Eustaquio Díaz Vélez
Encyclopedia
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
soldier who fought in the Argentine War of Independence
Argentine War of Independence
The Argentine War of Independence was fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín against royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown...
and in the civil wars
Argentine Civil War
The Argentine Civil Wars were a series of internecine wars that took place in Argentina from 1814 to 1876. These conflicts were separate from the Argentine War of Independence , though they first arose during this period....
of his country.
Beginnings
Born as Eustoquio ("Eustochio Antonio" as it says in his baptism document), he is known to history as Eustaquio. He was born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
on 2 November 1782. His parents were Francisco José Díaz Vélez, a merchant from Huelva
Huelva
Huelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 149,410 inhabitants. The...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and María Petrona de Aráoz, from Tucumán, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, both from prominent colonial families.
Díaz Vélez entered the army in his youth, in the Blandengues frontier Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
. Besides his military career, he was also a successful businessman. He fought along with Santiago de Liniers
Santiago de Liniers
Jacques de Liniers was a French officer in the Spanish military service, and a viceroy of the Spanish colonies of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. He is more widely known by the Spanish form of his name, Santiago de Liniers...
against the British invasions
British invasions of the Río de la Plata
The British invasions of the Río de la Plata were a series of unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of the Spanish colonies located around the La Plata Basin in South America . The invasions took place between 1806 and 1807, as part of the Napoleonic Wars, when Spain was an ally of...
and then he became part of the Patricios Regiment. During the revolution of 1 January 1809 he fought next to the loyalists of Liniers and was wounded. He was rewarded with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
He supported the 1810 May Revolution
May Revolution
The May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay...
and his first military mission was to storm Colonia del Sacramento
Colonia del Sacramento
Colonia del Sacramento is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the oldest town in Uruguay and capital of the departamento of Colonia. It has a population of around 22,000.It is renowned for its historic quarter, a World Heritage Site...
, where he captured a good quantity of ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
. The garrison was taken back by royalist
Royalist (Spanish American Revolutions)
The royalists were the American and European supporters of the various governing bodies of the Spanish Monarchy, during the Spanish American wars of independence, which lasted from 1808 until the king's death in 1833...
forces after Díaz Velez withdrawal.
Upper Peru campaign
He was part of the Army of the NorthArmy of the North
The Army of the North , contemporaneously called Army of Peru, was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was freeing the Argentine Northwest and the Upper Peru from the royalist troops of the Spanish...
and was present at the defeat at Cotagaita
Battle of Cotagaita
The Battle of Cotagaita was fought on October 27, 1810 during the Campaign of Upper Peru in the Argentine War of Independence when the troops of the Army of the North were sent by the Primera Junta government in Buenos Aires to the Alto Perú to fight the Royalists. It was the first skirmish of the...
. Weeks later, on 7 November 1810, he fought at the Battle of Suipacha
Battle of Suipacha
The Battle of Suipacha was fought on 7 November 1810 in Bolivia during the Bolivian War of Independence between the Spanish colonial army and the Republican forces sent by the Primera Junta from Buenos Aires. At the time Bolivia was known as Upper Peru . It was the first decisive defeat of the...
, the first victory for the Republican forces, which instigated the revolutionary movements at Potosí
Potosí
Potosí is a city and the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at a nominal . and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia...
, Chuquisaca
Sucre
Sucre, also known historically as Charcas, La Plata and Chuquisaca is the constitutional capital of Bolivia and the capital of the department of Chuquisaca. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of 2750m...
, La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
and Cochabamba
Cochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
in Upper Peru
Upper Peru
Upper Peru was the region in the Viceroyalty of Peru, and after 1776, the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, comprising the governorships of Potosí, La Paz, Cochabamba, Los Chiquitos, Moxos and Charcas...
(today's Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
). By order of Juan José Castelli
Juan José Castelli
Juan José Castelli was an Argentine lawyer. He was one of the leaders of the May Revolution, which started the Argentine War of Independence...
