José de la Gándara y Navarro facts for kids
José de la Gándara y Navarro (born October 15, 1820, in Zaragoza – died September 1, 1885, in Biarritz) was an important Spanish soldier. He had a long and successful career in the military, serving in different parts of the world, including Spain, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Philippines. He became a high-ranking general and held important leadership positions.
Contents
Biography
Early Military Life
José de la Gándara started his military journey at a young age. In 1832, when he was just 12, he joined the military college as a cadet. This is like a student training to be an officer. By 1834, he became a sublieutenant, a junior officer. He then began fighting in the First Carlist War, a conflict in Spain. He took part in many battles until 1839.
Service in the Colonies
After his service in Spain, Gándara showed great skill and bravery in different Spanish colonies. He rose through the ranks quickly. In 1857, he became a brigadier, a senior officer. He was then appointed governor of the islands of Fernando Poo and Annobón y Corisco. These islands are now part of Equatorial Guinea in Africa.
Commander in Cuba and Santo Domingo
In 1862, José de la Gándara became a major general. In November of that year, he was made military governor and commander-in-chief of the province of Santiago de Cuba.
A war for independence, called the Dominican Restoration War, began in Santo Domingo in February 1863. Santo Domingo had been taken over by Spain in 1861. The local troops quickly pushed the Spanish soldiers back to the coast. Gándara did not wait for orders from Spain. He immediately sent more soldiers to help his comrades. He used the frigate Isabel II, a type of warship, which was in port at the time.
Later, he received orders to lead all his forces to help the main commander. He landed in Puerto Plata on September 17, 1863. He pushed back the rebel forces and then took control of the cities of Santo Domingo and San Cristóbal. Taking San Cristóbal involved many difficult battles.
General and Governor
In 1864, Gándara was promoted to lieutenant-general. This is a very high military rank. He was also appointed captain-general and commander-in-chief of the entire island of Santo Domingo. In that same year, he won an important battle at Monte Cristi.
The temporary government in Santo Domingo tried to negotiate for peace. However, these talks did not lead to an agreement. Meanwhile, the Spanish government decided to stop fighting the war. In May 1865, Gándara and his troops left the island.
Later Career
After leaving Santo Domingo, José de la Gándara was appointed governor-general of the Philippine islands. This was another very important leadership role. After the Bourbon monarchy was restored in Spain, he became the military chief of the king's household. He also served as captain-general of Castile, a region in Spain.
He wrote a book titled Historia de la Anexion y Guerra de Santo Domingo. This book tells the story of Spain taking over Santo Domingo and the war that followed.
The town of Gandara in the province of Samar in the Philippines is named after him.
See also
In Spanish: José de la Gándara para niños
