Juan Bautista Cabral (24 June 1789 – 3 February 1813) was an Argentine

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

, of

Zambo Zambo ( or ) or Sambu is a racial term historically used in the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed Indigenous and African ancestry. Occasionally in the 21st century, the term is used in the Americas to refer to persons who are of mixe ...

origin, of the

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 ...

who died in 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 ...

, while he was aiding then

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Don

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 ...

, whose horse had fallen to enemy fire. The action of Cabral in this first military confrontation of the Argentine War of Independence gave him lasting fame and a prominent place among Argentine patriots.

Biography

Little is known about the life of Cabral. It is estimated that he was born in the town which now bears his name in the city of Saladas,

Corrientes Corrientes (; Guaraní: Taragüí, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12. It ha ...

. He joined the second squadron of the newly formed Granaderos Cavalry Regiment in 1812. According to Pastor Obligado, Cabral's diligence and leadership led to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

's stripes in December of the same year, and to promotion to sergeant the next year. Contrary to this assertion, Bartolomé Mitre (in his ''Historia de San Martín y de la Emancipación Americana'') states that he was a private (''"soldado raso"'') on the date of the battle. San Lorenzo

Regardless of his

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

, his action took place right after the battle started. The royalist forces (loyal to the Spanish Crown) had sailed up the Paraná River from Montevideo and landed on San Lorenzo, Santa Fe. Enemy fire overturned San Martín's horse, trapping the colonel beneath it, while the royalists drew close charging with bayonets. Cabral dismounted and assisted San Martín. The exact details have been embellished to the point that it is impossible to say how much risk he took. Some versions have Cabral placing himself between the bayonets and San Martín, which is doubtful. In any event, Cabral was critically wounded, and he died in the

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the Lat ...

of the neighboring San Carlos Convent, which was used as a

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...

. On his deathbed he said "I die happy, General; we have beaten the enemy." According to Mitre, the rank of sergeant was given him

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' ...

ly due to meritorious actions in the battle. Argentine history has made him a

national hero The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...

, and there are many

monuments A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

erected in his honor. The San Lorenzo march, by C. J. Benielli, is dedicated to him, and is taught in primary school. The famous Paraguayan composer and guitar virtuoso Agustin Barrios Mangoré composed a piece dedicated to the memory of him called Sargento Cabral. 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- ...

's school for NCOs is named in his honour.

External links

* March of San Lorenzo in Spanish Wikisource *
Short biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabral, Juan Bautista 1789 births 1813 deaths People from Corrientes Province Argentine Army personnel People of the Argentine War of Independence Argentine military personnel killed in the Argentine War of Independence