Argentine Army: General Antonio Donovan

Gral. Antonio Donovan

Antonio Dónovan (b. Buenos Aires, April 26, 1849 – † Federal, province of Entre Ríos, August 14, 1897), Argentine soldier who participated in the Paraguayan War, in the last Argentine civil wars and in the campaigns prior to the Conquest of the Desert. He was also governor of the National Territory of Chaco.


Beginnings and the Triple Alliance War
Son of Dr. Cornelius Donovan Crowley and Mary Atkins Brown, in 1863 – after the death of his father – he enrolled in the 2nd Infantry Battalion without authorization from his mother, for which he was discharged by direct order of the Minister of War and Navy, General Gelly and Obes. Shortly after, he managed to obtain maternal authorization and joined the Light Artillery Regiment in July 1864, and was assigned to Martín García Island.
After the Paraguayan invasion of Corrientes he participated in the short-lived reconquest of that city by the forces of General Wenceslao Paunero. Under his command he participated in the battle of Yatay, on August 17, 1865. He also participated in the siege of Uruguayana.
In April of the following year he participated in the capture of the Itapirú Fortress, and in the battles of Estero Bellaco, Tuyutí, Yatayty Corá, Boquerón, Sauce and Curupaytí. On October 31 he was discharged from the Argentine Army, with no reference to the cause left.
He rejoined the Army in June of the following year, in the Line Infantry Battalion No. 2, with the rank of captain. He participated in the campaign in which national forces faced and defeated General Nicanor Cáceres, defender of the legal government of that province. In 1869, his regiment went to Córdoba.
He returned to the Paraguayan front the following May, assigned to various destinations, but did not manage to fight. He returned to Buenos Aires at the end of that year.

López Jordán Rebellion
When Ricardo López Jordán's rebellion broke out in the province of Entre Ríos, he accompanied Colonel Luis María Campos as an assistant, without having communicated that decision to his regiment, which discharged him from it. However, under Campos' orders he participated in the battle of Santa Rosa and other minor combats.
In May 1871, having recently arrived in the province of Buenos Aires, he fought against the indigenous people in the Tapalqué area. Later he passed to Martín García.
In June 1873 he was assigned to Paraná, participating in the fight against López Jordán's second rebellion. In the battle of Don Gonzalo, on December 9 of that year, the infantry under the command of Major Dónovan had a decisive performance in pushing back the federals.
In February of the following year he became assistant to the Minister of War, Martín de Gainza. Under the orders of Colonel Julio Campos he participated in the campaign against the revolutionaries in 1874.
During those years he bought a field in the northern part of the province of Entre Ríos, where the town of Federal would be founded.

Dessert Campaigns and Porteño Rebellion
In February 1875 he went to Gualeguaychú, in Entre Ríos, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In January of the following year, transferred again to Buenos Aires, he participated in the advance of the borders ordered by Minister Adolfo Alsina, participating in the occupation of the strategic point of Carhué, later moving to the garrisons of Puán, Azul and Olavarría. In this last place he led the national troops in a battle against the indigenous chiefs Namuncurá and Juan José Catriel, on August 6, 1876, recovering some 50,000 head of cattle.
He was promoted to the rank of colonel in June 1877. He participated in several more battles against the indigenous people in the following years, and in the advanced expeditions that prepared the Conquest of the Desert in 1879, in which he did not participate due to having been incorporated into the Military College and occupy the garrison of the city of Zárate.
He participated in the repression of the Buenos Aires revolution of 1880, commanding the Infantry Regiment No. 8 in the battles of Puente Alsina and Corrales.

