Federico de Brandsen
Encyclopedia
Carlos Luis Federico de Brandsen (Paris
, November 28, 1785 - Battle of Ituzaingó
, February 20, 1827) was a Coronel of French
origin who fought in many of the South American wars of independence and for Argentina
in the War with Brazil
.
who fought alongside Napoleon
In the Germany campaign he was injured in three separate battles and gained the rank of captain. After the abdication of Napoleon in 1813 and the dissolution of the Italian Kingdom
in 1814, Brandsen returned to France where he fought in the Hundred Days
, receiving another injury.
ended. Brandsen met at that time Bernardino Rivadavia
(who would later become the President of Argentina in 1826) who convinced him to join the fight to liberate the Americas from the Spanish Empire
. He then embarked for Buenos Aires
and on December 19, 1817, the United Provinces of South America
gave him the rank of Captain of the Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo (ES). Brandsen fought in the Chilean War of Independence under the command of General San Martín
. He also fought in the Bío-Bío
campaign and the "Expedición Libertadora del Perú".
In the battle of Nazca he distinguished himself alongside Major Juan Lavalle
. On November 8, 1820 in Chancay
he fought valiantly with a group of 36 men against a force of around 200; after this battle he was made Sargent Major.
When San Martín became Protector of Peru, Brandsen was named leader of the regiment of Hussars of the Peruvian Legion of the Guard, with the rank of lieutenant Colonel. San Martin had great affection for Brandsen with whom he maintained frequent correspondence. Brandsen was promoted to colonel on September 17, 1822. He commanded his regiment to a victory in Zepita
, and as general commander of the Cavalry of the Vanguard of the Army of Peru he fought at Sica-Sica and Ayo-Ayo holding up the hostile pursuit and saving the remainders of the army defeated in those encounters. In 1822 and 1823 he participated actively in the operations against the royal forces.
At the end of 1823 he took the side of President José de la Riva Agüero
in the dispute with Antonio José de Sucre
. De la Riva Agüero was promoted to Brigadier General, but with the dissolution of the army that followed him. Brandsen was put in prison and then Simón Bolívar
gave the order for his exile. This order was later rescinded but Brandsen and his wife had already embarked to Chile.
he returned to the Río de la Plata
where the government made him the leader of the 1st Cavalry Regiment with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. On February 20, 1827 in the Battle of Ituzaingó
his regiment was faced to the Brazilian infantry occupying a fortified position protected by a very deep ditch. General Carlos María de Alvear
, ordered him to attack head-on, but Brandsen told him that success was impossible in those conditions. Alvear did not accept his prudent arguments and he charged at the head of his troops, dying heroically. The attack failed, but the battle was won because other colonels such as Tomás de Iriarte, Miguel Estanislao Soler and José María Paz, amended the errors of Alvear. Brandsen was posthumously promoted to Colonel; his remains rest in the Cementerio de la Recoleta, in Buenos Aires, in front of the mausoleum of General Alvear.
and the administrative district Brandsen Partido
are named in his honour, there is also a tank regiment named after him and numerous streets in Argentina bear his name.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, November 28, 1785 - Battle of Ituzaingó
Battle of Ituzaingó
The Battle of Ituzaingó was fought in vicinity of Santa Maria river, in a valley of small hills where a stream divided the valley in two....
, February 20, 1827) was a Coronel of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
origin who fought in many of the South American wars of independence and for 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...
in the War with Brazil
Argentina-Brazil War
The Cisplatine War or the Argentine–Brazilian War was an armed conflict over an area known as Banda Oriental or "Eastern Shore" in the 1820s between the United Provinces of River Plate and the Empire of Brazil in the aftermath of the United Provinces' emancipation from Spain.-Background:Led by...
.
Napoleonic Wars
In 1811 Brandsen joined the Army of the Italian KingdomKingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:...
who fought alongside Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
In the Germany campaign he was injured in three separate battles and gained the rank of captain. After the abdication of Napoleon in 1813 and the dissolution of the Italian Kingdom
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:...
in 1814, Brandsen returned to France where he fought in the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
, receiving another injury.
Liberation of Chile and Peru
In 1817 the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
ended. Brandsen met at that time Bernardino Rivadavia
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...
