Bernardo De Galvez Marker

	Bernardo De Galvez Marker - Quick Facts
HSP Category	Landmark
Period	The marker was placed in 2000
HSP Style	Plaque
Original Use	Landmark
Present Use	Landmark

Historical Significance:

"Before Spain entered the American Revolutionary War, Gálvez did much to aid the American patriots. He corresponded directly with Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and Charles Henry Lee, personally received their emissaries, Oliver Pollock and Capt. George Gibson, and responded to their pleas by securing the port of New Orleans so that only American, Spanish, and French ships could move up and down the Mississippi River. Over the river, a veritable lifeline, great amounts of arms, ammunition, military supplies, and money were delivered to the embattled American forces under George Washington and George Rogers Clark. Spain formally declared war against Great Britain on June 21, 1779, and King Carlos III commissioned Gálvez to raise a force of men and conduct a campaign against the British along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast.

In order to feed his troops, Gálvez sent an emissary, Francisco García, with a letter to Texas governor Domingo Cabello y Robles requesting the delivery of Texas cattle to Spanish forces in Louisiana. Accordingly, between 1779 and 1782, 10,000 cattle were rounded up on ranches belonging to citizens and missions of Bexar and La Bahía. From Presidio La Bahía, the assembly point, Texas rancheros and their vaqueros trailed these herds to Nacogdoches, Natchitoches, and Opelousas for distribution to Gálvez's forces. Providing escorts for these herds were soldiers from Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, Presidio La Bahía, and El Fuerte del Cíbolo, and several hundred horses were also sent along for artillery and cavalry purposes. Fueled in part by Texas beef, Gálvez, with 1,400 men, took to the field in the fall of 1779 and defeated the British in battles at Manchac, Baton Rouge, and Natchez.

On March 14, 1780, after a month-long siege with land and sea forces, Gálvez, with over 2,000 men, captured the British stronghold of Fort Charlotte at Mobile. The climax of the Gulf Coast campaign occurred the following year when Gálvez directed a joint land-sea attack on Pensacola, the British capital of West Florida. He commanded more than 7,000 men in the two-month siege of Fort George in Pensacola before its capture on May 10, 1781.

On May 8, 1782, Gálvez and his Spanish forces captured the British naval base at New Providence in the Bahamas. He was busy preparing for a grand campaign against Jamaica when peace negotiations ended the war. After the fighting, Gálvez helped draft the terms of treaty that ended the war, and he was cited by the American Congress for his aid during the conflict." (Wording from http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fga10)

The San Fernando Church and Cemetery is an 18th-century cemetery and churchyard just on the edge of Avenida Hidalgo. Of course, it’s completely haunted.

The cemetery was open for the newly deceased from 1732 to 1871, and the adjoining Church of San Fernando contains the remains of the viceroys Matías Gálvez and Bernardo de Gálvez. The latter, Viceroy of New Spain, died in 1786, in Tacubaya, and was buried here shortly after.

The courtyard contains a number of other historical figures, among them, the remains of Vicente Guerrero, José Joaquín Herrera, Martín Carrera, Santiago Xicoténcatl, Francisco Zarco, Miguel Miramón and others. Still, the most famous of all, former president Benito Juárez and wife Margarita Maza, are interred next to one another.

The Temple next door to the cemetery was built by the Franciscans in the Baroque style of New Spain. Dating from 1735, the Viceroy Marquis de Casafuerte authorized the foundation of a school and church here. The missionaries bought land for the purpose on the Mexico-Tacuba road. The Reform Laws of December 1860 resulted in the school’s eviction and the church and the library were sacked. The church’s famous altarpieces were destroyed.

At the beginning of the 20th century the church's choir stalls were removed to the Basilica of Guadalupe and the remains of the school were entirely demolished.

It’s an appealing place to visit, and one that’s a frequent stop for visitors seeking a calm respite from the city, just beyond the cemetery walls. Very nearby are both the Church of San Hipolito and the Museo Nacional De San Carlos. Visits to either site can easily be combined with a visit to the San Fernando Church and Cemetery.

Designations:

City Landmark

Historic Marker:

Marker Organization: Mexico State Society, NSDAR
Marker Date: February 20, 2000
Marker Text: REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER BERNARDO DE GALVEZ 1746 1786 PLACED BY MEXICO SOCIETY, NSDAR 20 FEBRUARY 2000

Funded By:

The Mexico State Society Daughters of the American Revolution raised funds for the purchase of the historic marker.

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Units Overseas

Directions and application forms can be found on this page or in the Forms section of the DAR members' website.

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