In June of 1779 the Spanish declared war on England. In an attempt to remove England from the New World they decided to remove England's control of it's colony in west Florida. The Spanish governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez, campaigned his way to Pensacola, which was England's colonial capitol. In 1781 the battle of Pensacola took place in the area of Pensacola known as Fort George on top of Gage hill. There was a gentlemen's agreement to have the battle in this sparsely populated area. The battle ended in the surrender of the English commander John Campbell after an explosive shell exploded the powder magazine of the Queen's redoubt. This area has had archeological research done by the University of West Florida.