Fernando Valerio Gil (1806 – 2 November 1863) was an agriculturalist and soldier from the Dominican Republic. He is considered a hero of the battles of

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, who ...

—together with

José María Imbert Divisional General José María Bartolomé Imbert Duplessis (né Joseph Marie Barthélemy Imbert; (24 August 1798 in (now Le Plessis-Grammoire), Maine-et-Loire (Pays de la Loire), France – 14 May 1847 in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) w ...

—, and

Sabana Larga Sabana Larga is a town in the San José de Ocoa province of the Dominican Republic. Sources * – World-Gazetteer.com Populated places in San José de Ocoa Province Municipalities of the Dominican Republic {{Municipalitie ...

—together with Juan Luis Franco Bidó—. He was commander in chief of the northern border. General Fernando Valerio Gil was born in 1806 in Sabana Iglesia, in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of Santiago. Described as

white White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

and blue-eyed, Valerio was born in a family of Spanish ancestry. His parents were Narciso Valerio and Elena Gil Tineo. Valerio married his first cousin once removed Petronila Suriel Fernández (c. 1801–1908) in 1827, with whom he begot 7 children. He also had offspring with other two women, with María Ignacia Gómez had two children and with Eduviges Peña had four children. During the Haitian regime that ruled Santo Domingo, Valerio belonged to the civic infantry in which he reached the rank of captain. After the Dominican Independence was declared in February 1844, the Haitian president Charles Hérard advanced with his troops to reconquer the rebel territory, but Valerio, at the head of a contingent, confronted him. This event, that was known as the "Charge of the Andulleros", was decisive for the Dominican victory at the Battle of Santiago (March 1844). When the

Dominican War of Independence The Dominican War of Independence made the Dominican Republic a sovereign state on February 27, 1844. Before the war, the island of Hispaniola had been united for 22 years when the newly independent nation, previously known as the Captaincy Gene ...

ended in 1856, Valerio was promoted to the rank of

Divisional General Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army co ...

. He died on 2 November 1863.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valerio, Fernando Dominican Republic people of Spanish descent 1863 deaths 1806 births People from Santiago Province (Dominican Republic) Dominican Republic independence activists Dominican Republic revolutionaries People of the Dominican War of Independence Dominican Republic military personnel White Dominicans