The 1779 Hurricane created major complications for the Spanish campaign against the British.
1749 map showing the Mississippi River, from New Orleans to Lake Maurepas, by F. Saucier, courtesy LOC.
How Galvez dealt with the 1779 Hurricane
Bernardo de Galvez, First Count of Galvez, assumed the Spanish Governorship of Louisiana on 1-January-1778. He followed orders from the Spanish crown to prepare for war with Great Britain. Galvez spent 1778 on these preparations, and was ready to move on the British by the Summer of 1779. He developed a plan that began with marching up the Mississippi River to capture the British outposts at Manchac and Baton Rouge. From Baton Rouge, the Spanish would then move across “West Florida,” through Mississippi to Mobile Bay. After capturing Mobile, they would then move to the primary British outpost at Pensacola. Once the British were out of West Florida, the Spanish would control the entire Florida Panhandle, from St. Augustine to the Mississippi.
Landfall
The storm made landfall at New Orleans on 17-August-1779. The Scottish-American explorer William Dunbar was in New Orleans at the time and documented the storm’s passing. While there is no storm track recorded, Dunbar observed the cyclical pattern of the winds we have come to associate with tropical cyclones. Additionally, he noted a 5-6 minute period of calm that was likely the edge of eye of the hurricane. Dunbar’s observations were presented to the American Philosophical Society in 1801, and the storm became known as “Dunbar’s Hurrican.”
Galvez reported that the “impetuous hurricane” hit the city after nightfall on 17-August. It blasted the city, with wind and rain continuing into the early hours of 18-September. The governor’s initial assessment, according to historian Steve Kling, was that “all hope was lost” in terms of defending the city against the British.
Daylight confirmed Galvez’s fears. Almost all the ships docked at New Orleans were severely damaged. The storm grounded most of the vessels. One ship, the America La Reseda, had been blown into the woods outside the city proper. The American frigate, the Morris, grounded and sunk, along with a cargo of gunpowder destined for the Thirteen Colonies.
The one bright spot in all the disaster along the river was the Spanish frigate Volante. Her captain ordered the ship’s masts cut own as the storm hit the city. The remainder of the ship was left to drift in the river and was recovered a few miles upriver. It didn’t take long for new masts to be installed and other repairs made.
City damage
In addition to the ships preparing to attack the British at Baton Rouge, the storm blew down many of the homes and buildings in the city. This concerned Galvez greatly. While his Spanish regulars would be able to mount an attack, his militia troops had to re-build their lives. As he assessed the situation, the governor took heart in the response from men of the city. They still desired to follow him into battle.
Changes in the plan
British West Florida, 1776. By Bernard Romans – From the Darlington Digital Library at the University of Pittsburgh
Prior to the hurricane, Galvez’s orders from Spain were to secure New Orleans from a possible attack by the British. He readied the movement against the British, but remained on standby. The hurricane changed his strategy. In its aftermath, Galvez determined that the best defense against the now severely weakened New Orleans was to take the fight to the British. The enemy would be unable to take advantage of the storm’s destruction if they were under attack upriver and across West Florida.
Research resources
An Unappreciated Victory, by King and Sjostrom
An Unappreciated Victory — Bernardo de Galvez’s Mississippi River Campaign in 1779 is a new book from Stephen L. Kling, Jr. and Kristine L. Sjostrom. It’s an incredibly detailed account of the beginning of the West Florida Campaign, which culminated in the capture of Pensacola in 1781. Mr. Kling is an expert on the Western Theater of the American Revolutionary War, and is the curator of the “Galvez in Louisiana” exhibit at the Cabildo. I’ve only started with the book; this article includes information both from the book and Mr. Kling’s talk at the Garden District Book Shop. We’ll continue to add other reference works on Galvez here at the end of these articles.
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Ad of the Week – advertising blasts from the past!
How you can help NOLA History Guy – Things you can do right now!
NOLA Six Word Writing Challenge – Exercise your imagination!
A Little History… The Butcher’s Market, 1864
The Butcher’s Market, 1864. Marshall Dunham Collection, courtesy LSU Libraries Special Collections.
View of the Butcher’s Market section of the French Market, 1864. This photo is part of the Marshall Dunham Collection, courtesy LSU Library, Special Collections. This is one of the earliest photographs of the French Market. The photographer stands directly across from Jackson Square, looking downriver. For reference, this is the current location of Oscar Dunn Park.
The Market
The French Market originated with the indigenous tribes of the area. The French and Spanish constructed permanent buildings, and the structures in this photo date from 1813.
