General Fernando Baquedano Rodríguez (May 28, 1796 – October 20, 1862) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

an military and

political figure A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties tha ...

who served in the

Chilean War of Independence The Chilean War of Independence (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Guerra de la Independencia de Chile'', 'War of Independence of Chile') was a military and political event that allowed the emancipation of Chile from the Spanish Empire, Spanish Mona ...

and the

War of the Confederation The War of the Confederation () was a military confrontation waged by the United Restoration Army, the alliance of the land and naval forces of Chile and the Restoration Army of Peru, formed in 1836 by Peruvian soldiers opposed to the conf ...

. Fernando Baquedano was of

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

descent, his ascendants came from Abarzuza. Fernando Baquedano was born in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, the son of Miguel Baquedano y Zebreros and of Isidora Rodríguez Rojas. Miguel Baquedano was born in Leon,

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

in 1772 and sailed to Santiago to farm sheep in 1791. Miguel Baquedano was the son of Navarrese settler and sailor Jose Juan Baquedano who sailed to Honduras from

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of both the ''Pontevedra (comarca), Comarca'' and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas. It is als ...

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 1763, moving on to

San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

before finally settling down in Nicaragua. In 1808, at the age of 12, the adolescent Fernando joined the ranks of the Queen's Dragoons. Baquedano took part in the movement for independence from the very beginning, and during the

he served under both

José Miguel Carrera José Miguel Carrera Verdugo (; October 15, 1785 – September 4, 1821) was a Chilean general, formerly Spanish military, member of the prominent Carrera family, and considered one of the founders of independent Chile. Carrera was the most impor ...

and

Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; 20 August 1778 – 24 October 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque people, Basque-Spanish people, Spani ...

in the siege of Chillán, and the battles of El Roble, Quirihue and Cauquenes (1813), Gomero, Alto del Quilo, Paso del Maule, Tres Montes y Quechereguas (1814). After the defeat of Rancagua he was forced, together with other patriots, to emigrate to Mendoza,

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. Once there he joined the Army of the Andes, and fought in the battles of

Chacabuco Chacabuco is one of the many abandoned nitrate or "saltpeter" towns ("oficinas salitreras" in Spanish) in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Other nitrate towns of the Atacama Desert include Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works. Unlik ...

and

Talcahuano Talcahuano () (From Mapudungun ''Tralkawenu'', "Thundering Sky") is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation. Talcahuano is located in the south of the Central Zone of Chile. ...

(1817), Cancha Rayada and Maipu (1818). He married Teresa González de Labra y Ros on July 18, 1819, and together they had three sons, among them the future general Manuel Baquedano. After the death of his first wife, he married for a second time on June 27, 1848, to Mercedes Concha Fuentealba, with whom he had another 6 children. Between 1823 and 1824, Baquedano participated in the

Peruvian War of Independence The Peruvian War of Independence () was a series of military conflicts in Peru from 1809 to 1826 that resulted in the country's independence from the Spanish Empire. Part of the broader Spanish American wars of independence, it led to the dis ...

and later under General

Ramón Freire Ramón Saturnino Andrés Freire y Serrano (; November 29, 1787 – December 9, 1851) was a Chilean political figure. He was head of state on several occasions, and enjoyed a numerous following until the War of the Confederation. Ramón Fr ...

in the capture of Chiloé (1826) and all the campaigns between 1827 and 1829. During the Chilean Civil War of 1829 he served under the banners of General

José Joaquín Prieto José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

, and fought at the battles of Ochagavía (1829) and Lircay (1830). During the

, he fought under

Manuel Bulnes Manuel Bulnes Prieto (; December 25, 1799 – October 18, 1866) was a Chilean military and political figure who was President of Chile from 1841 to 1851. Born in Concepción, he served as the president of Chile between 1841 and 1851. At the ...

at the battles of Portada de Guías (1838) and Yungay (1839) where he was injured and promoted to Brigadier General. At the Chilean Revolution of 1851, he was the head of General

José María de la Cruz General José María de la Cruz Prieto (Concepcion, Chile, Concepción, March 25, 1799 – November 23, 1875) was a Chilean soldier. The son of Luis de la Cruz (politician), Luis de la Cruz and of Josefa Prieto Sotomayor, and was a cousin of fut ...

's rebel army general staff, while the government troops were under the command of General

, of whom Baquedano's son Manuel was personal adjutant. The rebel army was defeated at the battle of Loncomilla in December 1851. There, he and his son Eleuterio Baquedano where wounded and captured in battle. He was subsequently pardoned by President

Manuel Montt Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres (; September 4, 1809 – September 21, 1880) was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861. He was the first civilian to serve a full term as Presi ...

and reincorporated to the service. In 1858, Baquedano retired completely from the army, and was named a member of the Martial Court of Appeals of Concepción. He died of a stroke at his home in Concepción, at the age of 66.

References

External links

Genealogical chart of Baquedano family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baquedano, Fernando 1796 births 1862 deaths Chilean Army generals Chilean people of Basque descent Politicians from Santiago, Chile People of the War of the Confederation Recipients of Chilean presidential pardons Viceroyalty of Peru people

See also

References

External links