José Antonio Salcedo
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General José Antonio Salcedo y Ramírez, known as "Pepillo" (1816 – November 5, 1864) was Dominican military leader who played a fundamental role in the
Dominican Restoration War The Dominican Restoration War or the Dominican War of Restoration (), called War of Santo Domingo in Spain (''Guerra de Santo Domingo''),Losada, J. C. (2012). ''Batallas decisivas de la historia de España.'' Ed. Aguilar, pgs. 371-386. was a G ...
, which achieved the independence from
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
in 1865. A
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
, he was the first Dominican head of state to be
assassinated Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
in the history of the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
.


Early life

Salcedo was born in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, Spain from
Criollo Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to: People * Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish colonial system. Animals * Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South America. * Criollo cattle, a group of cattle bre ...
(white creole) parents of Spanish heritage who had been stationed in Spain for over a year, as part of the traditional Grand Tour of rich Latin American Criollos to Spain. The names of his parents were José María Salcedo and Luisa Ramírez y Marichal, both Cuban-born Dominicans (many Dominicans fled the island due to the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, the
Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...
and the political instability from 1795 to 1809: about 4,000 went to Cuba and 100,000 did so to Venezuela while scores exiled in Puerto Rico and Mexico; many Dominicans and their foreign-born children eventually returned to the island). Leaving Spain, the family returned to Cuba when Salcedo was a year old before settling in the lands of their ancestors in the Cibao valley. He grew up near the border of Haiti where he managed large tracts of land, herds of livestock, and a rich timber business in the towns of
Hatillo Palma Hatillo Palma is a town in the Monte Cristi province of the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocea ...
, Estero Balsa, and Botoncillo in the northwest. In 1844, when the
First Dominican Republic The First Dominican Republic (Spanish: ''Primera República Dominicana'', ''Primera República'') was a predecessor of the currently existing Dominican Republic, and began on 27 February 1844 with the proclamation of the Dominican Republic, and ...
was proclaimed, he joined the ranks of the
Dominican Army The Dominican Army (), is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic, together with the Dominican Navy, Navy and the Dominican Air Force, Air Force. The Dominican army with 28,750 active duty personnel consists of s ...
and participated in the bloody battles of the
Dominican War of Independence The Dominican War of Independence () was a war of independence that began when the Dominican Republic declared independence from the Republic of Haiti on February 27, 1844 and ended on January 24, 1856. Before the war, the island of Hispaniola ...
. He was said to have taken part In the
Battle of Beler The Battle of Beler ( Spanish: ''Batalla de Beler'') was one of the major battles of the Dominican War of Independence and was fought on the 27 October 1845 at the Beler savanna, Monte Cristi Province. A force of Dominican troops, a portion of t ...
, in 1845, and the
Battle of Sabana Larga The Battle of Sabana Larga () was a major battle during the years after the Dominican War of Independence The Dominican War of Independence () was a war of independence that began when the Dominican Republic declared independence from the Re ...
, in 1856. He attained the rank of
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
for his services.


Dominican Restoration War

Salcedo led a civil war which aimed at the restoration of the Dominican Republic. The
Dominican Restoration War The Dominican Restoration War or the Dominican War of Restoration (), called War of Santo Domingo in Spain (''Guerra de Santo Domingo''),Losada, J. C. (2012). ''Batallas decisivas de la historia de España.'' Ed. Aguilar, pgs. 371-386. was a G ...
began on August 16, 1863, and by September 14, 1863 a Provisional Government was established, over which the general presided. After he became the 1st head of state of the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
, the general was opposed by the Nationalist movement, who viewed his policies as favoring those supporting the annexation of the country.


Assassination

On October 15, 1864, Head of State Salcedo sent word to his wife (who lived in
Guayubín Guayubín is a town in the Monte Cristi province of the Dominican Republic. It is Monte Cristi's second-largest town. They hold annual festivities from August 1 until about August 10, where they celebrate their saint, which is San Lorenzo (Saint ...
) about the opposition, with a young soldier who was nearly in his mid-twenties named
Ulises Heureaux Ulises Hilarión Heureaux Leibert (; October 21, 1845 – July 26, 1899) nicknamed Lilís, was Presidents of the Dominican Republic, president of the Dominican Republic from September 1, 1882 to September 1, 1884, from January 6, 1887 to Februar ...
. Later on the same day, he was
assassinated Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
by Coronel Agustín Masagó by order of General
Gaspar Polanco Gaspar Polanco Borbón (1816 – November 28, 1867) was a Dominican Republic military general and politician. He has been one of the most notable military figures in the history of the Dominican Republic and served as the country's president. ...
.


Personal life

Salcedo married Águeda Rodríguez of Guayubín, Monte Cristi. Together they had at least four children: José Tomás (born 1841 and married Rosa Elvira Brea in 1869), Antonia (born 1846), Cristina (born 1851), and Julia (married Rosendo Batista in 1888) Salcedo y Rodríguez. Antonia Salcedo married and had a daughter with another Restoration figure, Dionisio Troncoso (1834–1891), named Antonia María Troncoso y Salcedo. A great granddaughter of Pepillo, Genoveva Cruz, was 95 in 2017.She is still alive and celebrated her 101 birthday, I know this as she is my aunt grandmother, her sister Ana Mercedes Cruz was my grandmother. The descendants of Pepillo Salcedo are many.


Honors

The town of Pepillo Salcedo, in
Monte Cristi province Monte Cristi () is a Provinces of the Dominican Republic, province in the northwest of the Dominican Republic. The capital city is San Fernando de Monte Cristi (usually simply Monte Cristi). The spelling Montecristi is also seen. The Montecristi p ...
, was named in his honor.


See also

*
List of presidents of the Dominican Republic Since independence in 1844, the Dominican Republic has counted 54 people in the President of the Dominican Republic, presidential office, whether constitutional, provisional, or interim, divided into 66 periods of government. Likewise, there ...
*
Gaspar Polanco Gaspar Polanco Borbón (1816 – November 28, 1867) was a Dominican Republic military general and politician. He has been one of the most notable military figures in the history of the Dominican Republic and served as the country's president. ...
*
Gregorio Luperón Gregorio Luperón (September 8, 1839 – May 21, 1897) was a Dominican revolutionary, military general, businessman, liberal politician, Freemasonry, freemason, and statesman who was one of the leaders in the Dominican Restoration War. Luperón w ...
*
Dominican Restoration War The Dominican Restoration War or the Dominican War of Restoration (), called War of Santo Domingo in Spain (''Guerra de Santo Domingo''),Losada, J. C. (2012). ''Batallas decisivas de la historia de España.'' Ed. Aguilar, pgs. 371-386. was a G ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salcedo, Jose Antonio 1816 births 1864 deaths 19th-century Dominican Republic politicians Politicians assassinated in the 1860s White Dominicans Politicians from Madrid Presidents of the Dominican Republic People of the Dominican War of Independence People of the Dominican Restoration War Dominican Republic independence activists Dominican Republic revolutionaries Military personnel from Madrid Dominican Republic people of Spanish descent Assassinated Dominican Republic politicians Assassinated presidents in North America 19th-century national presidents