Beyond the 13 Colonies: New Orleans and the American Revolution

A map from 1776 depicting southern British colonies in America (present day southeast US).

A General Map of the Southern British Colonies, in America, Comprehending North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida, 1776, by Bernard Romans (surveyor) and Robert Sayer and John Bennett (publishers). HNOC, 1972.21

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Beyond the 13 Colonies: New Orleans and the American Revolution

In this talk, explore how Spanish New Orleans played a vital role in our nation’s fight for independence far from the Atlantic seaboard.

Lexington and Concord, Valley Forge and Yorktown: These are the places that most Americans associate with the Revolutionary War. Not many realize that New Orleans—then a Spanish colony—served as a secret logistical hub for the Continental Army.

In this Shortcut Talk, presented in conjunction with American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition, experience the conflict through a local lens and learn how residents of Spanish New Orleans played a vital role in our nation’s fight for independence.

A depiction of the Spanish siege of Pensacola led by Bernardo de Gálvez, from American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition. Image courtesy of Histovery

La Marcha de Gálvez, 2018, oil painting by Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau. Licensed under Creative Commons

Hear This Talk

Offered daily at 2 p.m., Wednesday–Sunday*
Free and open to the public (no registration required)
Duration: Approximately 20 minutes
Location: Tricentennial Wing, 520 Royal Street

*This talk is offered on a rotating basis with other Shortcut Talks and may not always be available on a given day. For groups of 10 or more, please contact tours@hnoc.org.

A depiction of the Spanish siege of Pensacola led by Bernardo de Gálvez, from American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition. Image courtesy of Histovery

La Marcha de Gálvez, 2018, oil painting by Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau. Licensed under Creative Commons

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Get more out of your museum visit with a guided tour, Shortcut Talk, or daily program.

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Exhibitions

American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition

March 20, 2026 to January 17, 2027

Immerse yourself in America’s fight for independence in this new exhibition experience designed and produced by French technology firm Histovery.

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Related Collection Highlights

Patent of nobility awarded to Bernardo de Gálvez by Carlos III of Spain, 1783.

Bernardo de Gálvez Patent of Nobility

This beautiful document from a grateful king extols Gálvez’s virtues as a soldier and as a man.

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Still rendering from "American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition" showing a Spanish artillery battery.

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