La expedición de Francisco Miranda en 1806 (en inglés). Material documental para estudiantes.

1. Miranda’s Expedition (Feb-Aug 1806)
Adventure, Heroism and Tragedy
© Carlos Vidales 2006-2013

2. A British perspective
After the loss of the North American colonies, the English decided
to expand into the Spanish Colonies of South America. In 1795, a
Scott by the name of Nicholas Vansittart wrote a white paper
clearly outlining a way to take South America away from Spain.
The British Government initially approved the Vansittart plan but
later canceled it, in 1797. A Scottish Major General, Sir Thomas
Maitland, a friend of Nicholas Vasinttart, revised the Vansittart
plan in the early 1800s. The British Government approved this
plan and it subsequently changed its name to the Maitland plan.
Among the more salient points of the Maitland Plan were the
following: Two English expeditionary forces, one to land in
Venezuela and which was to march south towards Lima, and the
other to land in Buenos Aires. After capturing Buenos Aires, this
second force together with local recruited soldiers, was to scale the
Andes with 7,000 men, liberate Chile, and then conduct an
amphibious assault on Lima.

3. The Maitland plan was put into effect during the
Napoleonic War in 1806. England used the fact that Spain
was now technically an ally of France as the excuse to
start the war. England sent an expeditionary force of 1,600
men to invade Buenos Aires, under General William Carr
Beresford; this attempt failed. Few months later, an
invasion army of 11,000 men arrived in Buenos Aires
under the orders of General John Whitelocke. At the same
time, a second fleet with 4.000 men captured Montivedeo
and used the city as a staging post and communications
centre. The fighting in Buenos Aires was to be one of the
most heroic pages in all of Latin American history. The
people of Buenos Aires single-handedly defeated this huge
invasion force in hand-to-hand and street-by-street
fighting.

4. England was surprised by the determination of these pesky
colonials. They were forced to change their tactics but not
their overall plan. The new tactic was to recruit young army
officers, born in South America, to lead an insurrection
against Spain and turn the new countries into becoming loyal
to the British Crown. The English recruited Francisco
Miranda, a Freemason and a Venezuelan who had founded La
Gran Reunion Americana, a Masonic Lodge based in London.
Miranda had connections all around the world. He acted
during the American Revolution and was very well acquainted
with fellow Masons: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
James Madison, and many of the American founding fathers.
He also had connections throughout England and France.
”British interest in South America was not as casual as many have assumed”, The British Role
in the Independence of South America from Spain. Contributes by Hektor R. Fuster,
http://www.britishempire.co.uk/empire.htm

5. Francisco de Miranda was born on March 28, 1750 in Caracas,
Venezuela. His name was originally Sebastián Francisco but
dropped the name Sebastián upon his younger brother's death. As
a boy he studied at the Royal University of Caracas where
learned Latin, mathematics, living languages, and the art of
warfare. At seventeen years, he enlisted as a cadet in the Spanish
military service. When he was twenty-one years old he left
Caracas and set sail on the open sea. This is also where he started
his journal and his journey to Europe. It is on this journey where
he meets a man named Francisco de Arrieta and once they land in
Spain they set their sites on Madrid. While in Madrid he studied
more and increased his language skills, which would pay off in
his future. His father sent money to Madrid, so Francisco can
have a place in the Princess' Regiment.

6. After attaining the rank of captain, he served gallantly in the
American Revolution in 1779 and 1781. He was then sent to
Cuba, where he befriended Manuel Cajigal, the captain
general. However, allegations of illegal trading forced de
Miranda to flee to Europe. He traveled through England,
Turkey, Germany, and Russia. He served in the French
Revolution, and attained the rank of major general. In the
campaign of 1793, he was taken prisoner at Neerwinden, and
was tried for, but acquitted of mismanagement. The name of
de Miranda is on the "Arc de Triomphe" in Paris among
those of the great captains that fought in that Revolution.

7. He returned to the United States, where
he found the means to equip two vessels
and about 200 volunteers, with whom he
sailed for Venezuela in the hopes of
securing independence for that country.
His ambition was to kindle the fire of
revolution in South America.

8. Many American newspapers of the period
contained glowing reports of the expedition,
and the liberal revolutionary's intent to spread
New World revolution to South America
clearly excited the ardor of many young
Americans.
In the United States Miranda was able to get
two hundred men from the suburbs of New
York and twenty young officers to help with
his cause.