The 1st Infantry Regiment and the Chaco 
In February 1883 he was appointed Chief of the Infantry Regiment No. 1. Two years earlier he had been one of the founders of the Military Circle.
In August 1886 he was promoted to the rank of general, and provisionally placed in command of the 1st Army Division; He was later director of the Artillery Park, Chief of Staff of the forces stationed in Chaco, based in Resistencia. Between 1897 and 1891 he was governor of the National Territory of Chaco, and until the end of 1895 he continued to be the commander of all the military troops of Chaco, later retiring.
He died while he was in Federal on August 14, 1897.
Married to Cándida Rosa Blanco, they had 12 children. His grandson Carlos Alberto Dónovan y Salduna died in an accident, and in his memory the March of Lieutenant Dónovan, used by the Argentine cavalry, was composed.1 

References 

↑ Military march Teniente Dónovan 

Sources

[1] Revisionistas.com biography
Planell Zanone, Oscar J. y Turone, Oscar A., Patricios de Vuelta de Obligado. 
Yaben, Jacinto R., Biografías Argentinas y Sudamericanas, Bs. As., 1938. 

Wikipedia

Conquest of the desert: The huge mistake of the General Roca cancellation

General Roca cancellation: A huge historical mistake

By Roberto Ferrero. 


An article for controversy. Roberto Ferrero, another historical exponent of the Socialism of the National Left, presents us in this article with the vision and political position that the SIN historically had before Roquism. Pure historical materialism to defend national unification and lay the institutional foundations for the configuration of the country as we know it today. The death of no one is justified, the causes of the need to unify Patagonia to the National State against the imperialist threat coming from Chile are exposed.

Let's place these matters on the agenda, engage in open discussions, and use the resulting conclusions as a foundation for the ongoing reconstruction of our esteemed Latin American Nation. Such is the essence of this message.

Marcos D. Vega - 

Author: Roberto A. Ferrero, Former President of the Junta Provincial de Historia of Córdoba 

To my considerable surprise, I recently learned about the endeavor to remove General Julio A. Roca's name from the boulevard bearing his name in our city. I believe this decision is a significant error, possibly driven by a well-intentioned and compassionate concern for the plight of our indigenous populations. However, I find that the primary arguments in favor of this change lack substantial support.

These arguments, championed by the Argentine-German author Osvaldo Bayer – who openly advocates for Patagonia's separation from the rest of our country to establish an independent nation – essentially rest on two points. Both of these points, however, are as ahistorical and contextually flawed as each other. The more assertive of the two seeks to label General Roca as a "genocidal figure." Nevertheless, I consider this claim to be both semantically and politically frivolous. What is genocide, after all? It is the intentional extermination of an ethnic or social group solely because of their identity, typically perpetrated against people who are defenseless. For instance, the Turks brutally killed one and a half million Armenians, but they didn't harm any of their own. That is a true instance of genocide. Similarly, the Nazis annihilated six million Jews without persecuting or killing a single German. This, too, constitutes genocide.

But the case of Roca and the Conquest of the Desert is totally different. It was not a genocide, but the culmination of a very long war, in which the indigenous had, between 1820 and 1882 -according to the detailed inventory of the indigenous historian Martínez Zarazola- 7,598 casualties, but at the same time caused the death of 3,200 Creole (fortineros or fort soldiers), small owners, travelers, landowners, women, authorities, children...) In the so-called "Great Invasion" of Calfucurá in the province of Buenos Aires at the end of 1875, only in Azul the malón (Indian raid) murdered 400 residents, captivated 500 and seized 300,000 animals that, as always, were sold in Chile with juicy profits. (By the way: the chieftain Casimiro Catriel lived in Azul, used a carriage and had an open account in the city's bank...) Was Azul's then a Creole genocide caused by the Indians? By no means: it was a stage of this protracted and cruel war. Those who fought against Roca were not unfortunate Indians like those who now suffer unjustly on the banks of the Pilcomayo or in the suburbs of Rosario to which they have emigrated, compatriots who must be helped and integrated into their diversity.

