The Lopez Expedition (Spanish: Expedición López) of 1851 was an attempt led by

Narciso López Narciso López (November 2, 1797, Caracas – September 1, 1851, Havana) was a Venezuelan-born adventurer and Spanish Army general who is best known for his expeditions aimed at liberating Cuba from Spanish rule in the 1850s. His troops carri ...

to invade and seize control of Cuba which was then part of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its predece ...

. The force comprising 420 Cuban emigres and American volunteers landed in western Cuba, where the invaders were defeated and captured by the Spanish forces. López and many of the other prisoners were executed. It was part of a string of

filibustering A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out ...

raids launched from American territory during the era, in violation of the Neutrality Act. {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = , place = Captaincy General of Cuba , date = May 1850–August 1851 , combatant1 = {{flagicon image, Flag of Cuba.svg Filibusters , combatant2 = {{flagicon image, Flag of Spain (1785–1873, 1875–1931).svg Captaincy General of Cuba , image = 151 of 'The Spaniard in History' (11246605915).jpg , caption = Map of Cuba from the nineteenth century. , result = Spanish Cuba victory *Filibuster leaders executed , commander1 = {{flagicon image, Flag of Cuba.svg

{{flagicon image, Flag of Cuba.svg William Logan Crittenden
{{flagicon image, Flag of Cuba.svg Joaquín de Agüero , commander2 = {{flagicon image, Flag of Spain (1785–1873, 1875–1931).svg

José Gutiérrez de la Concha José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...

Background

During the era of

Manifest Destiny Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America. There were three basic tenets to the concept: * The special virtues of the American people and th ...

the territory of the United States expanded rapidly, most notably with the

Mexican Cession The Mexican Cession ( es, Cesión mexicana) is the region in the modern-day southwestern United States that Mexico originally controlled, then ceded to the United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 after the Mexican–American Wa ...

of 1848. The same year

President Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

made an offer to purchase Cuba for $100 million, which was rejected by Spain. Cuba was particularly coveted by Southern supporters of slavery, who believed that Cuba with its large population of slaves would bolster the political strength of the

slave state In the United States before 1865, a slave state was a state in which slavery and the internal or domestic slave trade were legal, while a free state was one in which they were not. Between 1812 and 1850, it was considered by the slave states ...

s if it were admitted to the Union. It was estimated Cuba would have thirteen or fifteen representatives in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. There were similar ambitions towards states of northern Mexico such as

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

, where it was believed the climate would suit the introduction of slaves, but Cuba had the advantage of an existing plantation economy. The campaign to end Spanish rule in Cuba attracted support from a number of southern political figures who were later prominent Confederates including

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

. The northern Democrat

Stephen Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which was ...

also supported annexation. Democrats made it a political issue, with Southern Whigs also loudly stating their commitment to taking Cuba. The cause of Cuba was compared to that of the

Texas Republic The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Me ...

which had won its independence in 1836 before joining the United States. However, the new Whig administration renounced any plan to buy Cuba from Spain. Increasingly those who wished to acquire the island turned towards seizing Cuba by force. They received strong backing from Mississippi Governor

John Quitman John Anthony Quitman (September 1, 1798 – July 17, 1858) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. As President of the Mississippi Senate, he served one month as Acting Governor of Mississippi (from December 3, 1835, to January 7, 1836) a ...

, who formed an alliance with the

Venezuelan Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in t ...

-born adventurer

. López had contacts with potential insurgents in Cuba, but many of them favoured full independence rather than annexation. An initial expedition in 1849 assembled near

Pascagoula The Pascagoula (also Pascoboula, Pacha-Ogoula, Pascagola, Pascaboula, Paskaguna) were an indigenous group living in coastal Mississippi on the Pascagoula River. The name ''Pascagoula'' is a Mobilian Jargon term meaning "bread people". Choctaw n ...

was prevented from sailing by American authorities. Shifting his base from New York City to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

to take command were rejected, and López oversaw it itself. Reaching Cárdenas he landed, burned the governor's mansion and raised the Cuban flag for the first time. An expected uprising by Cuban revolutionaries did not occur and the filibusters rapidly fled back to Florida pursued by the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

. Lopez, Quitman and others were prosecuted for violating the Neutrality Act but a jury in New Orleans, where they were wildly popular for their efforts, acquitted one of their conspirators and the remaining indictments were dropped.

