José "Pepe" Díaz (1776 - April 30, 1797) and Francisco Díaz (1777 - ?) were two cousins who served as Sergeants in the Toa Alta Militia. Both cousins helped defeat Sir

Ralph Abercromby Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby (7 October 173428 March 1801) was a British soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was appointed Governor of Trinidad, served as Commander-in-Chief, Ir ...

and defend

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

during an invasion in 1797.

Early years

The Díaz cousins were born and raised in the town of

Toa Alta, Puerto Rico Toa Alta () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast of the island, north of Naranjito; south of Dorado and Toa Baja; east of Vega Alta and Corozal; and west of Bayamón. Toa Alta is spread over eight barrios a ...

when the island was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

colony. They were both Sergeants in the Toa Alta Militia, and with their unit were sent to defend San Juan upon the attempted invasion of the island by British forces under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby.Regimiento Fijo de Puerto Rico

Defense of Puerto Rico

On February 17, 1797, the appointed governor of Puerto Rico,

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

Ramón de Castro, received the news that the British had captured the island of

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

. Believing that Puerto Rico would be the next British objective, he decided to put the local militia on alert and to prepare the island's forts against any military action.

Battle of San Juan

On April 17, 1797, British ships under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby were unable to penetrate the defenses of "El Morro" and opted to make their attack from the coastal town of Loíza, to the east of San Juan. On April 18, British soldiers and German mercenaries (" Hessians") landed on Loíza's beach. On April 20, the British tried to establish a battery on the Cerro del Condado overlooking the Spanish positions to the East. José Díaz set out with 50 men to contain an attack which was being attempted at the rear.Abercromby's Siege
/ref> On April 24, Sergeant Francisco Díaz was chosen to lead a raid against the enemy. He had 70 volunteers, 20 from the Disciplined Militias and 50 from men being sent to prison. At daybreak they set out in pirogues (a small, flat-bottomed boat), supported by two gunboats, passing down the San Antonio Channel and landed close to the enemy trenches and batteries. The Spanish

artillery batteries In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to facil ...

had previously laid down a heavy covering barrage, and as soon as they saw that Francisco Díaz and his troops had landed, they were ordered to maintain and fire only gunpowder from the cannons without firing the cannonballs. The batteries were also prepared to provide cover in case a retreat was necessary. Unable to penetrate the firepower of El Morro and the other fortresses, the British twice tried to take the Martín Peña Bridge, a key passage to the San Juan islet. On April 30, when the British made their second attempt, Sergeant Major José Díaz was among the 800 men assembled by Capt. Luis de Lara to protect the Martín Peña Bridge. The men reached the bridge, but were soon attacked by the British. Capt. de Lara responded with his own battery and he directed his cavalry to the flanks and opened up with musket fire. Among those who died in the battle was Sergeant Major José Díaz who was struck by a shell at the bridge.

Aftermath

The invasion failed because of an unexpectedly spirited defense of the island by the garrison. The continuous flow of reinforcements from various towns of Puerto Rico into San Juan, the inability to break through the line of the forts San Antonio and San Gerónimo, and the counterattacking pressure and surprisingly sophisticated battle tactics of the militia and cavalry at the Martín Peña bridge were proved too much for the British. The British retreated on April 30 to their ships and on May 2 set sail northward. Governor Ramon de Castro petitioned Spanish King Charles IV for recognition for the victors; he was promoted to field marshal, Sergeant Major José "Pepe" Díaz was posthumously named "The King of Spain's Bravest Soldier", Sergeant Francisco Díaz 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 ...

and was given a pay raise. Lt. Francisco Díaz was married to Isabel de Castro, who was awarded a monthly pension by the government upon his death. His granddaughter, Isabel Matilde Díaz y Ruiz, married

Román Baldorioty de Castro Román Baldorioty de Castro (23 February 1822 – 30 September 1889) was Puerto Rican abolitionist and spokesman for the island's right to self-determination. In 1870, he was elected as a deputy in the Cortes Generales, the Spanish parliament, ...

Legacy

The people of Toa Alta have honored the Díaz cousins in the design of the town's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

. The right small shield with the star and eight rays, represent Francisco Díaz and his cousin José, who gave his life in the defense of the Martín Peña bridge. In the Spanish

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

the star is symbol of the last name Díaz... which means "Son of Diego". Sergeant Major José Díaz has also become part of the islands folklore. Puerto Rican "Jíbaro's" (peasants) sang the following "copla" (

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

) about him:El Nuevo Dia
The statue of Juan Ponce de León situated in the Plaza de San José in

Old San Juan Old San Juan ( es, Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the islet of San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, San Cristóbal, and San Francisco sub-barrios (s ...

was made from the cannons left behind by Sir Ralph Abercromby and his men.National Historic Site--National Historic Zone- World Heritage Site
/ref>

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Jose And Francisco Diaz, Jose Diaz, Francisco Diaz, Jose People from Toa Alta, Puerto Rico People of the Spanish colonial Americas Puerto Rican Army personnel Colonial Puerto Rico Puerto Rican folklore 18th-century Puerto Rican people