Eusebio Puello

Eusebio Puello
Portrait of Puello
Birth name	Eusebio Puello de Castro
Born	1811 Santo Domingo, Captaincy General of Santo Domingo
Died	December 15, 1871 (aged 60) Havana, Captaincy General of Cuba
Allegiance	Dominican Republic Spain
Service/branch	Haitian Army Dominican Army Spanish Army
Years of service	1824–1871
Rank	Major general
Battles/wars	Dominican War of Independence Cibaeño Revolution Dominican Restoration War Ten Years' War
Relations	José Joaquín Puello (brother) Gabino Puello (brother)

Eusebio Puello de Castro (1811 – December 15, 1871) was Dominican soldier who, for his services, was decorated with the orders of Charles III and Isabella the Catholic. Due to his leadership skills and bravery, he stood out during the Dominican War of Independence.

After serving in the Haitian regime, he joined the Dominican independence movement and signed the manifesto of January 16, 1844. He participated in the historic Santo Domingo pronouncement of 1844 that led to the proclamation of the First Dominican Republic on February 27, 1844, and stood out in the Dominican War of Independence, much like his brothers José Joaquín and Gabino.

He was admitted in 1861 into the Spanish Royal Army with the rank of general of the Dominican reserves. He soon had to face the uprising of his compatriots who opposed the annexation, which led to his promotion to the rank of field marshal of the Royal Spanish Armies. During almost two years of war, he participated in countless combats on the Spanish side. Over time, Spain abandoned its presence in Santo Domingo in 1865, leading numerous Dominicans, including Puello, to emigrate to other places such as Cuba or Puerto Rico. There, in 1868, when the Ten Years' War broke out, Puello defended Spanish interests with conviction and led military operations leading Spanish troops against the Mambise rebels. He remained loyal to Spain until his death in 1871.

He became the second Caribbean military figure of African descent to achieve the generalship in the Spanish Amy, after Georges Biassou.

Early years

José Joaquín Puello, Eusebio's older brother, was the most prominent among the brothers.

Eusebio Puello was born in 1811 in the city of Santo Domingo, when Dominican Republic was still under Spanish rule. He was the second son of the marriage of Martín Joaquín Puello and María Mercedes de Castro, both free blacks. His brothers, José Joaquín and Gabino, also stood out in the war against Haiti and were known as "The Puello Brothers."

In 1822, early in the Haitian occupation of the Spanish part of Santo Domingo by the troops of Haitian President Jean-Pierre Boyer, Eusebio was recruited to join the Haitian Army due to the implementation of conscription. Although due to his young age he could not join the Army immediately, finally in June 1824 he joined as first corporal of the 31st regiment, and over time he rose to reach the rank of second lieutenant. In 1840, he achieved the rank of captain, but his military career was cut short after the fall of Boyer in 1843, leading to his retirement along with other officers loyal to the overthrown government.

After his service with the Haitian regime ended, Eusebio joined the independence movement led by Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, with his brothers also joining. He showed a determined commitment to the cause by signing the manifesto of January 16, 1844. On February 24, he attended the meeting of patriots that made the historic determination to carry out the pronouncement on the night of February 27, and was present at the Santo Domingo pronouncement of 1844, held at the Puerta del Conde, where the First Dominican Republic was proclaimed.

Dominican War of Independence

Main article: Dominican War of Independence

Photograph of Puello c. 1860s

Puello demonstrated his bravery and military skills during his career in the Liberation Army of the Dominican Republic. In December 1844, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the Plaza General Staff. The following year, the Dominican Government trusted him to quell an insurrection in the town of San Cristóbal, a mission he successfully accomplished.

In 1845, Colonel Puello was chosen by the President of the Dominican Republic, Pedro Santana, to transport war supplies by sea and confront the threat of Haitian privateers off the coast of the city of Azua. On this occasion, the head of state expressed his total confidence in Puello by telling him that, if he was attacked by enemy corsairs, he would go down with everything and that he would take care of his family. Faithfully following instructions, Puello carried out the mission without incident. In August 1845, Puello had to go to the city of Puerto Plata on an important mission, but the local governor prevented him from leaving due to rumors of a Haitian flotilla that captured Dominican ships. Faced with this situation, Santana appointed him head of all the infantry and commander of a flotilla. Puello remained in this position for four months until his return to Santo Domingo. Later, in December 1845, he was sent again to Puerto Plata to confront a Haitian flotilla. During this operation, the enemy flotilla ran aground on the coast of Puerto Plata.

