José Joaquín de Arredondo facts for kids

José Joaquín de Arredondo y Mioño (1768–1837) was a Spanish soldier. He also became a Mexican soldier later on. He served during the last years of Spanish rule in New Spain, which is now Mexico. Arredondo was the military leader of the Texas area during the first Texas revolutions against Spain.

Early Life

José Joaquín de Arredondo was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1768. His parents were Nicolás Antonio de Arredondo y Pelegrín and Josefa Rosa de Mioño. His father was an important official. He served as the Governor of Cuba and later as the Viceroy of Buenos Aires. A viceroy was like a governor who ruled a colony for the king.

Military Career

Arredondo joined the Royal Spanish Guards in 1787. In 1810, he became a colonel. He was given command of the infantry (foot soldiers) regiment of Veracruz. In 1811, he became the military leader of Huasteca and governor of Nuevo Santander.

Arredondo was very strict about how he treated rebels. He fought against the revolt led by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in 1811. He also fought against other revolts in 1813. He even helped capture Miguel Hidalgo. For his actions, Arredondo was put in charge of the eastern part of the Provincias Internas. This area included Coahuila, Texas, Nuevo Santander, and New Kingdom of León. Most people in this region supported the Spanish king at first.

Texas and the Revolution

The area of Texas, then called Tejas, was important for defending against attacks from Native American groups. These included the Apaches and Comanches. Because of long-term fighting, many people in Tejas were of European background. Spanish leaders wanted more people to settle in Tejas. This area was the edge of the Spanish territory.

At first, people in northern Tejas were not sure whether to support the revolution or the Spanish king. However, the Spanish rulers used harsh methods. This made more people want independence.

First Texas Rebellion

In 1811, José Bernardo Maximiliano Gutiérrez de Lara started working for the independence movement. He was a blacksmith from Nuevo Santander. He became a lieutenant colonel in Hidalgo's army. Gutiérrez traveled to the United States to get help for Texas independence. He met José Álvarez de Toledo y Dubois, an adventurer.

In Natchitoches, Louisiana, Gutiérrez planned to invade Texas. He asked Augustus W. Magee, a former U.S. Army officer, to lead the mission. The U.S. government, through an agent named William Shaler, secretly advised Gutiérrez and Magee. Officially, the U.S. did not approve of the invasion.

Gutiérrez and Magee openly asked for volunteers from Louisiana and Texas. They called their group the "Republican Army of the North." They promised volunteers money and land. The Texas governor, Manuel María de Salcedo, watched their plans. He asked for more help from Spanish leaders.

On August 12, 1812, about 150 men of the Republican Army crossed the Sabine River. They took Nacogdoches easily. Most people in the area supported the independence movement. The Spanish commander could not find any local people to fight for the king. By late fall, the Republican Army controlled the area between the Sabine and Guadalupe Rivers.

Governor Salcedo tried to stop the Republican Army. Gutiérrez and Magee went to La Bahia and took control. Salcedo then started a long attack on the Presidio La Bahia, where the rebels were. Neither side could win easily.

After some time, Colonel Magee died. Governor Salcedo and Colonel Simon de Herrera stopped their attack and went back to San Antonio. This made the Spanish forces lose confidence. The Republican Army, now led by Colonel Samuel Kemper, moved towards San Antonio. They defeated the Spanish forces at the Battle of Rosillo Creek.

When the Republican Army moved closer to San Antonio, Governor Salcedo offered to surrender. But Gutiérrez refused the terms. He ordered the killing of Herrera and several other officers. Gutiérrez then became the governor. He said Salcedo and Herrera were guilty of treason and ordered their deaths. The American officers protested this decision. They wanted the prisoners to be sent to jail or exiled.

A man named Delgado returned to San Antonio. He boasted about the killings. This was announced publicly. These terrible events shocked many of the American and Texan-Anglo soldiers. Most of them left the fight and went back to eastern Texas or Louisiana. However, some Mexican leaders convinced a few to stay.

On April 6, 1813, Gutiérrez declared Texas independent from Spain. On April 18, he announced the first Constitution of Texas. This constitution was more about central control than a republic. This made the remaining American and Texan-Anglo volunteers even more upset. The Republican Army prepared for a counter-attack from the south. Many people who were neutral before now joined the Spanish forces. They were angry about the killing of Salcedo and Herrera.

Arredondo's Revenge

The Spanish king sent General José Joaquín de Arredondo to command the eastern and western parts of the Provincias Internas. He quickly organized his forces and trained his troops. He also planned how to fight against the rebels. Many people who supported the Spanish king wanted quick revenge for the killings.

Lt. Col. Ignacio Elizondo, who had once been a rebel, now fought for the Spanish. He gathered volunteers in June. Against orders, he marched his forces toward San Antonio to fight the Republican Army. On June 16, the Republican Army, led by Henry Perry, defeated Elizondo's forces at the Battle of Alazan Creek. Elizondo lost 400 men and many were captured. He went back to the Rio Grande. General Arredondo joined forces with him there.

Meanwhile, Gutiérrez's harsh methods and anti-republican policies made him lose trust. On August 4, 1813, Gutiérrez was removed from power. José Álvarez de Toledo y Dubois took his place.

With the Texas government in chaos, Arredondo started his campaign. He had about 1,800 troops. Many of them were angry about the killings of Salcedo and his men. Arredondo immediately marched to San Antonio de Bexar. He planned to use his harsh tactics on everyone in Texas. His army was well-supplied for a long fight.

Battle of Medina

On August 18, 1813, the Army of the North and Arredondo's Spanish forces met. This was the four-hour-long Battle of Medina. The Spanish Army completely destroyed the 1,400-man Army of the North. Arredondo reported that 600 enemy soldiers were killed, and hundreds were captured.

Arredondo ordered the captured soldiers to be killed. He also had their bodies displayed as a warning. He later said that 1,000 enemy soldiers were killed. In San Antonio, he quickly gathered the families of the Texian soldiers. He ordered some of them to be killed in the town square, and their bodies were displayed as a warning.

For the next year, Arredondo hunted down the remaining rebel leaders. He destroyed farms, buildings, and mills in the province. Only a few in San Antonio were left. About 2,500 men were killed in this campaign. This was more than the total number of Texians killed in the Texas Revolution 23 years later. At least 3,000 other Anglo-Tejano and American settlers were killed or forced to leave. This greatly reduced the population of the province.

After his victories, Arredondo appointed Cristóbal Domínguez as temporary governor. He then returned south to Monterrey. He later defeated another expedition led by Francisco Javier Mina in October 1817. Arredondo remained the main military commander of the Coahuila and Texas area for several years.

Resettlement of Texas

The defeat of Texas removed a major barrier against Native American groups. Between 1817 and 1821, thousands of Comanche and Apache Indians raided deep into the provinces south of Texas. The region suffered greatly from the war and these raids.

Because of this, General Arredondo approved Moses Austin's request on January 17, 1821. Austin wanted to bring 300 settlers to Texas. They had to officially become Catholic. They also had to provide weapons and men to defend the routes into Mexico. Later, more Americans were encouraged to move to northern Mexico.

Mexican Allegiance

When Mexico became independent from Spain, Arredondo offered to support the new government. He wanted to keep his job as commandant general. However, the people of Saltillo rejected his offer. The Plan de Iguala for Mexican independence led to his removal from power.

Arredondo is remembered in Texas history as a "butcher" because of his actions against the republicans. He retired to Havana, Cuba, and died in 1837. This was shortly after Texas gained its independence.

See also

In Spanish: Joaquín de Arredondo para niños

• Timeline of the Texas Revolution