Angel Mateo Canavery (1850–1916) was an Argentine military man, who participated in the

Conquest of the Desert The Conquest of the Desert () was an Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, Argentine military campaign directed mainly by General Julio Argentino Roca during the 1870s and 1880s with the intention of establishing dominance over Patagonia, inh ...

under the command of General

Julio Argentino Roca Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz (July 17, 1843 – October 19, 1914) was an Argentine army general and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 1880 to 1886 and from 1898 to 1904. Roca is the most important representative of the ...

. He also took part against the

Montoneras The Montoneras originally were known as the armed civilian, paramilitary groups who organized in the 19th century during the Spanish American wars of independence, wars of independence from Spain in Hispanic America. They played an important rol ...

Ricardo López Jordán Ricardo Ramón López Jordán (1822–1889) was an Argentine soldier and politician, one of the last influential "''caudillos''" (Spanish for "leaders", or military or political strongmen) in the history of Argentina. He thrice rebelled against ...

(Rebelión jordanista), and against Civic Union troops during the

Revolution of the Park The Revolution of the Park (''Revolución del Parque''), also known as the Revolution of '90, was an uprising against the national government of Argentina that took place on July 26, 1890, and started with the takeover of the Buenos Aires Artill ...

. He performed administrative tasks in the Estado Mayor General del Ejército, and like military attache in the

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

during the presidency of

Miguel Ángel Juárez Celman --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places * Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands * São Miguel (disam ...

Military career

He was born in Buenos Aires, the son of Tomás Canaverys and Macedonia Castillo, belonging to a distinguished family of French or Irish descent. He did his primary and secondary studies in the city, and began his military career as second lieutenant in the 8th Infantry Battalion, to the orders of Lieutenant colonel Tomas Elliot in 1873. He participating in the end of the Campaign against Ricardo López Jordán in Entre Ríos. Later he served in the military Garrison of Mercedes, province of Buenos Aires. He was

discharged Discharge may refer to: * The act of firing a gun * Termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from service Flow * Discharge (hydrology), the a ...

from the army for personal reasons in 1875. He was reincorporated into the ranks of the army in 1876, serving in the Fuerte General Lavalle (current General Pinto) and Puan. In 1877, with the rank of

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

, he served in the 1st Line Regiment, under orders of Teodoro García and

. During the military expeditions he participated in the assault on the tribes of Catriel in "Treyco Grande" (

La Pampa La Pampa () is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza. History In ...

), and in the operations against the tribe of Namuncura in Chiloé (La Pampa). Later he took part in the Battle of Hucal Grande against the tribes of Cañumil and Huenchuquil (occurred in 1878). He took part in the military actions of 6 and 7 December 1878, in which the Argentine Army confronted the tribe of Namuncura in Lihué Calel. In 1879 he provide services in the garrison of

Choele Choel Choele Choel is the capital of the department of Avellaneda in the Argentine province of Río Negro, and the most important settlement within the ''Valle Medio'' ("Middle Valley") agricultural area of the Río Negro River in Patagonia. Overvie ...

and participates in the actions commanded by Gral. Roca, on the banks of the Río Negro. That same year he fell ill from a gallbladder condition, being cured by a female

healer Healer may refer to: Conventional medicine *Doctor of Medicine *Health professional Alternative medicine * Faith healer * Folk healer * Healer (alternative medicine), someone who purports to aid recovery from ill health * Spiritual healer F ...

who had also attended General Teodoro García in Puan. He maintained a respectful deal with Aboriginal leaders who participated in the Conquest of the Desert, and also with the main

Cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...

s who fought against the Army troops during the Military Campaigns. According to some historians, Canavery would have been honored by chief Catriel with a

poncho A poncho (; ; ; "blanket", "woolen fabric") is a kind of plainly formed, loose outer garment originating in the Americas, traditionally and still usually made of fabric, and designed to keep the body warm. Ponchos have been used by the Indige ...

. After finishing his services in the Argentine south, Ángel Canavery returned to Buenos Aires, being promoted to captain on 1 April 1880. A year later he served in

Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Salta Province, the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the List of cities in Argentina, 7th most-populous ...

to the orders of Colonel García, until 5 June 1882. That same year Canavery provides services in the Infantry Inspection, being promoted to major in 1886, and appointed as

Military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

from Italy in 1889. Returning to Argentina a year later, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in August 1890, serving in the Estado Mayor del Ejército. Between 1892 and 1895, Canavery was in charge of the military detachment of Santa Catalina and served as commander of the detachments of Córdoba and San Luis until 1900. In 1896, he went on to serve in the Plana Mayor Activa. He also intervened in civil-military conflicts in Argentina, including the

Revolution of 1880 The Revolution of 1880 was the last military conflict of the Argentine Civil Wars. The conflict was between the government of the Province of Buenos Aires and the National government chaired by Nicolás Avellaneda Nicolás Remigio Aurelio Ave ...

and

, taking part in the main actions against the revolutionary troops. He was appointed Jefe of Detall in charge of the office of the 1st. Argentine Army Corps in 1897 by decree of the then President

José Evaristo Uriburu José Félix Evaristo de Uriburu y Álvarez de Arenales (19 November 1831 – 23 October 1914) was President of Argentina from 23 January 1895 to 12 October 1898. He was an adept diplomat; participating as arbiter on the peace negotiation ...

