Florencio Xatruch
Encyclopedia
Florencio Xatruch was a General
who led the Honduran expeditionary force against William Walker in Nicaragua in 1856.
, Honduras
. His father, Ramón Xatruch, was of Catalan
background, and his mother, Eugenia Villagra, was part of Choluteca
's upper class, and whose family owned mines.
In 1824, Xatruch was sent to León, Nicaragua
to continue with his studies.
's armed forces, on March 14, 1832, along with his friend José Santos Guardiola
, in the war in Jocoro
, El Salvador
. He was promoted to Sergeant
, and this promotion was signed by Morazan himself. In 1841 he was again promoted to Captain by General Julian Tercero and he served under the leadership of Francisco Ferrera
.
When Juan Lindo
was president, Xatruch was elected representative to the National Congress and participated in the approval of the third Constitution of Honduras in 1848. In 1850 he participated in an armed engagement supporting José Santos Guardiola. He moved to Nicaragua, along with his brother Pedro, who was eventually promoted to General also. In Granada, they offered their services to the "legitimates", and their troops were called "Xatruches", and then "Catruches", and finally "Catrachos", term (nickname) that Hondurans are known for, especially in Nicaragua.
In 1855, Xatruch was promoted to Brigade General. President Guardiola sent Honduran troops to fight William Walker under the leadership of the Xatruch brothers. Florencio was named General in Chief of the Allied Armies of Central America
, but later, for political reasons, Juan Rafael Mora was left in charge and Xatruch was demoted to Inspector General.
He also led the combat against the filibusters
in Puebla, Rivas
.
Several Central American countries recognized him as Brigade and Division General. On June 12, 1857, Xatruch made a triumphant entrance to Comayagua
, which was then the capital of Honduras. On May 22, 1858, president Guardiola named him Minister of War and Commerce, title he held until 1860. On February 15, 1864, the General Assambly of Honduras declared him Vicepresident of the Republic, and he briefly acted as President from March 26 – May 17, 1871.
.
In Nicaragua, Xatruch was named Director of Eastern Highways, by president Tomás Martínez
, and he worked building the highways to Mataere, Masatepe
and Jinotepe
. In 1878, president Pedro Joaquín Chamorro named him Governor of Chinandega and Leon, and that same year, on August 9, he was named Division General of the Nicaragua Army.
: " From Nicaragua to the Honduran by birth but Nicaraguan by adoption, General Florencio Xatruch, a testimony of admiration and thankfulness for the services he provided to the Country".
sent a troop of 370 officials, technical staff and soldiers to participate in the Iraq War in support of the international contingent led by the United States
. The troop was called Tarea Xatruch
Battalion in honor of Xatruch. The group included 40 officials, 22 sub-officials, 21 technical staff and 287 soldiers. They left August 11 for Spain for a training period, and then to Nasariya, Karbala
and Najaf
in Iraq, where they joined 360 Salvadoran, 230 Nicaraguan
, 300 Dominican
, and 1,300 Spanish
officials and soldiers.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
who led the Honduran expeditionary force against William Walker in Nicaragua in 1856.
Life
Florencio Xatruch was born in San Antonio de OrienteSan Antonio de Oriente
San Antonio de Oriente is a municipality in the Honduran department of Francisco Morazán. Population as of 2001 is 12,055.The first occupants came in 1660 in the village Mineral de San Antonio that is 4 km away from the present town. Nowadays it is called San Antonio Yusguare. A kilometre west...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. His father, Ramón Xatruch, was of Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
background, and his mother, Eugenia Villagra, was part of Choluteca
Choluteca, Choluteca
Choluteca is a municipality and the capital city of the Honduran department of the same name. Situated in southern Honduras between El Salvador and Nicaragua, the city is generally considered the regional center of southern Honduras and is a major transit point on the Pan-American Highway. It...
's upper class, and whose family owned mines.
In 1824, Xatruch was sent to León, Nicaragua
León, Nicaragua
León is a department in northwestern Nicaragua . It is also the second largest city in Nicaragua, after Managua. It was founded by the Spaniards as Santiago de los Caballeros de León and rivals Granada, Nicaragua, in the number of historic Spanish colonial homes and churches...
to continue with his studies.
Military life
In 1826, as he returned to Honduras, he joined the armed forces of Domingo Sarmiento and Santos Sánchez, who were against the government of Diego Vigil. He then participated in Francisco MorazánFrancisco Morazán
General Francisco Morazán was a Honduran general and a politician who ruled several Central American states at different times during the turbulent period from 1827 to 1842. He rose to prominence at the legendary Battle of La Trinidad on November 11, 1827...
's armed forces, on March 14, 1832, along with his friend José Santos Guardiola
José Santos Guardiola
General José Santos Guardiola Bustillo was President of Honduras from 17 February 1856 to 11 January 1862, when he became the only President of Honduras to be assassinated while in office in a crime committed by his personal guard.His parents were Esteban Guardiola and Bibiana Bustillo...
, in the war in Jocoro
Jocoro
Jocoro is a municipality in the Morazán department of El Salvador....