They were soldiers representing a quasi-indigenous state that competed with and challenged the national government while practicing slavery on both captive whites and Indians purchased in Chile. Reflecting on Mariano Bejarano's 1872 official visit, sent by the national government to Chief Sayhueque, leader of the "Country of Apples" (today Neuquén), the indigenous writer Curruhuinca-Roux remarked, "Bejarano's visit was an official encounter between government envoys of two separate entities. The raids were not merely defensive tactics against 'invading' whites but were actual expeditions aimed at capturing loot, akin to terrestrial Vikings – part pirates, part merchants. This plunder was later traded in Chile, whose authorities supported these raids to weaken the Argentine government and gain control of Patagonia. We must avoid simplifying history into a Manichaean and naive narrative. The true story is far more intricate than the childlike portrayal of heroes and villains, victims and oppressors. While there's much more to be said about this historically inaccurate first argument, it suffices for now.

The second argument posits that the original indigenous peoples were dispossessed of lands in the Pampean plain and vast Patagonian regions, but this assertion is far from accurate. Concerning the origin of the indigenous tribes inhabiting our pampas – mostly variants or offshoots of the Araucanian people – only an utter lack of knowledge about our country's history and that of Chile can account for such an error. In fact, these trans-Andean tribes cannot be considered "original" since they only began migrating from beyond the Andes into our country in the early 18th century.

In comparison, the natives of this land were more 'original' because the resilient pioneers of the frontier and Creole soldiers, officers, and leaders of the Conquest of the Desert – with the exception of individuals like Fotheringham (English) and Nicolas Levalle (Italian) – held no less valid claims to these lands than the Ranqueles, Pampas, or Manzaneros. Their ancestors inhabited these lands at the same or even earlier times. Regarding the designation of "landowners" asserted by indigenous tribes and their modern advocates, it must be acknowledged but with one important caveat: the incredibly fertile and expansive pampa belonged to all Argentines, whether Creole or indigenous, native or descendants of immigrants, those who already occupied it and those who awaited their turn in the ports to populate it.

Calfucurá, Namuncurá, Catriel, Baigorrita, Pincén, Mariano Rosas and other Indian leaders could not keep what was common heritage for themselves. Like the dog in the manger who, according to the popular Spanish saying, "does not eat or let eat", so those fearsome inhabitants of the Argentine plain did not make it produce nor let others do it. This refusal, placed like a wall against the impetuous growth of the productive forces, could not and did not last. The historical necessity that, as Hegel unfortunately says "always advances from its bad side", and that carried in its bosom the agricultural progress of the nation, had condemned it.

For the rest, Roca's defense in relation to the Conquest of the Desert cannot make us forget the other great contributions that he and the "Generation of 80" made to the construction of this Modern Argentina, today so devastated: the nationalization of Buenos Aires and its unique Port, the establishment of secular institutions, secular education, mass immigration and agrarian colonization.

These achievements make him more than worthy of national gratitude and, therefore, the nomination of a street, which is one of the ways in which towns usually remember their benefactors. The fact that this Generation has quickly turned into an Oligarchy and that the speculators and large merchants and landowners have later monopolized the areas recovered for work and production, is a different sub-stage of Argentine development, which cannot overshadow the management of those like Roca and his friends strove to finally give us a unified country.

If the enemies of genocide are looking for a culprit, it is better that they study the biographies of Miter and Sarmiento, who preached and carried out a true social catastrophe against the native Creole lineage. Why nobody refers to this genocide, which really was? Or did not the "civilizer" Sarmiento advise Miter "not to hesitate to shed the blood of gauchos, which is the only thing that is human about them"? I am not proposing that the name of Sarmiento street be changed to Coliqueo, but I do believe that, without removing General Roca from the boulevard that honors his name, the homage desired by the indigenistas could be paid on another street in the city.

In the end, both of them, whether we like it or not, are part of national history, if we want to understand it in its integral unity and not as a fight between good guys and bad guys, who knock each other out of their heads. pedestals like in the tournaments of the Middle Ages, dark ages by the way. This is not a time for denigration, but for integration, not for balkanization, but for Latin American unity. Anything that goes against this perspective can only play the game of the foreign enemy that stalks us and intends to take advantage of our confrontations and our artificial anger.

