Gálvez, who had been planning for the possibility of war since April, intercepted communications from the British at Pensacola indicating that the British were planning a surprise attack on New Orleans; he decided to launch his own attack first.
Gálvez, yang sudah merencanakan kemungkinan perang sejak April, menyadap komunikasi dari Britania di Pensacola yang menunjukkan bahwa Britania sedang merencanakan serangan mendadak terhadap New Orleans; ia memutuskan melancarkan serangannya sendiri terlebih dahulu.