(who would later become the President of Argentina in 1826) who convinced him to join the fight to liberate the Americas from the Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
. He then embarked for Buenos Aires
Buenos 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...
and on December 19, 1817, the United Provinces of South America
United Provinces of South America
The United Provinces of South America was the original name of the state that emerged from the May Revolution and the early developments of the Argentine War of Independence...
gave him the rank of Captain of the Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo (ES). Brandsen fought in the Chilean War of Independence under the command of General San Martín
José de San Martín
José Francisco de San Martín, known simply as Don José de San Martín , was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.Born in Yapeyú, Corrientes , he left his mother country at the...
. He also fought in the Bío-Bío
Bío-Bío River
The Biobío River is the second largest river in Chile. It originates from Icalma and Galletué lakes in the Andes and flows 380 km to the Gulf of Arauco on the Pacific Ocean....
campaign and the "Expedición Libertadora del Perú".
In the battle of Nazca he distinguished himself alongside Major Juan Lavalle
Juan Lavalle
Juan Galo de Lavalle was an Argentine military and political figure.-Biography:Lavalle was born in Buenos Aires to María Mercedes González Bordallo and Manuel José de La Vallée y Cortés, general accountant of rents and tobacco for the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.In 1799, the family moved to...
. On November 8, 1820 in Chancay
Chancay
Chancay is a small city in the Lima Region of Peru. Its population is 26,958....
he fought valiantly with a group of 36 men against a force of around 200; after this battle he was made Sargent Major.
When San Martín became Protector of Peru, Brandsen was named leader of the regiment of Hussars of the Peruvian Legion of the Guard, with the rank of lieutenant Colonel. San Martin had great affection for Brandsen with whom he maintained frequent correspondence. Brandsen was promoted to colonel on September 17, 1822. He commanded his regiment to a victory in Zepita
Zepita
Zepita is a town in the Chucuito Province south of Lake Titicaca in the Puno Region, Peru....
, and as general commander of the Cavalry of the Vanguard of the Army of Peru he fought at Sica-Sica and Ayo-Ayo holding up the hostile pursuit and saving the remainders of the army defeated in those encounters. In 1822 and 1823 he participated actively in the operations against the royal forces.
At the end of 1823 he took the side of President José de la Riva Agüero
José de la Riva Agüero
José Mariano de la Riva Agüero y Sánchez Boquete Marquess De Montealegre de Aulestia was a Peruvian soldier, politician, historian and twice President of Peru....
in the dispute with Antonio José de Sucre
Antonio José de Sucre
Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá , known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" , was a Venezuelan independence leader. Sucre was one of Simón Bolívar's closest friends, generals and statesmen.-Ancestry:...
. De la Riva Agüero was promoted to Brigadier General, but with the dissolution of the army that followed him. Brandsen was put in prison and then Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
gave the order for his exile. This order was later rescinded but Brandsen and his wife had already embarked to Chile.
War with Brazil
At the beginning of March 1825 he embarked with his family on a ship called "Livonia" destined for Chile. After a brief stay in SantiagoSantiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
he returned to the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
where the government made him the leader of the 1st Cavalry Regiment with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. On February 20, 1827 in the Battle of Ituzaingó
Battle of Ituzaingó
The Battle of Ituzaingó was fought in vicinity of Santa Maria river, in a valley of small hills where a stream divided the valley in two....
his regiment was faced to the Brazilian infantry occupying a fortified position protected by a very deep ditch. General Carlos María de Alvear
Carlos María de Alvear
Carlos María de Alvear was an Argentine soldier and statesman, Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in 1815....
, ordered him to attack head-on, but Brandsen told him that success was impossible in those conditions. Alvear did not accept his prudent arguments and he charged at the head of his troops, dying heroically. The attack failed, but the battle was won because other colonels such as Tomás de Iriarte, Miguel Estanislao Soler and José María Paz, amended the errors of Alvear. Brandsen was posthumously promoted to Colonel; his remains rest in the Cementerio de la Recoleta, in Buenos Aires, in front of the mausoleum of General Alvear.
Legacy
The city of BrandsenBrandsen
Brandsen is a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the Brandsen Partido.-History:The city built up around a railway station named Coronel Brandsen which was named after Colonel Federico de Brandsen, who fought in the liberation of Chile and Peru and died heroicly at the...
and the administrative district Brandsen Partido
Brandsen Partido
Brandsen is a north-eastern partido of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. As of 2001 the city and district had a population of 22,500 people. It covers an area of 1.126 km². The capital is also known as Brandsen.-History:...
are named in his honour, there is also a tank regiment named after him and numerous streets in Argentina bear his name.