Roberto Ferrero 

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Conquest of the desert: Sargento, the loyal dog

Sargento, the loyal dog

Among the dogs in our story was Sargento (Sergeant), from Fort General Paz, in the 1880s. Sargento, a stray and highly intelligent dog, was a faithful night guard of the commander's post. He helped go hunting when food was scarce. And he could catch a hare and deliver it to the soldiers who, in many cases, sent Sargento to the kennel (cucha in the local slang). The dog obeyed without question and without reward.

At seven in the evening the time to pray was announced. The soldiers of the fort uncovered themselves, many knelt, all bowed their heads. Sargento, then, would sit and look at the floor, as if he were praying.

On the battlefield he was very brave. In one of those usual encounters, Sargento was left lying motionless on the battlefield, without moving, next to a pool of his own blood. When the combat ended, Corporal Ángel Ledesma returned to where the canine companion had fallen. He discovered that he was breathing and loaded him onto the haunches of his horse. At the fort, he and his elderly mother, Mamá Carmen, took care of him.

The local Rin Tin Tin became good friends with his savior. They walked together and at night the black man went to visit the dog at his guard, in front of the commander's ranch. Sargento separated a few meters from the ranch gate to be with his best friend. Not even Corporal Ledesma would allow him to come near the colonel's house at night.

During a relay outing for recruits, in which Mamá Carmen and Corporal Ángel participated, the patrol was ambushed. There, an Indian mortally wounded Ángel Ledesma. Mamá Carmen launched into a fury at the attacker. The black woman and the Indian rolled on the ground, in a ferocious combat that paralyzed the others. Mamá Carmen killed the person who had killed her son. She then loaded the body of the black Ángel on a horse and headed to the General Paz Fort, where Sargento heard the news.

After that unfortunate event, he stopped seeing the local Rin Tin Tin by day. He only appeared at sunset, when it was time to guard the commander's house. Intrigued by the constant disappearance of the dog during the day, a couple of soldiers followed him and discovered what was happening: although Sargento watched the commander's ranch at night, during the day he moved away to prostrate himself next to the grave of Corporal Ángel Ledesma, where guarded, impassively, the eternal rest of his hero.

Historias inesperadas

Conquest of the Desert: Francisco Moreno reaches the lake Nahuel Huapi

The Perito Moreno in Lake Nahuel Huapi

Revisionistas



In 1873, Francisco Moreno began his study trips to Patagonia supported by the Argentine Scientific Society and the Government of the Province of Buenos Aires. He arrived at Lake Nahuel Huapi for the first time at the beginning of 1876 and a year later, accompanied by Carlos Moyano, he reconnoitered the course of the Santa Cruz River up to its source in Lake Argentino, discovered by Feilberg in 1873. Although the resources assigned to the commission explorer were very small, she managed to carry out her mission and Moreno reached Lake Nahuel Huapi for the second time: "We were the first whites, from the Atlantic, to reach the high mountain ranges to reveal their riches and indicate, with the compass, the path that Argentine weapons would later follow”, stated the same Expert in a letter sent to General Bartolomé Miter in 1883.


On January 20, 1876, Francisco Pascasio Moreno, known as "The Expert," or Perito in Spanish, became the first white man to reach the shores of Nahuel Huapi, hoisting the flag alongside the breathtaking landscape, showcasing our light blue and white colors.

Moreno, a significant figure in Argentine history, not only played a crucial role in defining the Nation's borders and donating land for the first National Park but also embodied patriotism and noble ideals. Despite his remarkable contributions, he was eventually forgotten and passed away in poverty.

Born in Buenos Aires on May 31, 1852, at the age of 23, he embarked on his adventure to reach the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi from the east. Traveling through territories dominated by indigenous people, he faced numerous challenges.

After obtaining permission from the great cacique Sayhueque, Moreno ventured alone and reached Lake Nahuel Huapi on January 20, 1876, planting the Argentine flag and becoming the first white person to reach the eastern shores. He had to rush back as the Indians were preparing for a raid.