Butchers
The front set of buildings were the Halles de Boucheries, the Butchers’ Market. Farmers raised cattle and hogs away from the city, on open land along Bayou St. John, as well as down in St. Bernard Parish. The butchers bought whole sides of beef from the farmers, then cut them to order in stalls here in the market. The Butcher’s market opened before dawn. Shoppers came out early to get the best cuts of the day. By 11am or so, the heat of the day reached the point where the butchers closed their stalls. After buying meat, shoppers continued down the market to the produce vendors, then across the street to the bakers and dry grocery stores.
Construction
The lumber in the foreground is likely for one of the railroad buildings that went up here as the riverfront returned to its pre-war levels. Railroads operated in New Orleans since 1831 (the Pontchartrain Railroad). Tracks did not connect train stations and rail yards between Uptown and the Marigny until after the Civil War. We’re seeing the beginning of that process here.
Coffee
A Twentieth century photo of this building would show us the world-famous Cafe du Monde coffee shop. Coffee stands operated in the market in the 1860s, but they were not classic sit-down cafes. Workers in the market and along the riverfront walked up to windows (“stands”) to buy their coffee. Women pushed carts up and down Decatur Street, also selling coffee.
After the war, the city desired to “gentrify” the area around Jackson Square. They pushed the butcher’s stalls back from St. Ann Street. Cafe du Monde leased the front of the Butcher’s Market. This added to the appeal of living near the square.
Marshall Dunham
This photo is part of the personal collection of Marshall Dunham, a Union soldier from New York. He came down to New Orleans during the war, eventually being promoted to the rank of Sergeant-Major. He then received a commission as a First Lieutenant in the 77th Regiment, USCT. He collected many photos of the city, particularly from the photographer S. T. Blessing.
Next week, Thursday 17-September-2026, Derby and I will present The Forgotten Front – How New Orleans and the Gulf South Shaped the American Revolution. This is part of our Third Thursday Lecture Series at the Jefferson Parish Library, East Bank Regional Branch, 4747 W. Napoleon Avenue, Metairie. We’ll start at 7pm, and it’s free and open to the public.
We have so much fun with our tag-team talks!
Talk at the Deutsches Haus on 20-September!
Vintage Ad of the Week
“Pompano Pontchartrain Amandine” at Brennan’s French Restaurant, 417 Royal Street. Ad in the Times-Picayune, 10-September-1957. Note the branding the restaurant used at the time, “French Restaurant.” Brennan’s is, of course, Still There More!
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Become a patron. Yes, we’re on Patreon. A lot of creators use the platform for direct monetization, and that’s great for them. We don’t have “exclusive content” for patrons. Still, if you think our history stuff is worth a dollar a month, go join!
Portrait of Bernado de Gálvez, Viceroy of New Spain. This copy is part of the Cabildo’s Galvez exhibit. (author’s photo)
Portrait of the First Count of Gálvez
The equestrian portrait of Bernardo de Gálvez, Viceroy of New Spain, painted by Fray Pablo de Jesús y Jerónimo in 1796 CE. Now housed at the National Museum of History in Mexico City.
Upon entering the Gálvez exhibit at the Cabildo, guests are presented with this portrait of Bernardo de Galvez. While the focus of the exhibit is on Galvez’s time in New Orleans and on campaign against the British. This portrait presents him at the pinnacle of his career, as Viceroy of New Spain.
Spain to Louisiana to Mexico City
Gálvez was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Spanish army when he accompanied O’Reilly on his expedition to Algiers, where he was seriously wounded. He recovered, and was promoted to full Colonel. When it became clear that Spain would formally support the United States of America in their rebellion, Spain ordered Gálvez to New Orleans, to replace Unzaga. (As we’ve mentioned before, this was a logical move, as Unzaga was more of a diplomat and administrator.)
After his successes against the British, the Spanish Crown ennobled him, as Conde de Gálvez. This form of raising someone to the peerage is common in any countries. For example, Arthur Wellesley became Lord (later Duke of) Wellington during the Napoleonic Wars.
So, Galvez also received promotion to Lieutenant-General. King Carlos III appointed him Captain-General of Cuba on 20-May-1783. His father, Matías de Gálvez y Gallardo, was Viceroy of New Spain at the time. Matías died in October of 1784. The king appointed Bernardo to his father’s position. He arrived in Vera Cruz, Mexico, in May of 1785, and formally assumed the position in Mexico City in June of that year.
Of course, we Americans pretty much end Gálvez’s story at the end of the American Revolution. We move on to other things. Even our exhibit at the Cabildo closes before the 250th anniversary of his governorship!
In 1851 the architect J.N.B. DePouilly designed this raised masonry center-hall residence in the Greek Revival style for Angel Xiques. A broad front gallery, a portico, and a curving iron stairway dominate the façade of this building, which is a 1882 façade donation.
