1778Galvez’s RecruitsWhen France formalized her alliance with the American colonists in February 1778, she obligated her longtime ally and neighbor Spain to assist her. As part of the Spanish empire, Louisiana joined in.
Under Spanish law, military service was compulsory for all able-bodied men from 15 to 65 years of age, so Galvez’s recruits included, among others, Native allies, wealthy Creoles, Acadian refugees, enslaved and free blacks, as well as Canary Island, or Isleño, immigrants.
