Last updated: May 19, 2026
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Battle of St. Louis
NPS
In May 1780, what is now downtown St. Louis became the site of the westernmost battle of the Revolutionary War when residents and Spanish officials defended the town against a British-led attack.
At the time, St. Louis was part of Spanish Louisiana. Although Spain was not formally allied with the United States, Spanish officials provided supplies and support to American forces operating in the Mississippi Valley.
After Spain entered the war against Great Britain in 1779, leaders in St. Louis feared that British forces and their Native American allies would attempt to seize control of the region and the Mississippi River.
St. Louis lieutenant governor Fernando de Leyba ordered the construction of defensive fortifications around the town. The most important of these was Fort San Carlos, a small stone tower built near what is now the intersection of Fourth and Walnut Streets. The town’s defenses were completed only weeks before the attack.
De Leyba had limited resources. The town was defended by a small number of Spanish soldiers and local militia made up largely of French residents of St. Louis. Reinforcements from Ste. Genevieve brought the defending force to roughly 300 men.
Meanwhile, British officials and traders organized a large force made up primarily of Native American warriors from several nations, including Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Potawatomi, and Dakota groups. Joined by Canadian traders and militia, the force moved south toward St. Louis in the spring of 1780.
On May 26, 1780, the attackers reached St. Louis. Residents working in fields outside town were among the first attacks, and the alarm quickly spread through the settlement. For protection, women and children of the town were ordered into the Laclede-Chouteau House (a large stone building which stood near where the south leg of the Gateway Arch is today). Meanwhile, the defenders concentrated their resistance around Fort San Carlos. Cannon fire from the tower and musket fire from the militia forced the attackers to withdraw after hours of fighting. De Leyba, who was seriously ill at the time, directed the defense during the battle.
Although St. Louis successfully repelled the attack, the losses were significant. De Leyba reported 21 villagers killed, and many others were taken captive during the fighting and raids outside the fortified area.
The Battle of St. Louis helped prevent British control of the upper Mississippi River during the American Revolution. No further major attacks were launched against St. Louis before the war ended in 1783. Fort San Carlos itself was demolished in the early 19th century, but markers near the site commemorate this stand made in the westernmost battle of the American Revolution.