Expedition

López immediately began efforts to launch another attempt, gathering financing and fresh recruits. This time Quitman kept his distance from the plot. As before many of the recruits were veterans of the Mexican War, while a number of Hungarian exiles also enlisted. López gave command of a regiment of American volunteers to William Logan Crittenden, a nephew of the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

John J. Crittenden John Jordan Crittenden (September 10, 1787 July 26, 1863) was an American statesman and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as United ...

. López never clarified whether the ultimate goal of the expedition was to be Cuban independence or annexation by America, drawing supporters of both outcomes into his movement. Inspired by news of uprisings breaking out in Cuba, López hurried the preparations of his fresh invasion. The expedition departed from New Orleans on 3 August 1851. By the time the expedition landed at

Pinar del Río Province Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba. Geography The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Guani ...

in western Cuba, the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army ( es, Ejército de Tierra, lit=Land Army) is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies — dating back to the late 15th century. The ...

had already defeated the uprisings which had been more limited than American newspapers reported. Their leader Joaquín de Agüero was taken and executed. Well-prepared for López this time the Spanish troops under

, Captain General of Cuba, defeated the filibusters in several engagements killing around two hundred and taking the rest prisoner. López compounded his problems by dividing his small force, with Crittenden operating separately before their defeat. The prisoners were taken to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

where López was tried for treason and garroted in front of thousands of spectators. Crittenden and around fifty Americans were lined up and shot in the city's Old Square. Most of the survivors were sentenced to hard labor in the quicksilver mines of Ceuta, a Spanish city in north Africa.

Aftermath

In reaction mobs rioted in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Millard Fillmore was embarrassed by the failure to prevent the expedition from sailing in the first place and confined itself to securing the release of remaining American prisoners still in Spanish hands. American attempts to acquire Cuba continued, set out in the

Ostend Manifesto The Ostend Manifesto, also known as the Ostend Circular, was a document written in 1854 that described the rationale for the United States to purchase Cuba from Spain while implying that the U.S. should declare war if Spain refused. Cuba's anne ...

of 1854. Quitman also prepared a fresh filibustering expedition, this time with the tacit support of new President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unit ...

. Although this was called off under diplomatic pressure, and opposition by Northern free soilers, attempts to purchase Cuba continued until the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...

broke out.McPherson p.108-110 In the wake of López's attack on Cuba, a string of filibusters launched attempts in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United St ...

and beyond, most notably William Walker. In 1854 southern socialite

Lucy Pickens Lucy Petway Holcombe Pickens (June 11, 1832 – August 8, 1899) was a 19th-century American socialite of Tennessee and Texas, known during and after her lifetime as the "Queen of the Confederacy". She was also a First Lady of South Carolina ...

wrote a novel ''The Free Flag of Cuba'' which provided a romanticized account of the expedition.

References

Bibliography

* Burton, Orville Vernon & Burton, Georganne B. ''The Free Flag of Cuba: The Lost Novel of Lucy Holcombe Pickens''. LSU Press, 2002. * Chaffin, Tom. ''Fatal Glory: Narciso López and the First Clandestine U.S. War Against Cuba''. University Press of Virginia, 1996. * Caldwell, Robert Granville. ''The Lopez Expeditions to Cuba 1848–1851''. Princeton University Press, 1915. * May, Robert E. ''John A. Quitman: Old South Crusader''. LSU Press, 1985. * McPherson, James M. ''Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era''. Oxford University Press, 2003. * Thomas, Hugh. ''Cuba: A History''. Penguin, 2013. 1851 in Cuba 1851 in Spain 1851 in the United States