Fourteenth Colony: The Forgotten Story of the Gulf South During America's Revolutionary Era by Mike Bunn

Abstract

Reviewed by: Fourteenth Colony: The Forgotten Story of the Gulf South During America's Revolutionary Era by Mike Bunn Timothy C. Hemmis Fourteenth Colony: The Forgotten Story of the Gulf South During America's Revolutionary Era. By Mike Bunn. Montgomery: NewSouth Books, 2020. 288 pp. $28.95. ISBN 978-1-5883-8413-3. Mike Bunn's Fourteenth Colony: The Forgotten Story of the Gulf South During America's Revolutionary Era paints a vibrant portrait of the brief history of British West Florida. It is a much-welcomed narrative of the rise and fall of the British in the Gulf South. Often in the story of American history, the events in the Gulf South are an afterthought; however, in this well-researched and well-written account Bunn traces the simple origins of British West Florida to its eventual fall in 1780. Many people are well aware of the thirteen colonies that would eventually become the United States of America. However, many often do not realize there were other British colonies in the New World. Even though it is hotly debated among colonial scholars as to which colony held the title of the fourteenth, Bunn argues that British West Florida fits the description because it was "well used in literature" at the time of the American Revolution (xii). Despite the odd scholarly debate, it does not really affect the history of the Gulf South and its importance to the story of America. Bunn structures his book around the humble beginnings of British West Florida, specifically focusing on Pensacola and Mobile. Early on, West Florida was not a popular colony for the British, but it had immense commercial potential as it was near the lands of the Creek and Choctaw tribes, and that Native American trade sustained the colonial economy. Bunn points out that few British migrants moved to the Gulf South because of its inhospitable weather and tropical diseases. The first settlers tended to gravitate toward ports on the Gulf [End Page 330] of Mexico, like Mobile or Pensacola. But he notes that there were many land claims and grants in the region, especially near the Mississippi River. For example, he tells the story of Anthony Hutchins, who moved his family from the Carolinas to settle in West Florida near Natchez in hopes of obtaining farming lands for a large plantation (77). He demonstrates that Natchez was not a settled metropolis, but rather a frontier outpost that had the appeal of being near the Mississippi River and fertile lands. Despite these positive attractions, Bunn points out that the population of West Florida was relatively small with about 6,000 people in 1779 (83). The author examines daily life in the colony, which included the difficulties of contending with a wide variety of tropical diseases. West Florida became a notoriously hazardous environment to live in, as dangers lurked around every corner. Although this reviewer would have liked more discussion of hurricanes and how they affected the daily life of the colony, this section was enlightening as the environment is often a forgotten aspect of the colonial experience. Bunn also highlights the commercial life in West Florida and explains the agricultural practices of the region. In this chapter, the author mentions the role of slaves in the colony, which has often been overlooked. Additionally, Bunn correctly suggests that the cattle industry flourished in West Florida. Bunn describes Dauphin Island---which today is a popular vacation destination for Alabama beachgoers---as "one big cattle pen" during the colonial period (116). The most familiar part of Bunn's narrative were the chapters on the Revolutionary War. The infamous Willing Raid was a key part of Bunn's narrative, as it was the only time American patriots made an invasion of West Florida. The author demonstrates that this operation was more of a personal vendetta than one of any military importance. The objective of the Willing expedition was one of nuisance and commercial disruption, and it only rallied settlers against the American cause. However, the heart of the book really focuses on Spanish governor of Louisiana Bernardo de Gálvez's military campaign against the British. Here the narrative seems to be more [End Page 331] from...