Pedro de Ampudia

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pedro de Ampudia at the time of the Mexican-American War

Pedro de Ampudia (* 1803 in Cuba , † 1868 in Mexico ) was an officer in the Spanish and then later in the Mexican army . He was also temporarily the commander in chief of the Mexican Northern Army.

Life

Pedro de Ampudia was born in Cuba in 1803.

Ampudia began his career in the Spanish Army and then immigrated to Mexico after the Mexican War of Independence . While he was still serving as an officer in the Mexican artillery in the Battle of Alamo in 1836 , he was later commander of the troops at the Battle of San Jacinto . During the border battles with Texas in the early 1840s, Ampudia was never defeated and was respected by his enemies across the border.

He was appointed commander in chief of the Mexican Northern Army in the Mexican-American War in 1846 and was only replaced as commander after the brutal public execution of a regional guerrilla leader , which had taken place on his personal orders.

As a conservador (a member of the Mexican Conservative faction), Ampudia was quickly transferred to the staff camp of his liberal adversary, General Mariano Arista . Already at the Battle of Palo Alto Ampudia criticized Arista for what he saw as "unacceptable tactical botch" and continued his criticism at the Battle of Resaca de la Palma , a defeat for which Arista partly blamed him.

During the long retreat south, Ampudia was appointed Commander in Chief of the Northern Army in time to command the Mexican forces at the Battle of Monterrey . Despite orders from Antonio López de Santa Anna that he should withdraw to Saltillo , Ampudia instead stood in front of Monterrey and informed Santa Anna as follows:

"The men will make no further retreat in the face of the enemy."

After a skilful defense of the city, Ampudia, as his army was badly battered, had to wave the white flag and pull away, although part of the American lines had collapsed in several places. His agreement with Zachary Taylor allowed the Northern Army to keep their weapons, but they had to march as far south as possible and refrain from any further offensive for the next three months. At Saltillo Ampudia tried to build a line of defense similar to the one at Monterrey, but the city's residents did not want to know about it. His failure to defend the city led to his replacement by Santa Anna, and like his predecessor Arista, Ampudia spent most of the war administrative, despite commanding portions of the Mexican artillery at the Battle of Buena Vista in 1847 .

Despite his controversial retreat from Monterrey, Ampudia remained popular in Mexican parlance as "the only man who could defeat Taylor". After the war, Ampudia's political sentiments gradually turned liberal, so that he supported President Benito Juárez during the French intervention in Mexico and served with considerable bravery and artistry as the commander of the Liberal Eastern Army, under whose command he was seriously wounded.

Pedro de Ampudia died in 1868 (possibly due to complications caused by his wartime injury) and was buried in Panteón de San Fernando.

See also

Bibliography

  • Jack K. Bauer: The Mexican War. 1846-1848. Macmillan, New York NY et al. 1974.
  • Miguel Ángel Peral (Ed.): Diccionario Biográfico Mexicano. Editorial PAC, Mexico City 1944.
  • Vito Alessio Robles : Coahuila y Texas en la época colonial. Editorial Cultura, Mexico City 1938 (2nd edition. (= Biblioteca Porrúa. Vol. 70, ZDB -ID 1410582-2 ). Editorial Porrúa, Mexico City 1978).

Web links