On November 11, 1879, Moreno made a second attempt. Despite facing difficulties, including being poisoned by wild strawberries, he miraculously survived. He was taken prisoner and endured 15 days of captivity before escaping with the help of his guides, Gavino and Melgarejo. Their dramatic escape lasted seven days, navigating treacherous waters while Indians pursued them. Fortunately, they were eventually rescued.

Moreno's explorations also included traversing the Santa Cruz River from its mouth in the Atlantic to its source in the Andes, discovering lakes such as Argentino, San Martín, and Viedma, which he named.

Later, the Argentine government appointed him as an expert in boundary issues with Chile due to his extensive knowledge of the region and unwavering love for his country.

Despite his significant contributions, Moreno's personal wealth declined as he dedicated his resources to the service of his country. In his final days, he expressed his financial struggles, having given so much to Argentina without leaving any property for his children.

Francisco Pascasio Moreno passed away on November 22, 1919. In 1934, the National Congress approved the construction of a mausoleum on Sentinel Island in Nahuel Huapi to house his remains, along with those of his wife. Today, his ashes rest amidst the majestic beauty and tranquility of the lake, a tribute to his exceptional and selfless contributions to making Argentina great. He remains a rare hero, inspiring numerous actions that shaped the country's history.

Conquest of the Desert: Battle of Paragüil

Battle of Paragüil

Monolith commemorating the Battle of Paragüil

On March 1, 1876, Colonel Salvador Maldonado faced and defeated 2,500 lancers in Horquetas del Sauce. Despite this setback, the indigenous people regrouped and launched further attacks on the towns. However, they were once again defeated by Colonel Victoriano Rodríguez and Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Dónovan at the Paso de los Chilenos. The fierce battle saw the savage warriors fighting fiercely on foot and horseback, as exemplified in the combat of La Tigra, where thousands of cattle, sheep, and mares were driven to the toldería. After two days of intense fighting, commanders Vintter and Freire managed to seize 250,000 head of livestock.

The decisive battle that marked the climax of this series of terrorizing raids was the Battle of Paragüil. From March 16 to 18, a brutal wave of 3,000 horsemen, led by caciques Manuel Namuncurá, Juan José Catriel, and Pincén, unleashed havoc in Juárez, Tres Arroyos, and Necochea. Colonel Levalle was entrusted with the grave responsibility of confronting them. The fiercest battle of the "big invasion" series unfolded near the Paragüil lagoon. The Indians fought with untamed fury, determined to win or die in combat. For five hours of bloody engagement, the numerical superiority of the aborigines seemed to prevail, and the resistance of Colonel Levalle's forces was on the verge of collapse, encircled by a narrow circle of spears and shouts. However, providentially, Colonel Salvador Maldonado, renowned as "the best spear in the army, a disciple of Sandes," intervened like a cyclone of gleaming steel. The sight of Maldonado overwhelmed the Indians with terror, causing them to flee, abandoning everything and never returning (1).

In a letter to the Minister of War and Navy, Colonel Alsina, Colonel Nicolás Levalle reported the victory at Laguna Paragüil on March 19, 1876. He informed the minister that he had completely defeated the Indians at that location. However, pursuit of the retreating Indians was limited as they dispersed in defeat, some heading south between Libertad and Lamadrid, while others moved southwest between Aldecoa and Defensa. Exhausted and with a horse that had covered more than 40 leagues, Levalle and his forces had to rest for the night, preventing them from engaging in further pursuit to protect their gear.

"Mr. Minister, I cannot calculate at this moment the immense herds that there were, having to remind you that the Indians had many flocks of sheep and many other objects. Mr. Minister, the Indians that were at this point would be 1,500, which makes me suppose that there are Indians inside, and I am afraid that many of them could collect the immense amount of property that was here that was withdrawn inland. Not being able to give V.E. exact data up to this moment, since such a dense fog has dawned and lasts until this moment, which is 10 in the morning, that it cannot be seen from a block away, however I have sent the three Cavalry Regiments to explore the field in different directions, looking for the rakes, which until now I have no part of, however, I harbor the hope that something else can be done, because groups of Indians have been sighted by some firefighters that I have just received.

