Throughout the Revolutionary Conflict, the world that’s now Missouri was not a state however relatively a sparsely populated territory beneath Spanish management. Whereas not formally aligned with both aspect of the battle, the area’s inhabitants and directors largely favored the American trigger, offering essential provides and logistical assist to the Patriot forces working west of the Mississippi River. This help included lead for ammunition, provisions, and intelligence about British actions.
This undeclared alliance performed a big function within the warfare’s western theater. The strategically very important lead mines, positioned primarily round present-day Ste. Genevieve and Potosi, Missouri, supplied a important supply of ammunition for the Continental Military, whereas the Spanish colonial authorities usually tolerated, and generally actively facilitated, the move of provides and knowledge to American forces. This assist hampered British efforts to manage the Mississippi River and weakened their potential to successfully prosecute the warfare within the West. Understanding this dynamic offers important context for the later improvement of the trans-Mississippi West and the eventual incorporation of Missouri into the US.
