With Fourteenth Colony, historian Mike Bunn aims to put West Florida in its rightful place on the map of Colonial America.
West Florida, which included parts of modern-day Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, came into being when it was ceded to the British in 1763 and lasted until 1781, when it was captured by the Spanish under Bernardo de Galvez. This region is the “forgotten fourteenth colony of America’s founding era,” virtually unmentioned in histories of the American Revolution. “Yet the Revolution did find the colony, and the story of the ways it did so colorfully and substantively shapes the history of the region.”
Primarily due to its isolation from the other colonies, Bunn explains, West Florida remained officially loyal to the crown during the Revolutionary War, “a lukewarm and conditional loyalty to say the least but a circumstance that, given the situation, Great Britain was happy to have.” This loyalty lead to the influx of thousands of settlers to the region hoping to avoid the conflict. Combining his extensive research and gift for storytelling, Bunn explores the history of West Florida from its humble beginnings through the ravaging battles that ultimately led to its transfer into Spanish hands.
A comprehensive, yet easy-to-read, examination of a little-known chapter of America’s history.
Publisher: NewSouth Books (November 3, 2020)
About the Author
Mike Bunn is the director of Historic Blakeley State Park in Spanish Fort, Alabama. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Fourteenth Colony: The Forgotten Story of the Gulf South During America’s Revolutionary Era. Bunn is the editor of Muscogiana, a member of the board of directors of the Alabama Historical Association, chair of the Baldwin County Historical Development Commission, and treasurer of the Friends of Old Mobile. Mike and his wife live in Daphne, Alabama, with their daughter, Zoey.