Juan Bautista Baigorria, also known as Granadero Baigorria, was born in

San Luis Province San Luis () is a province of Argentina located near the geographical center of the country (on the 32° South parallel). Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, La Rioja, Córdoba, La Pampa, Mendoza and San Juan. History The cit ...

and died at the

Battle of San Lorenzo The Battle of San Lorenzo was fought on 3 February 1813 in San Lorenzo, Santa Fe, San Lorenzo, Argentina, then part of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. The royalist troops, were composed of militiamen recruited in Montevideo und ...

on 3 February 1813, was an Argentine soldier. He died in battle and became famous by having saved his commander when he stopped a

royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

from bayonnetting then-colonel

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and centr ...

Military career

Baigorria was part of the 1st company of

Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers The Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers ( es, Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo) is the name of two Argentine Army regiments of two different time periods: a historic regiment that operated from 1812 to 1826, and a modern cavalry unit that was organiz ...

. He was at the Battle of San Lorenzo, on 3 February 1813. When a royalist soldier tried to kill his commanding officer, then-colonel San Martín who had a leg pinned under his fallen horse, Baigorria killed the enemy with his

lance 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 ...

. San Martín's horse had been wounded and felled by a royalist who shot the animal, which then caught the colonel on his leg. This action by Baigorria allowed Private Juan Bautista Cabral to help the colonel and save his life. Baigorria died in this action after being wounded by a royalist. He is remembered and honored with the town of

Granadero Baigorria Granadero Baigorria is a city in the south of the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, located directly north of Rosario, on the western shore of the Paraná River, and forming part of the Greater Rosario metropolitan area. Its population is about ...

in Santa Fe Province, named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baigorria, Juan Bautista Year of birth uncertain 1813 deaths People from San Luis Province Argentine people of Basque descent Argentine Army personnel Argentine military personnel killed in the Argentine War of Independence