"Mr. Minister, at the end of this, I must point out the brilliant behavior of the Regiments that have collided, which are the 1st and the 11th, not having had such a fate for the 5th Regiment for having started its charge supported by infantry, in view of which , the Indians withdrew at half rein, having followed the Regiment as far as they could, and completely closed the night, I ordered to ring a meeting in order to organize the forces and that groups of soldiers who had remained behind with the tired horses join us. ”.

"Mr. Minister and friend: I congratulate you with deep regret that this day has not been as complete as I wished, the Indians have left thirty-something dead, taking many wounded, for our part we have only two wounded from the 1st Cavalry Regiment and a soldier from my escort, a picket of 20 men from the 5th Battalion, which a part of it also charged. –Nicolas Levalle”

". Mr. Minister, among the Indians there were, for the most part, those of Catriel, those who fought bravely, firing at us with many carbines, Remingtons and revolvers, Juan José (Catriel) being found dead and the one supposedly wounded. Colonel Plácido López's horse was shot in the head by Remington. OK".

This combat had enormous consequences in the course of the campaign. The feeling of inferiority before the effective organization of the Christian (as the White man) took root with greater force in the conscience of the enemy. From then on things went from bad to worse for the ambitious and cunning chieftain of the last great Indian confederation to rule the plains. Hence, he began to retreat inland, forever leaving the initiative in the hands of the national troops.

The government men were aware of their unquestioned superiority, although they continued to negotiate as "power to power."

In most cases, however, the fruits of diplomacy were spoiled by subordinate executors. Dr. Alsina tried to exclude violence for reciprocal benefit, eliminating reasons for reprisals by the aborigines; but these occurred fatally. Sometimes it was because the offered grass or sugar did not arrive, or because the agreed cows were skinny and old, others because some Indian was mistreated, thus violating the solemn stipulation. As a result of all this, the indigenous people attributed a lack of seriousness to the government of the Huincas, which did not deserve their credit or confidence. This and the lack of resources often led them to join the raid.

Such a state of affairs made one fear the renewal of the secular struggle. Namuncurá tried to avoid open warfare, as long as it did not discredit him or undermine the confidence of the tribes in their political and military hierarchy.

Informed, already by the firemen who spied on the movements of the government troops, already by the reading of the Buenos Aires opposition press, which indiscreetly denounced the supposed errors of the ministerial plans, and still, in the last instance, by the direct impression of their skillful "foreign ministers" who interviewed the Argentine authorities to negotiate about any end of their relations; In short, aware of Dr. Alsina's designs, he arranged isolated and distant attacks to dismantle the enemy device. Knowing the effects of the Remington, he would scatter and move away immediately after the assault, dodging any sustained, formal clash when it didn't come under cover of shadows. Considering that the adversary's military plans could endanger him, he organized a series of raids with the idea of masking his true purpose, which was to carry out an attack on the city of Buenos Aires itself, for which he had summoned up to 6,000 spears. The dispersed actions brought him considerable booty.

Fifteen kilometers north of the Paragüil railway station is a monolith that recalls the place where the battle took place.

Reference

(1) E. Stieben – De Garay a Roca – Buenos Aires (1941).

Source

• Clifton Goldney, Adalberto A. – El cacique Namuncurá – Buenos Aires (1963).
• Efemérides – Patricios de Vuelta de Obligado
• Portal www.revisionistas.com.ar

Conquest of the Desert: The last raid on Bahia Blanca

The last raid on Bahía Blanca

In the early morning of May 19, 1859, Bahía Blanca was invaded by three thousand spears belonging to the cacique Calfucurá, in what meant the last great raid.

Oscar Fernando Larrosa


It is assumed that Calfucurá orchestrated this raid, called 'malón' in Spanish, a tactic employed by the Araucanian people in their incursion into colonizing populations. The motivation behind this action is believed to be the recent death of his son-in-law Yanquetruz, who was killed in a hardware and bar store in Bahía Blanca.