Angel Xiques was a Spanish-born merchant, from Cadiz. He was a partner in Laborde and Xiques, importers of Cuban goods, notably tobacco.
The Painting
Cruise painted a number of homes and buildings in the Vieux Carré from 1938 to 1941. While many were associated with Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) projects, his Xiques Mansion appears to be a stand-alone. He continues the pattern of visualizing these homes as they would have appeard in the 1850s. The Xiques Mansion is currently painted all-white, and the exterior ironwork is black. Here, Cruise adds color to both. Notice the walls and (Corinthian) columns are shades of tan/brown, and the ironwork is green. Since green metal implies copper, many homeowners chose green as the color of their ironwork. It was a keep-up-with-the-Joneses sort of thing.
Most depictions of the mansion harken back to the 1870s. Xiques passed in 1859. His family sold the house to Carlos Victor Pie, who later became the Spanish Consul in New Orleans. He designated the mansion as the Consulate office.
The mansion’s colored history truly begins after Pie’s death (by poisoning). While we may return to those stories at another time, Cruise places the house into his vision of antebellum New Orleans. Unlike his HABS paintings, however, there are no people in the scene. The painting also lacks the precision of his survey images. Perhaps that was Cruise’s way of taking a break from the detail work of, say, his LaPrete Mansion or Arsenal paintings. Still, the scene invites the viewer in, imagining a walk up Rue Dauphine a few blocks, possibly turning towards the river at the end of the block onto Rue St. Louis, and from there, to Dinner at Antoine’s.
We lost one of New Orleans’ best this week. Frank Perez passed. From Ambush Magazine:
It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our friend and Editor in Chief at Ambush Magazine!
Frank Perez was larger than life and his contributions to the LGBT+ Community were immeasurable. Gone too soon and forever in our hearts.
May his memory be a blessing.
Vintage Ad of the Week
“Miss New Orleans Contest – Tonight at Pontchartrain Beach”
Long before the POP (Pay One Price) era, admission to Da Beach was free. Folks would come out, enjoy the evening’s entertainment, and (hopefully) a hot dog and a beverage. Before and after the show, they would ride the Zephyr roller coaster and other rides, buying individual tickets.
Ad in the Times-Picayune, 13-August-1953. Was your maw-maw one of the contestants?
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Buy my books! Edward Branley is the author of six books on New Orleans history. They’re available from local booksellers and all the usual online suspects.
Buy me a Coffee on Ko-fi dot com. I just love this concept as a way to say thank you/tip creators you enjoy. Our idea of monetization is buying books and having us come to speak. If you see me at a coffee shop, stop and say hi. Otherwise, I’ll raise coffee cup to you if you treat me.
Become a patron. Yes, we’re on Patreon. A lot of creators use the platform for direct monetization, and that’s great for them. We don’t have “exclusive content” for patrons. Still, if you think our history stuff is worth a dollar a month, go join!
In six words or less, write a story about this image. (@ladylunanola photo)
Post your story to NOLAHistoryGuy.com on BlueSky, or to New Orleans Uncovered on Facebook. You can also email yours to nolasixwords@nolahistoryguy.com.
The Friends of the Cabildo (FOC) operate one of the best French Quarter Walking Tours in New Orleans. The program ranks consistently in the top thirty (of over 500) tour programs listed on TripAdvisor. I took the FOC’s tour guide class this past February, and really enjoy leading the tours.
LSM Support
The Friends of the Cabildo is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the five Louisiana State Museum (LSM) properties in the Vieux Carré. Those are the Cabildo and the Presbytere (the buildings on either side of St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square, the 1850 House Museum (located in the Lower Pontalba Building, on the St. Ann Street side of the square, Madame John’s Legacy, a French Colonial house/museum at 632 Dumaine Street, and the Old United States Mint, located at Esplanade Avenue and Decatur street. The Mint houses the New Orleans Jazz Museum. The biggest money-making activity for FOC is our tour program. The funds we raise from tours enable us to do a wide range projects in conjunction with the LSM.
Volunteers
While most tour companies in New Orleans are for-profit operations, FOC’s tour guides are volunteers. We lead tours because we enjoy them! Of course, it’s not for everyone, but if you have an interest in New Orleans history, you like talking to people, and you’re up to walking around Da Quarters for a couple of hours at a time, we’d love to talk to you more.
The Class
Our Tour Guide training program is challenging and comprehensive. It goes well beyond the minimum requirements set by the city’s Ground Transportation Bureau for commercial guides. The program is four weeks long, and usually begins right after Mardi Gras (first day of class for 2026 will be March 2nd). Class sessions are Monday-Wednesday-Friday, with one Saturday “field trip” in the third week.
FOC Tour Guide candidates attend over 100 hours of training. You’ll learn a good bit of New Orleans history, from the Colonial period into the present. The course covers a wide range of cultural subjects, all presented by subject matter experts you’ll enjoy hearing from.
