Rafael Vásquez (1804–1854) was a 19th-century general in the Mexican Army during the Mexican rebellion against the centralist style rule of government.

Early life

Vásquez was born in Mexico City in 1804. His first military endeavor was on February 20, 1827, as Captain of Patriots of the Hacienda de Ciénega de Mata,

Jalisco, Mexico Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political d ...

. He was appointed brevet brigadier general in 1839.

Mexican political rebellions

Vásquez was a major figure in the suppression of the Mexican insurgents, who opposed the centralization of the Mexican government under General

Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (; 21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. usually known as Santa Ann ...

. The states of

Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...

Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...

, and

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 ...

had advocated rebellion and sought secession from Mexico and declared a new

Republic of the Rio Grande The Republic of the Rio Grande ( es, República del Río Grande) was an independent nation that insurgents fighting against the Centralist Republic of Mexico sought to establish in northern Mexico. The Republic of the Rio Grande was one of a se ...

. Vásquez led a force to subdue

Antonio Canales Rosillo Antonio Canales Rosillo (1802 in Monterrey, Nuevo León – 1852 in Camargo, Tamaulipas) was a 19th-century Mexican politician, surveyor, and military officer also known for co-founding the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande. Military care ...

and his Texan - Mexican troops into an ambush near

Saltillo, Mexico Saltillo () is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. Mexico City, Monterrey, and Saltillo are all connected by a major railroad and highwa ...

. Assisting Canales was Colonel Samuel W. Jordan. Jordan led a group of federalist troops that had secretly been infiltrated by centralist supporters. However, he still managed to rout the centralists forces who quickly fled to Saltillo.

Texas invasion

On March 5, 1842, General Vásquez invaded Texas with about 700 men and occupied

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. The Texan forces were surprised and overwhelmed.de la Teja (1991), p. 116. After a few skirmishes, they were unable to defend the town and evacuated to

Seguin, Texas Seguin ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Guadalupe County, Texas, United States; as of the 2020 census, its population was 29,433. Its economy is primarily supported by a regional hospital, as well as the Schertz-Seguin Local Government C ...

. Vásquez deemed it a surrender and took control of San Antonio. He raised the Mexican flag and thus declared Mexican laws in effect. On March 7, Vásquez fled San Antonio, while pursued by Texan forces.de la Teja (1991), p. 117. He crossed the Rio Grande and returned to Mexico. The Vásquez expedition was one of the events that led to retaliations by the Texans through the Mier Expedition and Somervell Expedition.

Later life

Later in 1851 and 1852, Vásquez was commandant general of the state of

. He died on March 9, 1854, in Mexico City."VASQUEZ, RAFAEL," Handbook of Texas Onlin

accessed September 23, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

Citations

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vasquez, Rafael 1804 births 1854 deaths 1842 in the Republic of Texas Military personnel from Mexico City Mexican generals People of the Texas Revolution Mexican invasions of 1842