Vicente Filísola facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brigadier Vicente Filísola
2nd Captain General of Central America
In office 23 June 1822 – 1 July 1823
Monarch	Agustín I
Preceded by	Gabino Gaínza
Succeeded by	Position abolished
2nd Political Chief of Guatemala
In office 23 June 1822 – 1 July 1823
Preceded by	Gabino Gaínza
Succeeded by	Tomás O'Horan
3rd Political Chief of El Salvador
In office 9 February 1823 – 7 May 1823
Preceded by	José Matías Delgado
Succeeded by	Felipe Codallos
President of the Constituent Assembly of the United Provinces of Central America
In office ? – 24 June 1823
Preceded by	?
Succeeded by	José Matías Delgado
Personal details
Born	Vincenzo Filizzola c. 1785 Rivello, Kingdom of Naples
Died	23 July 1850(1850-07-23) (aged 64–65) Mexico City, Mexico
Nationality	Italian
Political party	Independent
Occupation	Military officer
Military service
Allegiance	Spain (1804–18??)  Mexico before 1821–1836)
Branch/service	Spanish Army Mexican Army
Years of service	1804–1850
Rank	Brigadier General
Battles/wars	Napoleonic Wars Peninsular War Mexican War of Independence Mexican annexation of Central America Texas Revolution Mexican–American War

Vicente Filísola (born Vincenzo Filizzola) was an important military leader and politician. He was born in Italy around 1785 and later became a general in both the Spanish and Mexican armies. He is best known for his role in leading Mexico's control over Central America from 1822 to 1823.

Early Life and Military Career

Vicente Filísola was born Vincenzo Filizzola in Rivello, Italy, around 1785. When he was a child, his family moved to Spain. He joined the Spanish army in 1804 when he was about 15 years old.

Filísola fought in many battles during the Napoleonic Wars. These were major wars in Europe during the early 1800s. Later, in 1811, he served in New Spain, which is now Mexico.

Joining the Mexican Army

Filísola supported Agustín de Iturbide, who became the first emperor of Mexico. Because of this, Filísola became a brigadier general. He commanded a group of soldiers called the Army of the Three Guarantees.

Emperor Iturbide sent Filísola to Central America. His job was to make sure Central America joined the new Mexican Empire. He succeeded in this mission. However, when Iturbide's rule ended in 1823, Central America decided to become independent from Mexico. Only the region of Chiapas remained part of Mexico.

Role in Central America

As a governor for Mexico, Filísola took control of Guatemala City. This happened after the Federal Republic of Central America was formed. In 1823, he also managed to bring El Salvador under Mexican rule. This led to an uprising in El Salvador.

Following the Mexican constitution, Filísola called a meeting of the Central American congress. This congress then declared Central America's independence from Mexico. Filísola could not keep his army together. The people of Guatemala City even paid for his troops to return to Mexico.

Texas Revolution and Retreat

In 1831, Filísola received land in east Texas. He was supposed to bring 600 families from outside the United States to settle there. By 1833, he became the commander of the Eastern Internal Provinces in Mexico.

Second-in-Command in Texas

In early 1836, General Antonio López de Santa Anna made Filísola his second-in-command. They were fighting in Texas during the Texas Revolution. Filísola did not lead any major battles himself. He was usually behind Santa Anna, moving the heavy army equipment.

Filísola was in charge of moving cannons, supply wagons, and animals across Texas. The land was often muddy from rain, and rivers were flooded. This made it very hard to move the large army. While Santa Anna moved quickly, Filísola and the main army were stuck in mud. They were low on food and supplies and very tired.

Battle of San Jacinto and Aftermath

Messages from Filísola to Santa Anna were captured by Sam Houston's Texan soldiers. This helped the Texans plan their attack. Filísola was near San Felipe with about 1,000 men when Santa Anna was captured. This happened at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.

The next day, news reached Filísola's camp that the Mexican army at San Jacinto was destroyed. Filísola did not know if Santa Anna was alive. His troops were very discouraged. He worried that fighting the Texans might put all Mexican prisoners in danger. His other choice was to retreat and ask for new orders from Mexico City.

The remaining Mexican troops in Texas, including Filísola's 1,000 men and General José de Urrea's 1,500 men, met near Fort Bend. The generals held a meeting led by Filísola. A captured Mexican soldier brought a message from Santa Anna. Santa Anna, who was a prisoner, ordered Filísola to pull all Mexican troops out of Texas. In return, the Texans would spare Santa Anna's life.

Filísola agreed to leave Texas. He was responsible for organizing the retreat of about 4,000 Mexican soldiers.

The Retreat from Texas

Filísola followed Santa Anna's orders to retreat, even though some officers like Urrea wanted to keep fighting. On May 24, he ordered the destruction of the Alamo fortifications. He also ordered his 1,200 troops to leave San Antonio. He then confirmed the Treaties of Velasco, which ended the fighting.

Filísola and another general, Juan José Andrade, joined their forces at Goliad. They continued their retreat towards Matamoros.

Later, the Mexican government told Filísola not to retreat. He offered to return to Texas, but the Mexican army was too tired. They continued to Matamoros. On June 15, Urrea took over command from Filísola. Filísola then gave his own command to Juan José Andrade.

Filísola also commanded one of the Mexican army divisions during the Mexican–American War.

Vicente Filísola died in Mexico City on July 23, 1850, at about 65 years old. He died from cholera, a serious illness.

Legacy and Reputation

After the retreat from Texas, some people in Mexico accused Filísola of being a coward and a traitor. This was even though his own forces were never defeated in battle. However, he was cleared of these accusations in 1841. Santa Anna, who was captured, blamed Filísola for the defeat at San Jacinto.

Filísola once said about Santa Anna that his mood would change. He described it as "discouragement, others as despair, and not a few as rudeness." Filísola often had to deal with Santa Anna's quick and sometimes difficult decisions.

Filísola later wrote a book defending his actions during the retreat. This book was translated and published in 1837. His full story of the Texas Revolution can be found in his book Memoirs for the History of the War in Texas, published in 1985.

He had many family members in Mexico, especially in the northern parts. He married and had children in Mexico City.

Decorations

• Knight of the Imperial Order of Guadalupe (December 1821)

See also

In Spanish: Vicente Filísola para niños