You’ll also learn how to be a Tour Guide! FOC Walking Tours are not scripted. Guides learn how to develop their own 2-hour walk. Assisted by experienced mentors, class members map out a path, plan out stops and what to say to your guests, offering a quality experience. It’s not as daunting a prospect as one might think–since the tour comes from you and your personal style, both Guide and guests have a great time.
Additional Opportunities
Once students complete the program, they do their tour one-on-one with an experienced FOC guide. After clearing that step, they complete a written examination. A passing score on the exam makes one eligible to apply for a city license as a commercial tour guide. After those steps, the new guide does a “critiqued tour,” where they lead a scheduled group of paid guests under the supervision of an experienced guide. Then we put you out on the streets! FOC asks guides for a commitment of two tours a month for two years.
As Tour Guides gain experience with the French Quarter Walking Tour, they become eligible to train for and lead our Garden District Walking Tour, as well as the various “neighborhood” walking tours, such as the Bywater, Irish Channel, and Battle of New Orleans tours. If you’re interested in working for a commercial company, such as Gray Line or Two Chicks Walking Tours, your FOC colleagues will be able to connect you with the various tour companies.
Join us!
Now is the time to apply for the 2026 class. Go to the Walking Tour Guide information page on the FOC website, download the application, and email it back to volunteers@friendsofthecabildo.org. That’s a good address for any questions you may have about the program as well. Once you submit your application, you will be contacted by the Tour Guide Committee for an in-person interview. If you’re accepted in the program, you’ll play the course fee and join the class on 2-March-2026.
Feel free to contact your humble NOLA History Guy if you’d like to discuss the program.
We begin our discussion of the Battle of New Orleans with this map. While this map reflects a post-battle survey, the city remained essentially the same. This is the New Orleans Andrew Jackson experienced when he arrived on 1-December-1814. He progressed from Tennessee to Mobile, then along the Gulf Coast to New Orleans. In just over a month, Jackson would lead an American force in defense of New Orleans against a force of British Army regulars, just south of the city proper.
The map displays the extend to which New Orleans had grown in almost a century. It presents what would become the three “municipalities,” later “districts.” The center is the French Quarter, the original 1721 city plan. To the left, on the west side of Canal Street, is the “Second Municipality,” also known as Faubourg Ste. Marie, the American Sector. To the right of the Quarter is the “Third Municipality,” originally the Marigny Plantation. Just above the Quarter is Faubourg Treme.
Place d’Armes
The main municipal buildings stood behind the Place d’Armes. St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo, and the Presbytere are visible at the top of this map. Jackson initially operated from the Cabildo. The Spanish government completed the building in 1799, and the Americans continued to use it as city hall. While the Presbytere’s original purpose was to be a rectory for the priests staffing the cathedral, it was used for retail and city offices by 1814.
The three main buildings were quite different than what we see now, from the square named for Jackson. Both Cabildo and Presbytere were two-story buildings in 1814. They would not expand to three stories until 1847.
The church visible on this map is the 1794 cathedral. The original parish church of St. Louis burned in 1788 and 1794. This church took its place, only to be demolished in front of the present church in 1850.
The Ursuline Convent survived the fires of 1788 and 1794. It served as a school for young women and a residence for the nuns staffing the hospital.
The Carondelet Canal flows through Treme, to the end of Bayou St. John. The canal replaced the “old portage” between the end of the bayou and the city proper. Fort St. John, the “Spanish Fort” at the mouth of the bayou at Lake Pontchartrain, blocked access to the city by boat from the north.
The Port
The riverfront and port accommodated flatboats coming down the river with cotton and sugar. The first steamboat arrived in New Orleans only two years earlier, in 1812. So, the city did not experience the full economic impact of steamboat travel until after the battle. Ocean-going ships came up the river from the Gulf of Mexico, passing Fort St. Phillip before reaching the port. This fort, as well as Fort St. Leon at English Turn, stood as primary defense points below the city.
Daily life
The public market ran along the riverfront from the Place d’Armes to Fort St. Charles, now the Old US Mint. The French Market served as primary marketplace for New Orleans until the 1830s. This map shows the “Boucherie” at St. Ann Street and the river. The “Butcher’s Market” later expands, extending to Dumaine Street.
Given the urgency of Jackson’s mission, he did not partake in much social activity in New Orleans. After issuing orders to bolster the city’s defenses, he left the city proper for the main house at the McCarthy Plantation. The Battle of Lake Borgne made it clear the British would attack the city from the east, cutting through the swamps of St. Bernard Parish. Jackson and his officers worked tirelessly to marshal regular army and militia units in Chalmette.
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