For 74 days in 1810, there was a country on the Gulf Coast that most Americans have never heard of.

It had a flag, a government, a governor, and a claim to territory stretching from modern-day Louisiana toward Mobile Bay and the Perdido River. Then, almost as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.

In this episode of Dauphin Island Diaries, we explore the story of the Republic of West Florida, a short-lived nation born from the collision of Spanish colonial rule, American expansion, frontier settlement, and international intrigue during the age of Napoleon.

Along the way, we'll visit:

• Spanish West Florida and its disputed boundaries
• The Louisiana Purchase and competing territorial claims
• The Federal Road and Fort Stoddert
• Reuben Kemper and the early filibuster movements
• The capture of Fort San Carlos at Baton Rouge
• Governor Fulwar Skipwith and the Republic of West Florida
• Mobile Bay's place in the struggle for control of the Gulf Coast
• The annexation of West Florida by the United States

We'll also examine the roles played by James Madison, William Claiborne, Harry Toulmin, James Wilkinson, and others whose decisions helped shape the future of the Gulf Coast.

Though the Republic of West Florida existed for only 74 days, the events surrounding its rise and fall helped determine the future of modern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

Sources

Research for this episode was drawn primarily from:

• The Rogue Republic: How Would-Be Patriots Waged the Shortest Revolution in American History by William C. Davis
• Fort Stoddert: American Sentinel on the Mobile River, 1799-1814 by Mike Bunn and Susie Hartman

Additional information was drawn from:

• Alabama Encyclopedia
• Dictionary.com
• Historical reference materials used for fact-checking and chronology

Special thanks to historian Mike Bunn for insights shared during an interview conducted on June 9, 2026, which provided additional context for several aspects of this story.

🎙️ Credits

Hosted by Big John Summers

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Music by Big John Summers

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