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. He was promoted to Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
, and this promotion was signed by Morazan himself. In 1841 he was again promoted to Captain by General Julian Tercero and he served under the leadership of Francisco Ferrera
Francisco Ferrera
Francisco Ferrera was a president of Honduras. He was born in San Juan de Flores, Honduras.Ferrera joined the guerrerista campaigns of General Francisco Morazán and participated brilliantly in the battles of The Trinidad and Gualcho. In addition, he saw action in the pacification of Olancho...
.
When Juan Lindo
Juan Lindo
Juan Nepomuceno Fernández Lindo y Zelaya was a Conservative Central American politician, president of the Republic of El Salvador from 1841 to 1842 and of the Republic of Honduras from 1847 to 1852.-Background:Lindo was born into a landholding family...
was president, Xatruch was elected representative to the National Congress and participated in the approval of the third Constitution of Honduras in 1848. In 1850 he participated in an armed engagement supporting José Santos Guardiola. He moved to Nicaragua, along with his brother Pedro, who was eventually promoted to General also. In Granada, they offered their services to the "legitimates", and their troops were called "Xatruches", and then "Catruches", and finally "Catrachos", term (nickname) that Hondurans are known for, especially in Nicaragua.
In 1855, Xatruch was promoted to Brigade General. President Guardiola sent Honduran troops to fight William Walker under the leadership of the Xatruch brothers. Florencio was named General in Chief of the Allied Armies of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, but later, for political reasons, Juan Rafael Mora was left in charge and Xatruch was demoted to Inspector General.
He also led the combat against the filibusters
Filibuster (military)
A filibuster, or freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution...
in Puebla, Rivas
Rivas
Rivas is a city and municipality in southwestern Nicaragua on the Isthmus of the same name. The city proper is the capital of the Department of Rivas and administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of the same name.-Overview:...
.
Several Central American countries recognized him as Brigade and Division General. On June 12, 1857, Xatruch made a triumphant entrance to Comayagua
Comayagua
Comayagua is a city in Honduras, some 80 km northwest of Tegucigalpa on the highway to San Pedro Sula at an elevation of 594 meters above sea level. In 2003 the estimated population was 60,000 people. It is the capital of the Comayagua department of Honduras. The city is noted for its wealth...
, which was then the capital of Honduras. On May 22, 1858, president Guardiola named him Minister of War and Commerce, title he held until 1860. On February 15, 1864, the General Assambly of Honduras declared him Vicepresident of the Republic, and he briefly acted as President from March 26 – May 17, 1871.
Life in Nicaragua
After the civil war of 1856, Xatruch stayed in Nicaragua, and worked in agriculture and mining. It is told that he had to sell the medals of honor he had received in order to finance his new businesses, that included two coffee farms ("Honduras" and "La Cruz") and several estates in ManaguaManagua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
.
In Nicaragua, Xatruch was named Director of Eastern Highways, by president Tomás Martínez
Tomás Martínez
Tomás Martínez Guerrero was the President of Nicaragua between 15 November 1857 and 1 March 1867. From 24 June 1857 to 19 October or 15 November 1857, he acted jointly as the 34th President in a dual Junta with the Liberal Máximo Jerez formed on 23 January.Born in Nagarote, he was put in power by...
, and he worked building the highways to Mataere, Masatepe
Masatepe
Masatepe is a municipality in the Masaya department of Nicaragua.-External links:* Official Web Site of Masatepe * In the internet since 2001...
and Jinotepe
Jinotepe
Jinotepe is a city in Nicaragua, located in Department of Carazo in the South Pacific region of Nicaragua at the municipality of Jinotepe. It borders with Managua, Masaya, Granada, and Rivas.It is a sister city of Santa Cruz, California, United States....
. In 1878, president Pedro Joaquín Chamorro named him Governor of Chinandega and Leon, and that same year, on August 9, he was named Division General of the Nicaragua Army.
Death
Xatruch died in Managua, Nicaragua on February 15, 1893, when he was 82 years old. He was buried in the San Pedro Cemetery with great honors. Nicaragua National Congress, by decree on February 24, 1893, authorized the following epitaphEpitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
: " From Nicaragua to the Honduran by birth but Nicaraguan by adoption, General Florencio Xatruch, a testimony of admiration and thankfulness for the services he provided to the Country".
Recent honors
In August 2003 Honduras President Ricardo MaduroRicardo Maduro
Ricardo Rodolfo Maduro Joest is a former President of Honduras and Bank of Honduras chairman. Maduro graduated from The Lawrenceville School and later Stanford University...
sent a troop of 370 officials, technical staff and soldiers to participate in the Iraq War in support of the international contingent led by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The troop was called Tarea Xatruch
Tarea Xatruch
In August 2003 Honduras President Ricardo Maduro sent a troop of 370 officials, technical staff and soldiers to Iraq in support of the international contingent led by the United States....
Battalion in honor of Xatruch. The group included 40 officials, 22 sub-officials, 21 technical staff and 287 soldiers. They left August 11 for Spain for a training period, and then to Nasariya, Karbala
Karbala
Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
and Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
in Iraq, where they joined 360 Salvadoran, 230 Nicaraguan
Nicaraguan
Nicaraguans are people inhabiting in, originating or having significant heritage from Nicaragua. Most Nicaraguans live in Nicaragua, although there is also a significant Nicaraguan diaspora, particularly in Costa Rica and the United States with smaller communities in other countries around the world...
, 300 Dominican
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, and 1,300 Spanish
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...
officials and soldiers.