Francisco Bolognesi

Francisco Bolognesi Cervantes (4 November 1816 – 7 June 1880) was a Peruvian military colonel. He is considered a national hero in Peru and was declared patron of the Army of Peru by the government of Peru on 2 January 1951.

Early life and education

Francisco Bolognesi was born in Lima on 4 November 1816. He attended the Seminary of Arequipa until he was 16 and then entered into a career in commerce. His birthplace, known as the Casa de Bolognesi, later became a museum.

His father, Andrés Bolognesi was of Italian-Peruvian background and was a violin player for the court of the Viceroy. Francisco Bolognesi had a son called Federico Pablo whose son was Federico Bolognesi Bolognesi (2nd Vice president of Peru). Federico Bolognesi Bolognesi had a daughter called Ana Maria Bolognesi who had two daughters called Ana Mamie and Selina Raguz Bolognesi. The Bolognesi family legacy lives on through Ana Mamie and Selina, who each have two children: Roberto and Emilia Abusada Raguz, and Elio and Benjamin Yagüe Raguz. Roberto and Emilia are the children of Roberto Abusada Salah, a renowned Peruvian economist. Roberto Abusada Salah was recognized for his significant contributions to Peru's economic policy, particularly during the 1990s when he played a crucial role in combating hyperinflation.

Military career

He was involved with the military in July 1844, in an action at Carmen Alto, a local district of Arequipa, south region of Perú. While offered a position in the military, he elected to remain in civilian life. However, in 1853, he enlisted and was selected as second in command of a cavalry regiment during a period of tension between Peru and Bolivia. While no armed conflict with Bolivia ensued, Bolognesi elected to remain in the military and took part in the revolution against then-President Echenique. After the successful revolution, Bolognesi was a Lieutenant Colonel on the General Staff.

In 1856, Bolognesi commanded the artillery involved in suppressing the revolt of General Manuel Ignacio de Vivanco, centered in the city of Arequipa, and was promoted to Colonel.

After several missions to Europe to help acquire weapons for Peru (especially artillery), Bolognesi returned to Peru in May 1866. He fell afoul of President Don Mariano Ignacio Prado and was imprisoned briefly in 1867. After the fall of Prado, Bolognesi returned to military service, commanding various artillery units of the Peruvian army, retiring in 1871 as Commander-in-Chief of the Artillery.

War of the Pacific

When the War of the Pacific began in 1879 between Chile and the alliance of Peru and Bolivia, Bolognesi, now 62, rejoined the Peruvian Army and was active in actions against the Chilean forces, including the Battles of Dolores and Tarapacá in November 1879. In April 1880, he was placed in command of the Peruvian port of Arica.

He commanded the Peruvian forces surrounded in Arica by Chilean troops following the Chilean victory at Tacna. He organized and led a spirited defense of the port city by about 1,600 men against over 5,300 Chilean troops with extensive naval support.

When Chilean messengers demanded surrender of Arica because of their 3 to 1 numerical superiority, he replied, "Tengo deberes sagrados que cumplir y los cumpliré hasta quemar el último cartucho" ("I have sacred duties, and I will fulfill them until the last cartridge has been fired"). The expression ''"hasta quemar el último cartucho"'' ("Until the last cartridge has been fired") has passed into the Spanish language and is used today by the Peruvian Army as its official motto.

Thus the Battle of Arica began. The Chileans struck first, attacking fort Ciudadela where the battalions of Grandaderos (Tacna) and Artesanos (Arica) fought fiercely. The old Colonel Justo Arias y Araguez died in combat, while Corporal Alfredo Maldonado was killed in the explosion of a powder keg, that killed Peruvian, as well as ten Chilean soldiers. The Chileans responded by issuing the command to take no prisoners.

Bolognesi, Manuel J. La Torre, Alfonso Ugarte, Roque Saenz Pena y Juan Guillermo More gathered 400 Peruvian soldiers a top of the infamous hill known as El Morro. The Chileans stormed el Morro advancing from Cerro Gordo. In the midst of the fierce hand-to-hand combat that developed at the top of el Morro, Colonel Bolognesi was shot and wounded. Clenching his revolver he continued fighting until he was killed from a blow to the head (some speculate a bullet being the cause of death). His soldiers defended his remains until they too were eventually killed. Next to Bolognesi, Juan Guillermo More, Captain of the Navy and Chief of Artillery, fought to the end of his life with a revolver and sword in hand.

On 7 June 1880, the Chilean assault took Arica at a cost of 474 troops. Almost 1,000 of the Peruvian defenders, including Colonel Bolognesi, were killed in defense of the town.

