Casimiro Alegre (1741–1825) was an
Argentine politician and military man, who had an outstanding participation during the
Viceroyalty of Peru
The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed fro ...
and
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata ( es, Virreinato del Río de la Plata or es, Virreinato de las Provincias del Río de la Plata) meaning "River of the Silver", also called " Viceroyalty of the River Plate" in some scholarly writings, i ...
, serving as alcalde of campaign in the Province of Buenos Aires, and as Commandant in the
Regiment of Blandengues of the Frontier of Buenos Aires.
He participated in military expeditions against the Indians prior to the
Desert Campaign of the 1830s. He was one of the landowners of Buenos Aires who supported the Independence movements of Argentina.
Militia career
![La gazeta](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/La_gazeta.jpg)
He was born in Buenos Aires, the son of Matías Alegre and Francisca de Sosa, belonging to a Creole family from
Asunción
Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay.
The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay o ...
. He possibly did his elementary studies in the city of Buenos Aires, and began his military career at the age of nineteen or twenty, serving in the Guardia del Juncal, a
fortress built in the town of
Cañuelas to prevent the advance of the Indians.
Most of his services to the
Ejército Español were related to militia expeditions in the northern and southern areas of the Province of Buenos Aires. In 1777, Casimiro Alegre led a
caravan of fifteen
carts
A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people.
It is different from the flatbed ...
, which were to transport three hundred wooden
posts for the repair the
Fort of Monte, being also the responsible for the construction of the barracks on the shores of
Laguna of Monte, an area continually harassed by indigenous incursions.
In 1779, he was promoted to
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
of militia and appointed
Captain in 1780. That same year he was appointed alcalde of the campaign in the town of
Magdalena. He lent his oath on February 12, 1780, before the dean councilor of the Cabildo de Buenos Aires Don
Gregorio Ramos Mexía
Gregorio is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to:
Given name
* Gregorio Conrado Álvarez (1925–2016), Uruguayan army general and de facto President of Uruguay from 1981 until 1985
* Gregorio Álvarez (historian) (1889–1986), ...
.
As mayor and captain of militias he participated in several military campaigns against the indigenous incursions in the Province of Buenos Aires. In 1780 the Consejo de guerra of Buenos Aires had appointed to Captain Casimiro Alegre, to lead one of the
punitive expedition
A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beh ...
s against the "
unfaithful Indians", who carried out a massacre against the inhabitants of the town of
Luján in the night of August 27 of that same year. The militiamen of these campaigns were properly equipped with
flintlocks
Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism itself, also known ...
,
carbines
A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges.
The smaller size and light ...
,
pistols,
lances
A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier ( lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike s ...
and
sabers
A sabre (French: sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as the ...
.
He also served in the expeditions against the Portuguese in the
Banda Oriental del Uruguay, having an active participation during the
Spanish–Portuguese War.
Towards the end of 1770 he had a social, political and economic rise in the colonial bureaucracy of the Río de la Plata. He served as alcalde de la hermandad in the towns of
Magdalena,
La Matanza
''La Matanza'' (Spanish for "The Massacre") refers to a communist- indigenous rebellion in El Salvador that took place between 22 and 25 January 1932. It was succeeded by large-scale government killings in western El Salvador, which resulted ...
(three times-1790, 1795, 1796) and San Vicente, which also covered the current territory of
Almirante Brown. He was entrusted to carry various military and political missions, serving also in the assistance of the first settlers of the province of Buenos Aires.
In 1793 he served in the area of Partido de la Costa (
San Isidro, Buenos Aires
San Isidro is a city in Greater Buenos Aires. It is located 27.9 km from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA). It ranks as the province's most affluent neighborhood.
History
In 2007, San Isidro celebrated its 300 years of existence wi ...
), serving as a Militia Captain in surveillance of the coastal areas of that town. In 1795 he was commissioned by the Viceroy,
Pedro Melo de Portugal
Pedro de Melo de Portugal y Vilhena (29 April 1733 in Badajoz – 15 April 1797 in Buenos Aires) was a Spanish soldier and politician, who served as viceroy in the Rio de la Plata.
Biography
He was a member of the Melo de Portugal family, a ...
to make the appraisal of a land located in the current territory of
Marcos Paz
Marcos Paz (1813 – January 2, 1868) was Governor of Córdoba and Tucumán Provinces, an Argentine Senator, and Vice President of Argentina from October 12, 1862, until his death in 1868.