From May 1846, he held important positions such as command of the 2nd battalion of the 1st regiment until in November 1847 he was appointed colonel of President Santana's General Staff. However, Puello's life would take a turn when his brothers, Joaquín and Gabino, were accused of conspiring against the Dominican Government. Eusebio was also implicated as an accomplice and sentenced to three years in prison, losing his rank of colonel. Although Puello was later released, his brothers suffered a tragic fate, being shot in December 1847.

Despite these events, Puello continued to serve in the Dominican Army. At the end of 1852, he was appointed deputy governor of the city of El Seibo and instructor of the regiment that he commanded temporarily in January 1853. In September 1854, he assumed the position of governor of the town of San Juan de la Maguana and in 1855, he was given command of all the southern borders. His skill and courage were demonstrated at the Battle of Santomé on December 22, 1855, where Dominican forces, led by General Juan Contreras, achieved a great victory against the invading Haitian force, which greatly outnumbered the Dominicans.

Puello was promoted to brigadier general for his merits in this battle in which he served as second chief of the Dominican forces and was assigned the position of Commander of Arms of San Juan de la Maguana until 1856. In the following years, he continued performing important functions and faced various challenges, always with determination and courage.

In 1857, when President Buenaventura Báez deported General Santana and a monetary fraud occurred that harmed Cibaeño merchants, a group of Cibaeños led by José Desiderio Valverde established a liberal - leaning Government in the city of Santiago, which He would later allow Santana to return to the country to join the anti-Baecista cause. General Puello joined the movement and was named General Commander of the forces that subdued the Samaná Peninsula. Thanks to his tenacity and bravery, Puello achieved a significant victory by storming three fortresses with more than 20 artillery pieces. His military career continued to ascend, and in May 1858, he was promoted to major general. Later, in September 1858, he distinguished himself again by putting down an uprising in Azua, earning the title of governor of that city. In January 1859, he restored order to the southern borders, fighting bravely and leading his soldiers. Later, in the town of San Juan he was named General Commander and Government Delegate on the southern borders.

In December 1860, he joined a meeting of general officers to discuss the reincorporation of the Dominican Republic into the Kingdom of Spain.

Allegiance to Spain

Annexation to Spain

On January 4, 1861, the president assigned him the task of preparing the southern border towns for reincorporation and annexation into the Spanish monarchy. On March 20, he raised the Castilian flag in San Juan, in the towns of Las Matas de Farfán, El Cercado and Sabana Mula. Fabre Geffrard, the then Haitian president, protested and supported émigré supporters of Báez, such as generals Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and José María Cabral who led an invasion from the Dominican-Haitian border and took Las Matas de Farfán. Puello confronted them, forcing them to flee. For these acts, the Queen of Spain, Isabel II, granted him the Commandery of Charles III .

On August 8, 1861, he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Captain General Santana as lieutenant general, governor and captain general of the Santo Domingo Province, sworn in by Francisco Serrano y Domínguez, governor and captain general of Cuba.

In September 1861, he became governor of the Compostela de Azua district. Puello would enter the Spanish Royal Army being classified as general of the provincial reserves of Santo Domingo .

At the beginning of 1863, Manuel Santana and Joaquín Aybar wrote a set of Instructions addressed to the municipal mayors, presenting these proposals to the provincial governors. The governors considered these guidelines appropriate, but identified a problem: many future mayors, mostly section leaders up to that point, lacked reading skills. Puello offered a solution: that the Instructions be read two or three times to the municipal mayors so that they could memorize them.

In February 1863, he quelled a pronouncement in the town of Santa Cruz de Neyba, restoring order without bloodshed. He was rewarded with the Encomienda of Isabel la Católica . Knowing of Haitian conspiracies, he went to the capital of Santo Domingo to inform the captain general of Santo Domingo, Felipe Rivero y Lemoine.

Santo Domingo War

Main article: Dominican Restoration War

In August 1863, a revolution broke out in Cibao with the aim of restoring the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo. Puello asked for a company to garrison San Juan but his request was denied, this caused the revolution to spread to all the towns in the district of Azua. On September 30, 1863, Puello received information about the approach of the rebels from San Juan towards the city of Azua. He organized his troops at strategic points and, after receiving early warning on October 1, 1863, confronted the rebels at the Jura River. Despite the difficulties of the battle due to the narrow road and enemy fire from the woods, Puello ordered a spirited advance and achieved a victory, capturing ammunition, shrapnel, and prisoners of war.

