George Washington's Secret Ally

Judge Edward F. Butler of Texas has written a new book. Butler is not a new face in historical circles. He served as SAR President General, and Judge Advocate General of DVF. Butler, while SAR PG, gave new life to the long forgotten secret of the American Revolution. Although it wasn't a secret at the time of the American Revolution, it was regulated farther and farther back in the pages of history as time progressed. Washington's Secret Ally reveals the role of Spain in support of the thirteen colonies. Yes, we know about France, but Spain? In 2011 I attended a Texas DVF Brigade meeting and the speaker talked about the role of Spain in the American Revolution. I must admit this was news to me. Then Judge Butler wrote his first book, Galvez/Spain Our Forgotten Ally in the American Revolutionary War: A Concise Summary of Spain's Assistance. I had known that cattle arrived at Valley Forge from the Spanish held territory that is now Texas, but never knew the details of just how it had occurred. In June and September 1776, and again in June 1777 Spanish ships arrived in New Orleans laden with military supplies that were shipped to Fort Pitt by river boats. Spain had lost much of its foreign land holdings to Brittan which the king saw as a loss of honor for his family and the country. France had joined in the fight with the American colonies in 1778. In early 1779 France and Spain signed an agreement to jointly threaten and tie up the British military in other parts of the world. This strategy was carried out and worked. From Butlers first book we learned that Gen. Bernardo de Galvez was able to "bottle up" several thousand British troops in what would become Florida who could have easily moved north to help crush the revolution. Butler sets the stage to help us understand how things were played out in a global theater. It was not just a small war in the thirteen colonies, it was a world war. George Washington's Secret Ally is a shorter version of the original book, and is ideal for students and historians alike. It is packed full of dates, and photos. Its small size makes it ideal to carry along to read in airports, or on a break, wherever one has a few minutes to read. Indeed, without the intervention of France and Spain the American Revolution was doomed. Judge Butler is to be commended for refocusing the light on our Forgotten ally... Spain.