Biography
Marcos Paz was born to a prominent Tu ...
.
His work as mayor of the brotherhood consisted mainly in the control of the rural areas of the Province of Buenos Aires, also exercising administrative and judicial tasks, and the persecution of the
bandits.
Like most of the inhabitants of Buenos Aires, he participated in the defense and reconquest of Buenos Aires against the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. He possibly served in the
Regimiento Voluntarios de Caballería de la Frontera, formed with volunteers of Buenos Aires province. He also had an active participation in supporting the patriotic forces during the
May Revolution
The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...
and the
War of Independence
This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence.
List
See also
* Lists of active separatist movements
* List of civil wars
* List o ...
. He and his family had collaborated to buy horses for the
First Upper Peru campaign
The first Upper Peru campaign was a military campaign of the Argentine War of Independence, which took place in 1810. It was headed by Juan José Castelli, and attempted to expand the influence of the Buenos Aires May Revolution in Upper Peru (mo ...
.
He served in the urban militias of the province of Buenos Aires for more than forty years, obtaining his retirement from the
Argentine Army
The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander- ...
on September 17, 1817. He continued to dedicate himself to government tasks until the end of his life. In 1820 he desisted his appointment as mayor of San Vicente, a position that had also been offered to
Juan Manuel de Rosas.
The provincial militias were conformed with landowners, officers and soldiers of militias and
gaucho
A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...
s, and were initially dedicated to the control of the indigenous attacks in the province of Buenos Aires. Years later these militias participated in the
Argentine Civil Wars.
Family
His father Matías Alegre Paredes, was a cattle breeder settled with his wife in the area of
Zárate since 1724. Casimiro Alegre was baptized on April 19, 1741, in the
Parish San Nicolás de Bari, being his godparents
Ramón López de Osornio and Margarita Sosa, a distinguished family of ranchers related to
Clemente López de Osornio
Clemente López de Osornio (1720–1783) was a Spanish military leader. He served during the Viceroyalty of Peru as Captain of the :es:Blandengues de Buenos Aires, Regiment of Blandengues of Buenos Aires.
Biography
He was baptized on November 25, ...
. He was married to Anastacia Espinosa, daughter of Francisco Antonio Espinosa and Francisca Ramírez, a Creole woman genealogically related to the families of
Garay and
Peñalba
Peñalba ( an, Penyalba) is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given ...
.
His son Francisco Javier Alegre, served as Alférez in the 1° Regimiento de Caballería de la Frontera. He served under the orders of
Martín Rodríguez, taking an active part in the campaigns against the Indians in 1820 and 1824. In 1837 his son Saturnino Alegre Espinosa, sold a plot of 225 hectares to its neighbor
Hannah Brocksopp, a female landowner of English origin.
Casimiro Alegre y Sosa was a direct descendant of
Luis Alegre and
Dionis de Lys, two distinguished
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
conquerors and expeditionaries in the service of the
Spanish Crown, who arrived in the
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...
in the expedition of
Pedro de Mendoza
Pedro de Mendoza () (c. 1499 – June 23, 1537) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', soldier and explorer, and the first ''adelantado'' of New Andalusia.
Setting sail
Pedro de Mendoza was born in Guadix, Grenada, part of a large noble family that ...
. His many descendants include
Juan Bourré de Andrade, a lieutenant colonel of the Argentine Army who participated in the
Conquest of the Desert
The Conquest of the Desert ( es, Conquista del desierto) was an Argentine military campaign directed mainly by General Julio Argentino Roca in the 1870s with the intention of establishing dominance over the Patagonian Desert, inhabited primar ...
, and Pablo Alegre Martínez, a Major of the Argentine Army who participated in the
Battle of Lomas Valentinas
The Battle of Lomas Valentinas (also known as the Battle of Itá Ybaté) was fought in the Central Department of Paraguay on December 21–27, 1868. The Paraguayan Army, led personally by president Francisco Solano López, were decisively defeat ...
, during the Paraguayan War.
References
External links
Matrimonios 1781-1855Matrimonios 1808-1864Defunciones 1801-1831Tomas de razón de despachos militares
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alegre, Casimiro
1741 births
1825 deaths
Military personnel from Buenos Aires
Argentine Army officers
Spanish colonial governors and administrators
Mayors of La Matanza, Buenos Aires
19th-century Argentine military personnel
Argentine people of Belgian descent
Argentine people of Spanish descent