On October 6, the revolutionaries took the city of Baní, and on October 7, San Cristóbal revolted, leaving Azua cut off from the Dominican capital. Faced with this situation, Felipe Ribero ordered Puello to evacuate Azua, also adding the news of an alleged independence conspiracy in Santo Domingo. Both Puello and other military leaders were summoned to Santo Domingo. On the 9th, Spanish troops and families loyal to Spain evacuated Azua towards Santo Domingo. That same day, General Pedro Florentino took control of the city.

Later, he was named second chief of the division commanded by General José de la Gándara and together they marched in San Cristóbal after having had several battles in which Puello emerged victorious. The next day, he confronted the rebels at Fundación and then headed to Moja-Casave where he also defeated another enemy faction. Subsequently, he left for Palmar de Fundación where the separatist rebel force was entrenched, which was completely defeated after a fierce combat. He later returned to San Cristóbal and from there marched towards Baní , facing all the insurrections that previously disputed his passage. From Baní, he fought approximately 500 Dominican insurgents who were in Alto de la Cruz, causing 50 deaths and some injuries to the rebels through a false retreat, and managing to capture three flags. He then returned to Baní and on December 4, 1863, he marched towards Azua in command of the vanguard of José de la Gándara 's division. On December 6, they entered Azua after the defeated enemy hastily abandoned the town. For these actions and his performance at the Battle of the Jura, he was promoted to field marshal by Queen Elizabeth II.

On December 24, he left for San Juan and took the town after slight resistance. Then, he continued his way through Las Matas de Farfán until he reached the border town of Bánica. From there he returned to Azua due to a call from De la Gándara to go out together to take Santa Cruz de Neyba, which they did by fighting the rebels and taking a large trench that they had on the banks of the La Sequia stream. Afterwards he headed towards Barahona, where he also fought the separatists, took the town and seized a rebel artillery piece. He then returned to Azua by order of Captain General Carlos de Vargas, remaining as General Commander of the Azua district.

At the beginning of December 1864, Marshal Puello received confidential information about a possible change of attitude among the inhabitants of the town of Neyba, who were apparently willing to once again recognize the authority of Spain. Spurred on by his Spanish patriotism, Puello sent a column to take possession of Neyba. However, upon arriving, his troops found the village completely abandoned and did not have enough rations to continue the operation as planned. On December 4, the Spanish expedition was caught in an ambush on Mount La Canela, where they faced rebel forces led by José María Cabral. Despite the brave fight of the Spanish forces, they were forced to retreat, and the rebels managed to capture prisoners, mules and weapons. This defeat in the Battle of La Canela allowed the insurgents to regain control of Neyba on December 5.

By the end of 1864, even though the Spanish appeared to be winning the war, a significant territorial loss had occurred with the fall of the district of Santa Cruz del Seybo . However, this conflict had come at a high cost in terms of lives and resources. Diseases, such as yellow fever, had caused numerous casualties in the Spanish ranks, placing an unsustainable burden on Spain. Furthermore, during the development of the war, the rebels had carried out devastating actions in important cities such as Santiago de los Caballeros and Puerto Plata, burning them and causing damage valued at about $5,000,000.

In this context, Ramón María Narváez adopted an abandonment policy and the Spanish Cortes approved the abandonment of Santo Domingo; Isabel II of Spain signed a decree on March 3, 1865, that annulled the annexation of Santo Domingo to Spain. Puello continued as General Commander of the Azua district until June 5, 1865, when the evacuation of Azua was ordered. Before leaving, he received the decoration of the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. True to his true nationality, Puello was one of the three Dominican generals who left for peninsular Spain. In Santo Domingo, he lost property and family who were left in poverty after having been a prisoner of the enemy, accompanying him to his new destination on the island of Cuba, where he was granted barracks for the city of Havana.

Campaign in Cuba

Three years later, in the last months of 1868, the insurrection broke out in Cuba that began the Ten Years' War, and the Government considered it appropriate to use Puello's services. In those times, some Dominican compatriots who had loyally served the Spanish crown chose to join the Cuban rebel ranks, such as Máximo Gómez, Modesto Díaz and Félix Marcano. However, Puello demonstrated a burning enthusiasm for defending Spanish national integrity and assumed command of the troops operating in the jurisdictions of Sancti Spíritus, Morón, Remedios and Ciego de Ávila. At that time, the insurrection presented an imposing appearance and was encouraged by the hope of a near independence victory.

For five months, Puello fulfilled his duty and conscience, traveling more than 300 leagues day and night, relentlessly pursuing the enemy and sharing the fatigues of war with the soldiers. He crossed dangerous rivers, climbed rugged mountains and entered ancient forests, which served as lairs for the insurgents. In each confrontation, he achieved a new triumph for the arms of Spain wherever he reached the mambises.