The Peruvian casualty levels in the battle were so high because many of the wounded Peruvian prisoners were shot by the Chileans. The Chileans ransacked buildings, started fires and attacked Peruvian consulates amongst other crimes. The Chileans justified these acts saying they were seeking revenge for explosions caused by Peruvians in a few Chilean mines during the battle that caused some casualties.

Bolognesi's sons Enrique and Augusto also fought in the War of the Pacific, and died later, during the Battle of San Juan and the Battle of Miraflores in Lima.

Marriage and issue

Manuela Basilisa de Medrano Silva

Manuela Basilisa de Medrano Silva was the second wife of Francisco Bolognesi.''Biography of Manuela Basilisa de Medrano Silva.'' https://isbn.bnp.gob.pe/catalogo.php?mode=detalle&nt=108314 Together they had two sons:

* Enrique Federico Bolognesi Medrano
* Augusto Bolognesi Medrano es">:es:Augusto_Bolognesi">es
She suffered immense personal losses during the War of the Pacific, including the deaths of her husband, her two sons, Enrique and Augusto Bolognesi Medrano, and her brother, Manuel de Medrano Silva. Despite her sacrifices, Peruvian history has largely overlooked or misrepresented her existence. Notably, a street in Lima honors her son, Augusto Bolognesi Medrano, without acknowledging the Medrano surname.

The Medrano Silva family originated from San Gerónimo, Ica (which was part of Lima at the time), rather than Camaná. Manuela Basilisa de Medrano Silva was the daughter of Joseph Eustaquio de Medrano Mata and Juana Paula de Silva Farfán, both from Ica, Peru. Her father was born on October 18, 1769, baptized at San Gerónimo Church in 1773, and later passed away in Lima in 1857. Her mother, born on February 28, 1793, was baptized the same year at San Gerónimo Church and died in Lima in 1874. The couple married on July 18, 1813, and were part of a well-established Peruvian lineage.

Francisco's wife Manuela Basilisa de Medrano, born in 1827, was the sister of Sergeant Major and Captain Manuel de Medrano Silva, a hero of the War of the Pacific. Her brother, Manuel de Medrano Silva, was killed in the Battle of Miraflores and buried in the Pantheon of Heroes, beneath the tomb of his brother-in-law, Francisco Bolognesi. Her brother was the father of Manuela Eleodora de Medrano Azcoytia, who later married José Mercedes Monge Patiño.

Issue

Enrique Federico Bolognesi Medrano was born in 1860 and followed his father’s footsteps by joining the Peruvian Army. He enrolled in the Military Academy and was later commissioned as a second lieutenant in the artillery. He participated in the Battle of Alto de la Alianza (May 26, 1880) in Tacna, where he fought bravely. In July 1880, he was permitted to return to Lima, where he was promoted to captain for his valor. On January 23, 1881, Enrique died at the age of 21, after eight days of agony due to wounds sustained in the Battle of Miraflores. His death was recorded in the Parish of San Sebastián, Lima, and he was buried in the General Cemetery of Lima.

Enrique Federico Pablo Bolognesi Medrano married Ana María Antonia Bolognesi Coloma on November 10, 1880, in a religious ceremony at San Sebastián Church in Lima. Their civil marriage took place on November 25, 1880, in the Lima civil registry. They later lived in the Callao district before moving to Paita, Piura. They had a distinguished son named Federico Bolognesi Bolognesi es">:es:Federico_Bolognesi_Bolognesi">es born on 7 June 1892, and a daughter, Victoria Manuela Bolognesi Bolognesi, who was born in 1890 and baptized in the ''Parroquia Matriz del Callao'', with Manuela Basilisa de Medrano Silva as her godmother.

Augusto Fabián Bolognesi Medrano was born in 1862 and, like his father and brother, pursued a military career. At 16 years old, he was promoted from cadet to second lieutenant before his father departed for war. He served in a battery unit in Callao but requested a combat position on land. During the Battle of San Juan on January 13, 1881, he was gravely wounded, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and leg. Despite his injuries, he remained defiant, shouting battle cries even in his final moments. After 14 days of suffering, he passed away on January 27, 1881, at 18 years old. His death was also recorded in the Parish of San Sebastián, Lima, and he was buried alongside his brother in the General Cemetery of Lima.

See also

*War of the Pacific
*Roque Sáenz Peña
*Alfonso Ugarte
* Coronel Bolognesi

External links

Biography of Francisco Bolognesi (in Spanish)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolognesi
1816 births
1880 deaths
Bolognesi family
National heroes of Peru
Military personnel from Lima
Peruvian military personnel of the War of the Pacific
Peruvian people of Italian descent
Italian people of Peruvian descent
Peruvian people of Spanish descent
Peruvian people of Basque descent
Peruvian soldiers
Military personnel killed in the War of the Pacific
Peruvian military personnel killed in action
Marshals of Peru