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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Spanish military and political leader Bernardo de |
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Gálvez fought bravely in behalf of American independence during the |
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American Revolutionary War; and |
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WHEREAS, Part of a prominent military family in Spain, |
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Bernardo Vicente Apolinar de Gálvez y Madrid was born in |
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Macharaviaya in 1746 and joined the Spanish military as a teenager, |
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beginning his career as a lieutenant in a war with Portugal; he made |
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his first trip to the Americas as part of an inspection tour of the |
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Viceroyalty of New Spain, and in 1769 he was commissioned to go to |
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the northern frontier of New Spain, where he received a promotion to |
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commandant of arms for Nueva Vizcaya and Sonora; after completing |
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various assignments in Europe, he returned to New Spain as a member |
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of the Louisiana Regiment in 1776; and |
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WHEREAS, Named the governor of Louisiana the following year, |
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Mr. Gálvez made vital contributions to the Revolutionary War |
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effort; he initially worked to ship gunpowder, muskets, uniforms, |
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medicine, and other supplies to American colonial rebels, and |
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following Spain's declaration of war on Great Britain, he conducted |
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a fierce campaign against the British along the Mississippi River |
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and Gulf Coast; he also negotiated with the Texas governor to supply |
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beef for the troops in the first cattle drives out of Texas; over |
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the next few years, he defeated the British in battles at Bayou |
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Manchac, Baton Rouge, Natchez, Mobile, and the Bahamas, and he |
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commanded a two-month siege on Fort George in Pensacola, which |
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ended with the British surrendering their West Florida capital; |
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after the war, he went on to serve as governor of Cuba and as viceroy |
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of New Spain; he died in 1786; and |
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WHEREAS, In recognition of his achievements, Mr. Gálvez |
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received commendation from the Continental Congress and letters of |
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appreciation from Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson; the Bay of |
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Galveston was also named in his honor, and the U.S. Congress |
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conferred honorary citizenship on him in 2014; moreover, his |
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hometown of Macharaviaya recognizes him with its annual Fourth of |
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July celebration, which features a parade and a reenactment of his |
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capture of Fort George in Pensacola; and |
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WHEREAS, Bernardo de Gálvez played a pivotal role in the |
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American Revolutionary War, and his contributions earned the |
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lasting admiration and appreciation of all citizens; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life and legacy of Bernardo de |
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Gálvez. |