The Battle of St. Louis during the American Revolutionary War

Often overshadowed by battles in the East, the Revolutionary War in the West played a pivotal role in shaping the future United States. Orders were issued from the highest levels in Great Britain to sweep the Americans and Spanish from both sides of the Mississippi River. While coordinating several separate attacks, the centerpiece of this grand plan was the descent from the North by a huge British-led contingent of 1,000 men against St. Louis (the administrative center for Spanish Upper Louisiana) and American-held Cahokia, which suffered simultaneous attacks on May 26, 1780. The failure of these coordinated attacks helped secure American and Spanish control of the Mississippi Valley, influencing the nation's eventual western expansion. Presented by Stephen Kling, a practicing attorney and author in St. Louis, who has written extensively on the American Revolution War in the West.