, he executed the royalist leaders Nieto
Vicente Nieto
Vicente Nieto was a Spanish general, a royalist of the Spanish American wars of independence.-Biography:Vicente Nieto had a long military career in Spain, fighting in the French Revolutionary Wars. He was under the command of Antonio Ricardos, during the War of the Pyrenees, which ended with the...
, Córdova and Sanz in Potosí
Potosí
Potosí is a city and the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at a nominal . and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia...
. He was later promoted to the rank of colonel.
Castelli signed an armistice with the Spanish commander José Manuel de Goyeneche, but subsequent events showed that neither of them intended to abide by it. Díaz Vélez and Juan José Viamonte
Juan José Viamonte
Juan José Viamonte González was an Argentine general in the early 19th century.-Biography:Viamonte was born in Buenos Aires and entered the army in his youth following in his father's footsteps...
, commanding their regiments, were sent as advance parties toward the border. When a royalist attack came at the Battle of Huaqui
Battle of Huaqui
The Battle of Huaqui , was a battle between the Primera Junta's revolutionary troops and the royalist troops of the Viceroyalty of Peru on the border between Upper Peru, , and the Viceroyalty of Peru on June 20, 1811.- Prelude :The army commanded by Juan...
, on 19 June 1811, both regiments were almost destroyed without having received help, not being able to assist the rest of the army themselves.
The retreat was a disaster and, lacking any support, they ran as far north as they could, reaching Humahuaca
Humahuaca
Humahuaca is a city in the province of Jujuy, Argentina. It has 11,369 inhabitants as per the , and is the principal town of the Department of Humahuaca...
. Antonio González Balcarce was replaced by Juan Martín de Pueyrredón
Juan Martín de Pueyrredón
Juan Martín de Pueyrredón y O'Dogan was an Argentine general and politician of the early 19th century. He was appointed Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata after the Argentine Declaration of Independence.-Early life:Pueyrredón was born in Buenos Aires, the fifth of...
in command of the army.
Díaz Vélez took also part on the organization of the Éxodo Jujeño, under the command of Manuel Belgrano
Manuel Belgrano
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano , usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano, was an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina...
. He created a cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
corps and was in charge of protecting the rear of the exodus
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
. When the patriots were overtaken and defeat appeared imminent, Díaz Vélez reacted quickly and counterattacked at the battle of Las Piedras, obtaining a victory which helped restore the morale
Morale
Morale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used to describe the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others...
of the troops.
In part because of this victory, Belgrano was encouraged to fight the Battle of Tucumán
Battle of Tucumán
The Battle of Tucumán was a battle fought on 24 and 25 September 1812 near the Argentine city of San Miguel de Tucumán, during the Argentine War of Independence. The Army of the North, commanded by General Manuel Belgrano, defeated the royalist troops commanded by General Pío de Tristán, who had a...
, on 24 September 1812, which resulted in the most important victory in the battles for the Argentine War of Independence. Díaz Vélez as a senior officer took the captured artillery from royalist general Pío de Tristán
Pío de Tristán
Juan Pío de Tristán was a Peruvian general and politician...
, along with thirty nine wagons loaded with arms and ammunition, as well as prisoners. He established a stronghold in the city of Tucumán, where — confronted with an ultimatum of surrender from Tristán, who threatened to burn the city — he answered that in that case he would "cut the prisoners' throats". Tristán then did not follow up with his threat and retreated.
A few days later he was sent by Belgrano to take over Salta
Salta
Salta is a city in northwestern Argentina and the capital city of the Salta Province. Along with its metropolitan area, it has a population of 464,678 inhabitants as of the , making it Argentina's eighth largest city.-Overview:...
, before the arrival of Tristán's army. He freed colonel Juan Antonio Álvarez de Arenales from imprisonment, and both took military control of the city, but they had to evacuate in October in the face of royalist strength.
Early the following year (1813) he was wounded at the Battle of Salta
Battle of Salta
The Battle of Salta took place on February 20, 1813 on the plains of Castañares, near the present-day Argentina city of Salta, during the Argentine War of Independence. The Army of the North, under the command of general Manuel Belgrano, defeated for the second time the royalist troops of general...