. Until the middle of the 19th century the troops of the Argentine army had used

sabers A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as the hussars, the sabre became widesp ...

and

spears A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to t ...

, and rifles of a

single shot In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating firearms ("repeaters"), single-shot designs ha ...

. In 1879, the officers and soldiers of the army were equipped with modern weapons that included Remington rifles,

Carbines A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and light ...

and Lefaucheux pistols, used by Canavery during his military career. He attended numerous meetings of the local aristocracy, including the held in the Circulo Militar in honor to General

José Ignacio Garmendia José Ignacio Garmendia Mendizábal (born 4 April 1960) is a Spanish retired Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Club career Garmendia was born in Villabona, Gipuzkoa. He played solely ...

. He was a member of the Club del Progreso, the first

gentlemen's club A gentlemen's club is a private social club of a type originally established by males from Britain's upper classes starting in the 17th century. Many countries outside Britain have prominent gentlemen's clubs, mostly those associated with the ...

in South America. Ángel Canavery retired from the army in 1905 after serving thirty-five years of active service.

Family

Ángel Canavery was married on 3 April 1880 in the parish Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pilar to Mercedes Montero, daughter of Apolinario Montero and Julia Rondó Castillo, members of a distinguished family related to

José Rondeau José Casimiro Rondeau Pereyra (March 4, 1773 – November 18, 1844) was a general and politician in Argentina and Uruguay in the early 19th century. Life and Politics He was born in Buenos Aires but soon after his birth, the family moved t ...

. His wife was related to Martín Matheu Diana and Rufina Rondó Castillo, belonging to the families of Juan Bautista Rondeau and Domingo Matheu. She had an active participation in the

charitable Charity is the voluntary provision of assistance to those in need. It serves as a humanitarian act, and is unmotivated by self-interest. Various philosophies about charity exist, with frequent associations with religion. Etymology The word ...

activities of Buenos Aires, serving as president of '' Sociedad Protectora de Huérfanos de Militares'', an association founded on 12 July 1891. He had several brothers including, the Colonel Tomás Canavery, a hero of the

Battle of Lomas Valentinas The Battle of Lomas Valentinas (also known as the Battle of Itá Ybaté) was fought in the Central Department of Paraguay on December 21–27, 1868. The Paraguayan Army, led personally by president Francisco Solano López, was decisively defeat ...

during the Paraguayan War. His nephew was

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Enrique Mosconi Canavery, who had a brief stint in the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

serving in the 10th Battalion of Westphalia. A great-granddaughter of his sister Juana María Canavery, was married to a descendant of Luis Vernet, governor of the Islas Malvinas in 1830. A large part of Angel Canavery's relatives served in the ranks of the army, taking part during the English invasions, the

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

, the Argentine and

Uruguayan Civil War The Uruguayan Civil War, also known in Spanish as the ''Guerra Grande'' ("Great War"), was a series of armed conflicts between the leaders of Uruguayan independence. While officially the war lasted from 1839 until 1851, it was a part of armed ...

and the Military Expeditions against the indigenous incursions. His paternal grandfather Mariano Canaverys, whose father ( Juan Canaverys) participated in the

May Revolution The May Revolution () was a week-long series of events that took place from 18 to 25 May 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, ...

, was a teacher who served as lieutenant of the 1st squadron of Hussars of Pueyrredón, having an active participation in the defense of Buenos Aires during the English invasions. Outside of Argentina in

North Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four northwestern regions of Piedmont, Aosta Valley, Liguria and Lomb ...

and South France there are some records about members of the Canavery family associated with military campaigns, including the services rendered to the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

during the Napoleonic period by Joseph Canavery, born in

Stura Stura () was a department of the French First Republic and of the First French Empire in present-day Italy. It was named after the river Stura di Demonte. It was formed in 1801, when the Subalpine Republic (formerly the mainland portion of th ...

, Piedmont, who served as a rifleman of the Battalion Vélites of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

. He was a colleague of distinguished Argentine officers with whom he participated in various military campaigns, including Carlos O'Donnell, Carlos Smith, Francisco Smith, Lorenzo Tock and Augusto Rouquaud. In 1902, he attended the funeral of Juan de Dios Rawson, a lieutenant colonel who participated in the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War (, , ), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance (, , ), was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It wa ...

. Canavery and his wife did not have children, but were the godfathers of baptism of María Esther Canaveri, daughter of his relatives Saturnino Canaveri and Carmen Canavery. His wife was godmother of María Cristina Mercedes Gorchs y Mosconi, baptized on 23 July 1899. In 1906 the national government authorized retired Lieutenant Colonel Ángel Canavery permission to make a trip to Europe. He possibly traveled with his wife to

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

. Ángel Mateo Canavery Castillo died on 20 July 1916 in Buenos Aires. His wife Mercedes Montero in the same city in 1930.

References

Link

Bautismos 1837-1859Matrimonios 1872-1882
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canavery, Angel Argentine Army officers 1850 births 1916 deaths Military personnel from Buenos Aires Argentine people of Irish descent People of Piedmontese descent Argentine people of Spanish descent Argentine people of Italian descent Argentine people of French descent Conquest of the Desert Argentine military personnel Argentine lieutenant colonels Argentine expatriates in Italy Patrician families of Buenos Aires