9. A testimony
Some of the sons and relatives of many of the first people of the State were in
the expedition. The "Leander" sailed about the 1st of February, 1806. On
Board were Thomas Lewis; William Steuben Smith, alluded to, who ranked
as aid of General Miranda; there were Henry Sands, Barent Roorbach,
William Hosack, Edward Gates, Elisha King, James B. Gardner, Alexander
Buchanan, John Moor, David Burnett, Dr. Samuel Scofield (surgeon to the
army,) Henry Perry, John T. O'Sullivan, and such like names. That Henry
Perry was an uncle of mine.
Here is one of the commissions of Miranda: "Don Francisco De Miranda,
Commander-in-Chief of the Columbian Army By virtue of power and
authority invested in me, I hereby constitute and appoint William Hosack a
first Lieutenant of Artillery in the army of Columbia, under my command;
and all officers, his superiors and inferiors, non-commissioned officers and
others, are hereby required to respect and obey him as such, agreeable to the
articles of War. Signed, FRAN. DE MIRANDA Thomas Molini, Sec'y
Reg't_____."
THE OLD MERCHANTS OF NEW YORK CITY Second Series By Walter Barrett, Clerk 1863. MERCHANT
DESCRIPTIONS, CHAPTER 20

10. Miranda's Expedition: pp. 589-602

16. The Library of Congress
A Century of
Lawmaking for a
New Nation: U.S.
Congressional
Documents and
Debates, 1774 - 1875

17. Eyewitness narratives of Don Francisco de Miranda’s
attempted South American revolution in 1806:
Smith, Moses. History of the adventures and sufferings of Moses Smith,
during five years of his life; from the beginning of the year 1806, when he
was betrayed into the Miranda Expedition, until June 1811, when he was
nonsuited in an action at law, which lasted three years and a half. To which
is added, a biographical sketch of Gen. Miranda. Albany: Packard & Van
Benthuysen (for the author), 1814. 12mo (18 cm, 7.1"). iv, [13]–146, [6]
pp.; 2 plts.
[BIGGS, JAMES]
The History of Don Francisco de Miranda's attempt to effect a Revolution in
South America, in a series of letters, by a Gentleman who was an Officer
under that General, to his friend in the United States. To which are annexed,
Sketches of the life of Miranda, and geographical notices of Caraccas . . .
Boston: published by Edward Oliver, 1808.

19. Biggs:
El ”Leandro” es un barco de cerca de doscientas
toneladas de capacidad, comandado por el
capitán Thomas Lewis… un hombre valiente y
un verdadero maestro de su profesión.
[…] Hay cerca de doscientos hombres a bordo,
de manera que usted puede concebir que es
mucha tripulación y así, un poco mal
acomodada.

20. Biggs’ testimony
Reference is made to Jefferson as President on page 6:
"We are encouraged in the belief that our government has
given its implied sanction to this expedition, and this
circumstance, taken in connexion with the official language of
the President, and the known sentiments of some of the
political party that now prevails, leads us to suppose that our
government expects or intends, very soon explicitly to
authorise the use of force against Spain. Under such
impressions, we think we shall not be called to account as
violating the pacifick relations of the United States . . ."

21. Feb
12

22. Feb
13

23. Feb
18

24. En este día los colores
colombianos fueron
desplegados a bordo por
primera vez. Esta bandera
está formada por los tres
colores primarios que
March predominan en el arco iris
12 (amarillo, azul y rojo).
Hicimos una fiesta en esta
ocasión; se disparó un
cañón e hicimos brindis…
(Biggs)

26. March
28

27. March 28
April 7 April 11

28. April 16
24
27

40. Miranda returned back to
England late in the year
of 1807. He dwelled in
his house in London (27
Grafton Street, now 58
Grafton Way) during the
last six of the fourteen
years he spent in
London. In that house his
and Sarah Andrews’ two
sons was born –Leandro
in 1803 and Francisco in
1806.

41. In the years following his
attempts a revolution started
up with the same people
who had fought against him
in the years earlier. In
1810, he returned to help in
the support of those who
wanted to be separate from
Spain. He was appointed
commander in chief by the
Junta de Gobierno
(Congress). He was now in
charge of leading
Venezuela to
independence. On the fifth
of July 1811, independence
was declared.

42. This independence would be short-lived . Miranda
later tried to convince the patriot leaders of the
Venezuelan Congress to form a new centralized
government and allow him to be the new leader, but this
did not work. In 1812, a man named Juan Domingo
Montverde won numerous battles for the royalist and led
an attack against Miranda and his followers. Juan and
the royalist forces were to much for Miranda and his
men. Miranda surrendered to Montverde on July the
twenty-fifth 1812, ending the first republic of Venezuela.
Many patriotic leaders to the republic including the
young Bolivar, suspected Miranda actions as being close
to treason. It was even Bolivar who did not allow
Miranda to leave the country when his was defeated. The
royalists arrested Miranda and he was sent to prison in
Spain.

43. During the forth year of his imprisonment in La Carraca, Cádiz, he died
in 1816. His death was slow, and was caused because of numerous health
problems. (Encyclopedia of World Biography p. 52)

45. The peoples of
Latin America
remember him
with Love and
Gratitude