, while commanding a wing of cavalry. Belgrano then named him governor of Salta Province
Salta Province
Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy...
.
Díaz Vélez accompanied the Army of the North in its second campaign to Upper Peru, and he occupied the city of Potosí
Potosí
Potosí is a city and the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at a nominal . and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia...
. He commanded a fraction of the Army during the ill-fated battles of Vilcapugio
Battle of Vilcapugio
The Battle of Vilcapugio was an action fought on October 1, 1813 during the second Campaign of Upper Peru in the Argentine War of Independence, where the republican forces led by General Manuel Belgrano were defeated by a pro-Spanish royalist army, led by Joaquin de la Pezuela.The campaign was...
and Ayohuma
Battle of Ayohuma
The Battle of Ayohuma was an action fought on 14 November 1813, during the second Upper Peru Campaign of the Argentine War of Independence...
. By order of Belgrano, and to protect their rearguard, he evacuated the city, taking with him all of its silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
. He also attempted to destroy Potosí's mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
; but a warning of an officer to the populace averted the destruction. These acts earned the hostility of Upper Perú's residents towards Buenos Aires.
Civil wars
Upon return to Buenos Aires he married Carmen Guerrero y Obarrio, with whom he had three children: Carmen, Eustoquio and Manuela. He was promoted to general and sent as new military governorGovernor of Santa Fe
The governor of the Argentine province of Santa Fe is the highest executive officeholder of the province.According to the provincial constitution , the governor is elected by the simple majority of the popular vote, along with a vice governor, for a four-year term, and cannot be reelected...
of Santa Fe Province
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
, with the objective to avoid the province's turn to the federalism
Liga Federal
The Federal League or League of Free Peoples was a confederal state based around Montevideo from 1815 to 1820...
of José Gervasio Artigas
José Gervasio Artigas
José Gervasio Artigas is a national hero of Uruguay, sometimes called "the father of Uruguayan nationhood".-Early life:Artigas was born in Montevideo on June 19, 1764...
. He took the post in April 1814. He then sent all the supplies he could to the Army of the North. His government was not loved by the local population, mainly for not being from Santa Fé province, and also for his strong-arm tactics and for not respecting the local Cabildo
Cabildo (council)
For a discussion of the contemporary Spanish and Latin American cabildo, see Ayuntamiento.A cabildo or ayuntamiento was a former Spanish, colonial administrative council that governed a municipality. Cabildos were sometimes appointed, sometimes elected, but were considered to be representative of...
.
In March 1815, a great number of people protested in front of the government house, requesting he relinquish government control to the Cabildo. At the same time a flotilla of armed canoes crossed the Paraná River
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
under the command of Eusebio Hereñú from Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos Province
Entre Ríos is a northeastern province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires , Corrientes and Santa Fe , and Uruguay in the east....
, who demanded he comply with the people's wishes. Díaz Vélez stepped down and Francisco Candioti was elected in his place.
Díaz Vélez returned to Buenos Aires and stayed out of politics for a few months. The following year he took part in an expedition to Santa Fe, under orders from Viamonte, as military commander of Rosario. The failure of Viamonte forced him to return in February 1816.
In April of the same year he was sent again in a third attack against Santa Fe, where he besieged the city from the river. He was defeated and signed the Pact of Santo Tomé with governor Mariano Vera
Mariano Vera
Mariano Vera was a caudillo and governor of the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, between 12 April 1816 and 23 July 1818.Vera was a supporter of federalism, against the idea of a centralized government...
, then retreated towards Rosario. There he deposed his superior, Belgrano, and assumed command of the army. This surprising rebellion on the part of Díaz Vélez led to the fall of director Ignacio Álvarez Thomas
Ignacio Álvarez Thomas
José Ignacio Álvarez Thomas was a South American military commander and politician of the early 19th century....