Argentine Protective Fortress

The notorious cacique, Yanquetruz, gained infamy for his atrocities, which included murder and the plundering of captives and cattle, later sold in Chile. To grasp the magnitude of these Pampas pirates' activities, consider that four years prior, during a raid in the Tandil area, they rustled 20,000 cows and took numerous captives, leaving behind a trail of death and devastation.

In approximately 1857, Yanquetruz made a peace treaty with the Army, vowing to cease raiding activities. However, his reputation for reckless, alcohol-fueled binges, inevitably resulting in violence and bloodshed, endured.

During one of these inebriated episodes, at Silva's hardware store, located near the Argentine Protective Fortress in Bahía Blanca, a fierce brawl erupted. Tragically, National Guard officer Jacinto Méndez fatally stabbed Yanquetruz.


The Return of the Malon: Angel Della Valle

Calfucurá's deep-seated hatred for Yanquetruz led to several confrontations and betrayals between the two, but it was Yanquetruz's demise that provided him with the perfect pretext to launch an assault and conquer the Bahía Blanca Fortress.

On the morning of May 19, 1859, Calfucurá, accompanied by his formidable captains Guayquil, Antelef, and a fierce contingent of 3,000 battle-hardened Indians, stealthily entered the Giménez marsh (now known as Mayo Park) and effectively encircled the Fort.

Although a vigilant neighbor, "Gallego" Mora, alerted the Fort of the impending attack, the Fort's leader opted to retreat inside the stronghold, taking only a portion of the population with him. Seizing the opportunity, a large group of the indigenous forces launched an aggressive assault, setting fire to Francisco Iturra's grocery store and plundering all the alcohol they could find. Their triumph seemed certain, and they indulged in drunken revelry to celebrate their anticipated victory.



Bahía Blanca around 1860

A swift and courageous defense led by Commander Juan Charlone of the Italian Legion and the National Guards, stationed in front of the Iturra grocery store, caught the Indians by surprise, ultimately disrupting the attack after several hours of intense combat.

The outcome was a staggering toll of approximately 200 fallen Indians, their bodies solemnly laid to rest on a pyre in the plaza by Colonel José Orquera, the head of the Fortress. For the remaining India troops (indiada), they withdrew several kilometers away and sought solace in indulging in a barbecue feast, utilizing some cows they had managed to conceal.

This marked the final raid on Bahía Blanca carried out by the so-called "original peoples," who were essentially bands of looters that traded stolen goods in Chile, pillaging from those who toiled to civilize the land.


Yanquetruz

Testimonies from individuals who experienced that dreadful night provide chilling accounts:

Bernardo Mordeglia, a resident, recalls,

"It was a calm and bitterly cold night, without a breath of wind, when the news arrived, brought to the town by soldiers and Mr. Mora, warning of an impending Malón Indian invasion. Unfortunately, little attention was paid to the warning... The town was abruptly awakened at 5 in the morning by the bloodcurdling cries of Calfucurá, rallying nearly three thousand Indians to attack the town."

He goes on to recount that the Indians ransacked the Iturra premises and indulged in drunkenness, a circumstance he believes ultimately saved the city. Despite putting up a heroic resistance, the attackers eventually decided to retreat. Mordeglia reflects,

"By 9 at night, the Indians were feasting on roasted meat and leather in Saladillo, meat they barbarically stole from Bahía Blanca. The town was engulfed in mourning, cries of despair, desolation, and terror."

Andrea Laborda de Mora, the wife of the person who raised the alarm about the raid, recollects,

"The fury of the battle reached its pinnacle at the corner of Zelarrayán and [what is today]19 de Mayo streets. Later, when the town had calmed down, Commander Orquera, responsible for the fort where we had sought refuge, ordered the collection of the indigenous bodies, which were piled up in today's Plaza Rivadavia. At noon, the bugle sounded, drawing the neighborhood to the barracks, where a solemn bonfire blazed, consuming the bodies of the fallen indigenous warriors, victims of a savage chief's wrath."