and Natchez in 1779 . The Battle of Baton Rouge on September 21 , 1779 freed the lower Mississippi Valley of British forces and relieved the threat to the capital of Louisiana , New Orleans . In 1780 , he recaptured Mobile from the British at the Battle of Fort Charlotte . His most important military victory over the British forces occurred May 9 , 1781 , when he attacked and took by land and by sea Pensacola , the British ( and formerly , Spanish ) capital of West Florida from General John Campbell of Strachur . The loss of Mobile and Pensacola left the British with no bases in the Gulf of Mexico . In 1782 , forces under his overall command captured the British naval base at New Providence in the Bahamas . Galvez was angry that the operation had gone ahead without his permission , and arranged for the commander of the expedition Juan de Cagigal to be imprisoned . He received many honors from Spain for his military victories against the British , including promotion to lieutenant general and field marshal , governor and captain general of Louisiana and Florida ( now separated from Cuba ) , the command of the Spanish expeditionary army in America , and the titles of viscount of Gálveztown and count of Gálvez . The American Revolution ended while Gálvez was preparing a new campaign to take Jamaica . The importance of Galvez ' s campaign from the American perspective was that he denied the British the opportunity of encircling the American rebels from the south , and kept open a vital conduit for supplies . Galvez also assisted the American revolutionaries with supplies and soldiers , a good deal of it through Oliver Pollock . Gálvez , who saw it convenient for France and Spain to advance the cause of the American revolutionaries , was among those who drafted the terms of the Peace of Paris ( 1783 ) that ended the war . By the 1783 treaty Spain officially regained East and West Florida from the British . In recognition of his work and help to the American cause , George Washington took him to his right in the parade of July 4 and the American Congress cited Gálvez for his aid during the Revolution . Galveston Bay , Galveston , Texas , Galveston County , Texas , Galvez , Louisiana , and St . Bernard Parish , Louisiana were , among others , named after him . The Louisiana parishes of East Feliciana and West Feliciana were named after his wife Marie Felice de Saint - Maxent Estrehan . The Cabildo , a branch of the Louisiana State Museum located on Jackson Square in New Orleans , has a portrait of General Galvez accompanied by a display of biographical information . In 1911 in Galveston , TX , the Hotel Galvez was built and named after him . The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 4 , 1979 . In Baton Rouge , Louisiana , Galvez Plaza is laid out next to City Hall and used frequently as a site for the city ' s social events , including festivals and live music . Also , the 12 - story Galvez Building is part of the state government ' s administrative office building complex in the " Capitol Park " section of downtown Baton Rouge . Viceroy of New Spain . Gálvez returned to Spain , in 1783 , and fought in the campaign in the Netherlands . The following year he was sent back to the Indies , this time as governor and captain general of Cuba . Shortly after he arrived in Havana , his father , Matías de Gálvez y Gallardo ( then the viceroy of New Spain ) , died . Bernardo de Gálvez was named to fill the position . He arrived in Veracruz , on May 26 , 1785 , and made his formal entry into Mexico City in June . During his administration two great calamities occurred , the freeze of August 27 , 1785 , which led to famine , and the plague of 1786 . During the famine , he donated 12 , 000 pesos of his inheritance and 100 , 000 pesos he raised from other sources to buy maize and beans for the populace . He also took measures to increase agricultural production in the future . He reconstructed Chapultepec Castle , which had been unoccupied . He began the installation of street lights in Mexico City , and the construction of the towers of the cathedral . He continued work on the highway to Acapulco , and he took measures to reduce the abuse of Indian labor on the project . He dedicated 16 % of the income from the lottery and other games of chance to charity . He promoted science in the colony by sponsoring the expedition of Martín Sessé y Lacasta . This expedition sent to Spain a comprehensive catalog of the diverse species of plants , birds and fish found in New Spain . On one occasion , when the viceroy was going on horseback to meet with the Audiencia ( according to his own report ) , he encountered a party of soldiers escorting three criminals to the gallows . He suspended the hanging , and later had the criminals freed . According to legend he was simple , amiable , gallant and frank . He traveled about the city in an open , two - horse carriage , attended bullfights , pilgrimages and public fiestas , and was generally welcomed with applause . The Audiencia , however , did not have such a favorable view of the viceroy . They were suspicious of Gálvez ' s popularity , fearing that he would follow the American example and declare New Spain ' s independence . The Audiencia communicated these suspicions to Madrid , and were helped by Galvez ' s good opinion of the American leadership . The Crown severely rebuked Galvez . He was said to have become melancholy and unsociable . Then , he became ill and was confined to his bed . On November 8 , 1786 , he turned over all his governmental duties except the captain generalship to the Audiencia . He died November 30 , 1786 , in Tacubaya ( now part of Mexico City ) . He died at age 40 . Rumor had it that he was poisoned by his enemies with the approval of the Court . His body was interred in the cemetery of San Fernando , in the city proper . He left some writings , including " Ordenanzas para el Teatro de Comedias de México " and " Instrución para el Buen Gobierno de las Provincias Internas de la Nueva España " . In popular culture . In Lila Guzmán ' s " Lorenzo " series of young adult novels ( Arte Publico Press and Blooming Tree Press ) , Don Bernardo de Gálvez is a main character . " Lorenzo ' s Secret Mission " , 2001 ; " Lorenzo ' s Revolutionary Quest " , 2003 ; " Lorenzo and the Turncoat " , 2006 ; " Lorenzo and the Pirate " , 2008 " . In " The Great Galvez " episode of the Liberty ' s Kids animated series ( first aired November9 ' 2002 ) , General Galvez makes an appearance that highlighted his involvement in the American Revolution . The voice was Mario Kreutzberger , best known as the famous Don Francisco , the host and creator of the world ' s longest - running variety show in TV history , Sabado Gigante . In the Ubisoft video game Assassin ' s Creed III , a fictionalized representation of Gálvez is available to download as a playable character for the game ' s multiplayer mode .