Antonio de los Reyes Correa (c. 1665 – June 9, 1758), also known as El Capitán Correa, was a Puerto Rican native who served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the Spanish Marine Infantry. Correa and his men defended the town of Arecibo from an English invasion in 1702.

Early years

Correa was born in

Arecibo, Puerto Rico Arecibo (; ) is a Arecibo barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado, Puerto Rico, Utuado and Ciales, Puerto Rico, Ciale ...

to Jose Rodriguez Correa and Francisca Rodriguez de Valdez Colon. He was in charge of the local militia whose mission was to protect Arecibo from attacks by pirates or other European powers. His claim to fame came as a result of his defense of the city from an attack by English forces on August 5, 1702."Antonio de los Reyes Correa, El Capitán"; by Dennis de Jesús Rodríguez; Published in 2002, Sociedad Histórica Puerto Rico (San Juan, P.R); (in Spanish)

Defense of Arecibo

As part of the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, England was at war with pro-Bourbon Spaniards, and the conflict spilled over into the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

. On August 5, 1702, two

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

warships under the command of William Whetstone approached Arecibo. From them, two rowboats transporting 40

marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

and sailors proceeded to land on the town's beach. A force of 30 local militiamen, led by Correa, was mustered to confront the invaders. The ensuing engagement killed 22 of the attackers, while the defenders suffered one killed and three wounded, including Correa. Whetstone's ships proceeded to sail away, ending the engagement.

Honors and later years

Correa was awarded " La Medalla de Oro de la Real Efigie" (The Gold Medal of the Royal Image), by King Philip V of

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 ...

and given the title of "Captain of Infantry" on September 23, 1703. It was within Spanish tradition to name its Captain of Infantry to the position of Mayor. Correa served as temporary mayor of Arecibo from 1700 to 1701 and then as official mayor from 1701 to 1705. He also served as mayor from 1710 to 1714 and from 1716 to 1744. Captain Antonio de los Reyes Correa, who was married to Estefanía Rodríguez de Matos y Colón Luyando, died on June 9, 1758. Arecibo is known as the "Villa del Capitan Correa" (Captain Correa's Village), an honour bestowed by the people of the town. The people of Arecibo also honored Correa by including a gold colored belt in their Coat of Arms with the words "Muy Leal", which means "Very Loyal", in representation of Correa. On January 8, 2004, the Government of Puerto Rico approved public law #29 (P. de la C. 4029 LEY NUM. 29. 8 DE ENERO DE 2004) establishing August 5 as the Day of Antonio de los Reyes Correa. In the southern Puerto Rican city of Ponce a street was named after him. It runs from Barrio Segundo through Barrio

Primero Primero (in English also called Primus, in French ', in Italian ' or in Spanish ''Primera''), is a 16th-century gambling card game of which the earliest reference dates back to 1526. Primero is closely related to the game of primo visto (a.k.a. ...

and ends in the northern portion of Barrio Canas Urbano at

Avenida Las Américas Avenida Las Américas, is a major thoroughfare in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Most of its length is signed as Puerto Rico Highway 163 (PR-163). The highway has both of its termini as well as all of its length entirely within the Ponce city limits. I ...

References

External links

* One of the earliest works of Puerto Rican literature, features a poem ""
Captain Correa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes Correa 1660s births 1758 deaths Spanish Puerto Rico Puerto Rican Army personnel People from Arecibo, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican military officers 17th-century Puerto Rican people 18th-century Puerto Rican people

Early years

Defense of Arecibo

Honors and later years

See also

References

External links