Casimiro Alegre

Casimiro Alegre
Born 1741
Buenos Aires, Viceroyalty of Peru
Died 1825
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buried at Cementerio del norte
Allegiance Spain Spain — until 1810
Argentina United Provinces of the River Plate
Years of service 1755–1817
Rank Sergeant major
Unit Guardia of Juncal (1771–77)
Commands held 1° Compañía Milicias Urbanas of San Vicente
Battles/wars Campaign of the Desert
British invasions of the River Plate
Portuguese invasion of the Banda Oriental

Casimiro Alegre (1741–1825) was an Argentine militia officer, landowner and alcalde.[1] He served as Commandant in the Regiment of Blandengues of the Frontier during the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.[2]

Biography

Alegre was born on 19 January 1741 in Buenos Aires, was the son of Matias Alegre (born in Asuncion) and Francisca Sosa.[3] His father Matias, was devoted to livestock, had a ranch in Zárate northeast of the province of Buenos Aires.[4]

Casimiro Alegre was married to Anastacia Espinosa,[5] daughter of Francisco Antonio Espinosa (descendant of Antón Higueras de Santana) and Francisca Ramírez. The Espinosa family was originally from Burgos Mountains.[6]

Alegre and his wife had nine sons Agustina, Juana Ventura, Juan Napomuceno, Ramón Florencio, Cipriano, Francisco Javier (military), Cornelio, Mariano and Saturnino Alegre powerful landowners of centre-east of Buenos Aires.[7]

Casimiro Alegre was a descendant of Esteban Alegre, who arrived at Río de la Plata in the expedition of Juan de Garay,[8] also a descendant of Luis Alegre (expeditionary of Pedro de Mendoza).[9] He was godson and nephew–in–law of Ramón López de Osornio (landowner). His sister Petrona Alegre Sosa was married to Francisco de Rivas, appointed alcalde of Morón in 1785.[10]

The Alegre family were all farmers of the province of Buenos Aires, linked to other important Argentine families as López Osornio, Sosa, De la Rosa and Andrada. They had large land possessions in the towns of San Vicente and Cañuelas.

Militia career

donations of horses, published by Gazeta de Buenos Ayres on September 6, 1810

Casimiro Alegre had chosen a militia career under the influence of his grandfather the Sergeant major, Bernabé Alegre husband of Potenciana Paredes, descendant of Francisco de Paredes.[11] He began his military career at the age of nineteen or twenty, serving in the Guardia del Juncal, a fortress built in the town of Cañuelas to prevent the advance of the Indians.[12] In 1777, Alegre was responsible for the construction of the barracks on the shores of Laguna of Monte, area populated by rebellious Indians.[13] In 1779, he was promoted to Lieutenant of militia and appointed Captain in 1780.

The night of August 27, 1780, in Luján there had been an Indians attack composed of thousands of pampas warriors. The Consejo de guerra of Buenos Aires had appointed to Captain Casimiro Alegre, to lead the punitive expeditions against raids. These military expeditions were properly equipped with flintlocks, carbines, pistols, lances and sabers.[14]

As an officer, Alegre was appointed alcalde de la hermandad in the towns of Almirante Brown (current territory), San Vicente, Magdalena 1780, and La Matanza three times-1790, 1795, 1796.[15] As alcalde of La Matanza, Alegre was commissioned by the Viceroy, Pedro Melo de Portugal to make the appraisal of a land located in the current territory of Marcos Paz.[16]

During the British invasion, Alegre served in the Regimiento Voluntarios de Caballería de la Frontera, formed with volunteers of Buenos Aires province,[17] including militias of Magdalena, Quilmes, Ranchos and Chascomús. His son Francisco Javier Alegre, served as Alférez in the 1° Regimiento de Caballería de la Frontera (1st Cavalry Regiment).[18]

Casimiro Alegre supported the May Revolution of 1810. He and his son Francisco had collaborated to buy horses, for the First Upper Peru campaign. And made available to the authorities of Buenos Aires, his whole regiment of militia, including all staff his ranch of San Vicente.[19]

In 1811, Alegre participated in the defense of the Banda Orienta del Uruguay against Portuguese invasion.[20]

In 1817, Casimiro Alegre retired as Sergeant major, Commandant in the 1st Company of urban militias of San Vicente, province of Buenos Aires.[21]

References

  1. ↑ Acuerdos del extinguido Cabildo de Buenos Aires, José Juan Biedma
  2. ↑ Historia de Chascomús - Volumen1, Francisco L. Romay
  3. ↑ Documentos para la historia Argentina. Compañía Sud-Americana de Billetes de Banco. 1955.
  4. ↑ Padrones de la ciudad y campaña de Buenos Aires: (1726-1810), Peuser, 1955
  5. ↑ Trabajos y comunicaciones, Volumes 11-12, Universidad Nacional de la Plata
  6. ↑ Revista del Centro de Estudios Genealógicos de Buenos Aires. Centro de Estudios Genealógicos de Buenos Aires.
  7. ↑ Estancias y estancieros de barracas hasta el salado: la epopeya de los pioneros Británicos en el Campo Argentino, Volume 1. Emilio Manuel Fernández-Gómez.
  8. ↑ Jaime López Fermoselle (1988). Juan de Garay, Fundador de Poblaciones: Novela Histórica. Torres Agüero Editor. ISBN 978-950-549-158-2.
  9. ↑ Bart de Groof (1998). En los deltas de la memoria: Bélgica y Argentina en los siglos XIX y XX.
  10. ↑ Boletín mensual del Instituto Argentino de Ciencias Genealógicas, Número 103;Números 111-112, Instituto Argentino de Ciencias Genealógicas
  11. ↑ Boletín del Instituto Argentino de Ciencias Genealógicas, Número 174, Instituto Argentino de Ciencias Genealógicas, 1992
  12. ↑ Politica seguida con el aborigen: (1750-1819), Argentina. Ejército. Dirección de Estudios Históricos
  13. ↑ La guardia de San Miguel del Monte (1580-1830). Eduardo F. Sánchez Zinny.
  14. ↑ Francisco L. Romay. Historia de Chascomús, Volume 1. Comisión Honoraria del Centro de Publicaciones Municipales.
  15. ↑ Buenos Aires (Argentina) Cabildo; José Juan Biedma (1930). Acuerdos del extinguido Cabildo de Buenos Aires, publicados bajo la dirección del director del Archivo general de la nación ... Serie I-IV; 1589–1821.
  16. ↑ Enriqueta E. Moliné de Berardoni. Historia de Marcos Paz: desde sus orígenes hasta la creación del Partido, 1636-1880. Archivo Histórico de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. "Ricardo Levene.
  17. ↑ Historia de la nación argentina : desde los origenes hasta la organización definitiva en 1862, Academia Nacional de la Historia (Argentina)
  18. ↑ Registro nacional de la República Argentina, Argentina
  19. ↑ Compañía Sud-Americana de Billetes de Banco (1910). Gaceta de Buenos Aires (1810-1821).
  20. ↑ Lucio V. García Ledesma (1979). Bases documentales para la historia de Cañuelas. Municipalidad de Cañuelas.
  21. ↑ Archivo General de la Nación (Argentina) (1925). Tomas de razón de despachos militares, cédulas de premio, retiros, empleos civiles y eclesiásticos, donativos, etc., 1740 a 1821. G. Kraft, impresor.

External links

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