[1][2] Casa Calvo first came to Louisiana in 1769 as part of Alejandro O'Reilly's company, and served under Bernardo de Galvez in the Mobile campaign in 1780 during the American Revolutionary War.

[4][1] In 1794, Casa Calvo participated in the capture of Fort-Dauphin, Saint-Domingue, from the French during the Haitian Revolution, and was in charge of the Spanish garrison there at the time of the massacre of Bayajá.

He later was named governor of Bayajá and placed in charge of army operations against the French Republic in Santo Domingo until the colony was returned to France as part of the Peace of Basel.

[7] During this time, James Wilkinson, then the governor of the Territory of Louisiana, sought to engage with Casa Calvo to provide information that would strengthen Spain's hand in the negotiations.

[1][2][7] Casa Calvo departed for Pensacola, narrowly avoiding a shipwreck en route, and requested permission to lead a military expedition against Louisiana.