Spain, Britain and the American Revolution in Florida, 1763–1783

As a result of the 1763 Treaty of Paris, Spain relinquished Florida, a land it had possessed for over 200 years, to the British. With revolution imminent, Britain set about populating its two new colonies of East and West Florida with loyal British Tories, ultimately turning St. Augustine into a southern American headquarters for British interests. This volume details the British occupation of colonial Florida immediately before and during the American Revolution with emphasis on the effect this possession had on the course of the war. Beginning with a brief summary of Spanish history, it takes a look at the relative colonial positions of Spain and Britain with regard to the Americas during the pre-revolutionary period. The Georgia-Florida border dispute, the invasion of East Florida and the eventual return of the Spaniards are also discussed. Finally, an appendix details St. Augustine buildings from the revolutionary period which are still standing today.

World War II veteran James W. Raab is also the author of Confederate General Lloyd Tilghman (2006) and J. Patton Anderson, Confederate General (2004) and lives in St. Augustine, Florida.

James W. Raab
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 210
Bibliographic Info: 8 photos, maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3213-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2035-0
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

PART I: SPANISH AND BRITISH PREREVOLUTIONARY PERIOD
Prologue: The “Garden of Eden”      3
1. Spanish Florida to 1763, the Treaty of Paris 1763, and the Changing of the Guard      7
2. The Floridas: East Florida Colony and West Florida Colony      21
3. Interim Governors and the King’s Road      50
4. The Georgia-Florida Border Dispute, and the Beginning of the American Revolution      66
5. The Southern District Brigade and Headquarters, St. Augustine      82

PART II: FLORIDA IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1776–1783
Prologue: Accept or Oppose the Idea of Independence?      93
6. The Fighting Begins in the South with the Invasion of East Florida      97
7. Battles for Georgia and South Carolina      113
8. Spain Seizes West Florida      129
9. Boom Towns      147
10. The Defining Peace Negotiation      162
11. The Spaniards Return      173

Appendix      183
Notes      185
Bibliography      191
Index      193

“Raab’s well-written accounts through these 20 critical years do a good job of contextualizing Florida’s tales and tactics into the bigger picture”—Patriots of the American Revolution.