. A few days later he reneged on the pact he had signed and re-attacked Santa Fe. He was defeated for the third time and his actions made Estanislao López
Estanislao López
Estanislao López was a governor and caudillo of the , between 1818 and 1838, a hero of provincial federalism and an ally of Juan Manuel de Rosas during the Argentine Civil War.-Biography:...
rise up as caudillo
Caudillo
Caudillo is a Spanish word for "leader" and usually describes a political-military leader at the head of an authoritarian power. The term translates into English as leader or chief, or more pejoratively as warlord, dictator or strongman. Caudillo was the term used to refer to the charismatic...
in that province.
Díaz Vélez went back to Buenos Aires, where he joined the Logia directed by Supreme Director Pueyrredón and his minister Gregorio García de Tagle. In 1817 he was designated Deputy Commander Chief of Staff of the Army and on December 13, 1818 was named interim governor of Buenos Aires, replacing Juan Ramón Balcarce
Juan Ramón Balcarce
Juan Ramón González de Balcarce was an Argentine military leader and politician.Juan was the older brother of Antonio González de Balcarce and of Marcos González de Balcarce. He fought against the British in 1807, and in the 1812 military campaign in Peru under General Manuel Belgrano. He was...
, who was ill. He stayed as a senior commander of the army until 1821.
In March 1819 he requested removal the post of Governor, keeping the functions of Police Superintendent until the Battle of Cepeda
Battle of Cepeda (1820)
The Battle of Cepeda of 1820 took place on February 1 in Cañada de Cepeda, Santa Fe, Argentina.It was the first major battle that saw Unitarians and Federals as two constituted sides. Federal League Provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Ríos joined forces to topple the 1819 centralist Constitution, and...
, after which he was exiled to Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
.
Last years
Bernardino Rivadavia
Bernardino de la Trinidad Gónzalez Rivadavia y Rivadavia was the first president of Argentina, from February 8, 1826 to July 7, 1827 . He was a politician of the United Provinces of Río de la Plata, Argentina today...
, purchased a great deal of land. He founded several ranches, and became the biggest landowner in Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
. The most well-known of his ranches were El Carmen (present day Rauch Partido
Rauch Partido
Rauch Partido is a partido located in the centre-east of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina.The provincial subdivision has a population of about 14,000 inhabitants in an area of 4,300km², and its capital city is Rauch.-Settlements:...
and Ayacucho Partido
Ayacucho Partido
Ayacucho Partido is a partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.The provincial subdivision has a population of 19,669 inhabitants in an area of 6,785 km² , and its capital city is Ayacucho, which is located around 330 km from Buenos Aires.-Districts:* Cangallo* Udaquiola*...
), Campos de Díaz Vélez and Médanos Blancos (present day Necochea Partido
Necochea Partido
Necochea is a coastal partido and city area in the south-east of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The seat of the municipality is the port of Necochea.The partido has a population of around 89,000 people, in an area of 4,455 km²...
).
He did not take part in the subsequent civil wars, until 1839, when he supported the Libres del Sur upraising against dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel de Rosas , was an argentine militar and politician, who was elected governor of the province of Buenos Aires in 1829 to 1835, and then of the Argentine Confederation from 1835 until 1852...
from his ranch in Tandil
Tandil
-Place name:The name of the city comes from the Mapuche words tan , and lil . It is probably a reference to the Piedra Movediza , a large boulder which stood seemingly miraculously balanced on the edge of a rocky foothill. The Moving Stone toppled on February 29, 1912, and split into two pieces at...
. He was arrested and subjected to a long judicial process, then finally freed and sent to exile again in Montevideo. His lands were taken over by the government.
He returned to Buenos Aires after the Battle of Caseros
Battle of Caseros
The Battle of Caseros was fought near the town of Caseros, more precisely between the present-day train stations of Caseros and Palomar in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, on 3 February 1852, between the Army of Buenos Aires commanded by Juan Manuel de Rosas...
and declined to participate in politics; he regained all his lands and a good part of his holdings before dying in Buenos Aires, on 1 April 1856.
Díaz Vélez was buried in Recoleta Cemetery
La Recoleta Cemetery
La Recoleta Cemetery is a famous cemetery located in the exclusive Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, including Eva Perón, Raúl Alfonsín, and several presidents of Argentina.- History :...
in Buenos Aires, in the family's pantheon, now declared a National Historical Monument.