Later, in the city of Puerto Príncipe, (currently known as Camagüey), it was threatened by the most powerful and best organized Mambí Army, which planned to take the city to give importance to the movement before the world. It was at this time that Puello was appointed General Commander of the Central Department. Upon arriving in the city, he found a horrible and desperate situation. War, desolation, fires, famine and diseases, such as yellow fever and cholera, had turned Puerto Príncipe into a corpse on the verge of the grave. The situation was critical, but Puello did not faint in the face of so many misfortunes and undertook superhuman efforts to save the critical situation. He cut down the forest surrounding the city, where the rebels were hiding to kill the defenseless Spanish soldiers. In addition, he built forts to protect the city from surprises, promoted the repair of the railway and abundantly supplied the population with provisions. Although illnesses affected the troops, even not having enough strength to cover the city's service, his immense will allowed him to overcome all these adversities.

But there was still a new test for Puello, which would test his perseverance and the courage of his soldiers. The insurgents, aware of the sad situation in Port-au-Prince, dared to try to take the city by surprise. However, Puello, leading a small group of soldiers, marched on the enemy and defeated them, personally pursuing them to more than a league from the town.

Meanwhile, for more than a year, the insurrection had prevailed in the towns of Guáimaro, Cascorro and Sibanicú, establishing in the first of them its self-proclaimed capital of the Republic of Cuba . During that year, not a single Spanish soldier had penetrated those places, which were about twenty leagues from Port-au-Prince. But Puello could not tolerate the so-called Government of Free Cuba existing peacefully in the territory under his command. For this reason, on December 25, 1869, he led an expedition with 1,200 men of all arms to those points, finally arriving on December 30 of the same year at the small and desolate rebel capital, which had been razed by the Cuban rebels after several encounters along the way.

Subsequently, Puello received advance information about the large trenches that the rebels had built in Palo Quemado. Concerned about the situation, he decided to inform the captain general of Cuba, Antonio Caballero y Fernández de Rodas. However, to his surprise, this confidential news was published in the newspapers, which allowed the rebels to change their plan and build a formidable trench in the Juan Rodríguez Mines, near Guáimaro, on the road to Palo Quemado. Confident of victory, the insurrection gathered en masse at this strategic point, encouraged by the presence of its self-proclaimed republican government and led by the generals in whom the insurrectionists had the greatest confidence, such as Cuban revolutionary Ignacio Agramonte and American general Thomas Jordan, who had fought in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War and now held the position of Generalissimo of the Cuban Liberation Army.

On January 1, 1870, in the early hours of the morning, the troops under Puello's command encountered an ambush at the vanguard, receiving a surprising and accurate volley from the enemy. Without hesitation, Puello advanced to the vanguard, where there were two artillery pieces, but unfortunately these were disabled at that crucial moment. However, Puello ordered the other two artillery pieces from the center of the column to be brought in and advanced towards the front, personally facing the enemy artillery protected by his own. Despite the setbacks he experienced, the Spanish artillery behaved admirably in that terrible action.

The fight was imposing, with the factional Cubans defending the bastion of independence with double or triple the force and precision weapons, while the Spanish soldiers fought with bare chests, although many of them were novices. Despite the enemy's immense advantages, Puello, slightly wounded and with his horse dead, continued advancing towards the enemy trench determined to die rather than retreat a step. With only 18 men he managed to seize the enemy trench, forcing the disheartened rebels to flee. From that moment, and only since then, the self-proclaimed capital of the Republic of Cuba disappeared. About 50 soldiers gave their lives that day. Puello, despite his injuries and setbacks, regretted not having found death there, since his commitment and courage never wavered in the fight to defend national integrity and the peace of the country.

Despite his bravery and loyalty to Spain, Puello was the subject of unfounded criticism that questioned his military knowledge. However, he demonstrated on the battlefield his ability to conduct war in difficult and savage terrain, typical of irregular warfare. On April 1, 1870, he arrived in Havana, with Victoriano Suances temporarily in charge. Puello was to leave for the peninsula in the first days of May of that year. In his place, General Caro had been appointed, who took charge of the general command of the Central.

Puello died on December 15, 1871, in Havana, surrounded by his family, including his ten children, the result of his union with five different women, and great funeral honors were paid to him.

Bibliography

• Biographical Features of His Excellency Mr. General Eusebio Puello Y Castro and the Exposition He Directed to His Majesty the King Months Before His Death. Wentworth Press Publishing. August 1, 2018
• Garrido, Víctor. Los Puello. Santo Domingo, 1974.

See also

• José Joaquín Puello
• Ten Years' War
• Dominican Restoration War