USPS Bernardo de Gálvez

USPS on 10 April 2026 issued a commemorative First Day Cover stamp of Bernardo de Gálvez (1746–1786), the Spanish governor of Spanish Louisiana who covertly and overtly aided the American Patriots during the American Revolutionary War. This stamp was part of the figures of the American Revolution set released for the U.S. Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary). First Day cancellation was launched from Washington, DC 20066. 

The artwork features a portrait by artist Michael J. Deas and text highlighting Gálvez's alliance with American patriot Oliver Pollock to ship crucial supplies up the Mississippi River.

Bernardo de Gálvez executed one of the most successful and strategically critical naval and land actions of the American Revolutionary War, known as the Gulf Coast Campaign (1779–1781). 

As the Governor of Spanish Louisiana, he struck swiftly against Great Britain immediately after Spain declared war in 1779. His military actions forced the British to fight on a second southern front, preventing them from encircling the American rebels and diverting troops away from the eastern theater.

1. The Mississippi River Campaign (1779):

Gálvez mobilised a diverse militia consisting of Spanish regulars, French Acadians, free Black soldiers, and Native Americans. He swept up the Mississippi River to eliminate.

British strongholds: 

- Fort Bute: Captured on 7 September 1779, in a swift operation with zero Spanish casualties.

- Battle of Baton Rouge: Captured on 21 September 1779, after a heavy artillery bombardment.

- Fort Panmure (Natchez): Surrendered by the British as a direct term of the victory at Baton Rouge, clearing the lower Mississippi Valley entirely. 

2. The Capture of Mobile (1780)

Gálvez turned his attention eastward into West Florida. Despite facing a devastating hurricane that scattered his ships, he regrouped and laid siege to Fort Charlotte in Mobile, forcing its surrender in March 1780 and cutting off British naval mobility along the coast. 

3. The Siege of Pensacola (1781)

His crowning achievement was the conquest of Pensacola, the British capital of West Florida. It stood as one of the longest sustained sieges of the entire Revolutionary War (9 March – 8 May 1781):

The "Yo Solo" Incident: When the Spanish naval commander hesitated to navigate the treacherous, cannon-defended channel into Pensacola Bay, Gálvez single-handedly sailed his own brig, the Galvezton, through the crossfire to shame the rest of the fleet into following him. This earned him the motto "Yo Solo" ("I Alone") on his coat of arms. The Spanish successfully breached the fortifications, forcing the total British surrender of West Florida. 

By driving the British completely out of the Gulf of Mexico, Gálvez secured the southern trade routes. This allowed a continuous pipeline of supplies, medicine, and silver pesos to reach George Washington's Continental Army, directly facilitating the final American victory at Yorktown.