Simón de Herrera y Leyva (1754–1813) was a lifelong political and military professional for Spain, primarily in the lands known as

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...

and at times ventured to Europe. He became an interim governor of Spanish Texas at San Antonio and a governor of

Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...

Early life and career

Born in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

in 1754, Simón de Herrera started his military career at the early age of nine, joining the Guimar Militia as sub-lieutenant on September 12, 1763. On August 2, 1769, at the age of 15, he had already reached the rank of captain of militia. In 1776, he served in South American ventures capturing Portuguese (now Brazilian) towns and ports.Harris Gaylord Warren and Jack D. L. Homes
"HERRERA, SIMON DE"
''Handbook of Texas Online'' In Spain, he served as special courier to France and participated in the

Great Siege of Gibraltar The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from the British during the War of the American Revolution. It was the largest battle in the war by number of combatants. The American war had end ...

until 1781. In 1782, he fought under the command of Bernardo de Gálvez at Guárico, Venezuela, and became acquainted with

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. He performed military services from 1788 to 1794 in Colotlán and

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

, in Nueva Galicia, and afterwards took on a military leadership role in

Governorships

On April 7, 1795, he assumed political and military governorship of Nuevo León. He successfully lead his command against large raiding parties of

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

s and

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

s in 1797. In addition, he provided protection for the Texas frontier.

Move to Texas

Commissioned as commandant of the Louisiana frontier, he traveled to San Antonio on May 31, 1806.Edmonson, p. 31. He was ordered by Commandant General of the Internal Provinces,

Nemesio Salcedo y Salcedo Nemesio de Salcedo (fl. 1804 - 1813) was a Spanish colonial official who served as the Commandant-General of the Provincias Internas, which at the time included much of northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Early life and family ...

,Weber p. 295. to patrol the area between the Sabine and the Arroyo Hondo. He occupied Bayou Pierre in resistance to foreseen American aggression by General

James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American soldier, politician, and double agent who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, b ...

. In November 1806, Herrera and Wilkinson settled on the Neutral Ground agreement (which was honored until the

Adams–Onís Treaty The Adams–Onís Treaty () of 1819, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty, the Florida Purchase Treaty, or the Florida Treaty,Weeks, p.168. was a treaty between the United States and Spain in 1819 that ceded Florida to the U.S. and defined t ...

of 1819).Edmonson, p. 31. After 1806 Herrera devoted his time in improving the defenses of Texas. During the rebellion led by

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Don (honorific), Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader ...

, Herrera was imprisoned in 1811, during the Casas Revolt in San Antonio.Almaráz, p. 118. Herrera and Governor

Manuel María de Salcedo Manuel María de Salcedo y Quiroga, (1776 in Málaga, Spain – executed, April 3, 1813), was a governor of Spanish Texas from 1808 until his execution in 1813. Salcedo gained leadership experience helping his father Juan Manuel de Salcedo ...

were removed for detention to Ignacio Elizondo's hacienda in

Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...

. These two royalist prisoners persuaded Elizondo to change allegiance.Almaráz, p. 119. Their new convert Elizondo soon captured Hidalgo and his followers on their pilgrimage to establish San Antonio as the center of the revolt in

.Edmonson, p. 35. In July 1811, Herrera returned to San Antonio as ''ad interim'' governor. He filled this position for six months, until Salcedo resumed the office in December. Salcedo and Herrera were confronted by the Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition, a

filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out ...

that captured Nacogdoches and

La Bahía LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

in November 1812. Herrera and Salcedo began a three-month siege of La Bahía.Edmonson, p. 37. But after failing to get the rebels to surrender, they fell back to San Antonio in February.

Capture and execution

Pursued by the Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition, they suffered a disastrous defeat at the

Battle of Rosillo Creek The Battle of Rosillo Creek (also known as the Battle of Rosalis) was a conflict between the Republican Army of the North and Spanish Royalist forces which occurred on March 29, 1813 in Coahuila y Tejas. The battle took place during the Gutiérr ...

. On March 29, in less than an hour, an army of over a thousand were defeated by an army half their strength. They surrendered San Antonio to the republican army on April 1, 1813. and the royalist leaders were taken prisoner. Two days later radical Mexican revolutionaries murdered Governors Herrera and Salcedo, and several other leaders as they were marched out of town. Their bodies were left on the ground, but later they were retrieved by Father José Dario Zambrano and buried at the

San Fernando Cathedral Cathedral of San Fernando or San Fernando Cathedral may refer to: * Basilca Cathedral of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina * Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando (Pampanga), Philippines * Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando (Resis ...

on August 28.Almaráz, p. 1721.

References

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External links

Simón de Herrera
in the ''

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...