I represent Alexander Dickson. I was a major in His Majesty’s 16th Regiment of Foot, which arrived at Pensacola in the spring of 1770. I was promoted from captain in May 1771. I sat on the West Florida Council during the 7th and last provincial General Assembly in the fall of 1778. By 1779, I was a lieutenant colonel and in command of all seven companies of the 16th Regiment, though they were far below strength and exhausted from serving for so long in the Gulf Coast climate. I made the choice to abandon Ft. Bute to the Spanish with only a token resistance, choosing to make our stand at Baton Rouge. When the Spanish attacked, our resistance was “spirited but brief.” The inhabitants of Baton Rouge later signed a memorial supporting my decision to surrender rather than fight to the last man. I was taken as a prisoner of war, but returned to Pensacola in time to be present for the siege. I and other officers who had given our parole as prisoners at Baton Rouge surrendered to Gálvez rather than participate in fighting him, as a matter of honor. I served as a liaison between the camps during the siege.
Sources: 3, 15, 22, 23, 24, 35, 6