Martín Miguel de Güemes
| Martín Miguel de Güemes | |
|---|---|
Posthumous portrait by Eduardo Schiaffino.
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| Governor of Salta province | |
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In office 1815–1821 |
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| Preceded by | Miguel Aráoz |
| Succeeded by | José Antonio Fernández Cornejo |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
8 February 1785 Salta, Argentina |
| Died | 17 June 1821 (aged 36) Salta, Argentina |
| Resting place | Panteón de las Glorias del Norte, Salta |
| Nationality | Argentina |
| Political party | Patriot |
| Relations | Macacha Güemes, Francisca Güemes |
| Profession | Officer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Provinces of South America |
| Years of service | 1799-1821 |
| Rank | General |
Martín Miguel de Güemes (8 February 1785 – 17 June 1821) was a military leader and popular caudillo who defended northwestern Argentina from the Spanish during the Argentine War of Independence.
Güemes was born in Salta into a wealthy family. His father, Gabriel de Güemes Montero, born in Santander, in the Spanish province of Cantabria, was a learned man and was serving as royal treasurer of the Spanish crown. He got his son to have a good education with private teachers who taught him philosophical and scientific knowledge of his time. His mother was María Magdalena de Goyechea y la Corte, born in Salta.
He was sent to study at the Royal College of San Carlos in Buenos Aires. At 23 he started his military career and took part in the defense of Buenos Aires during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata, where Güemes achieved notability when he and his cavalrymen charged and took over the armed British merchantman Justine, moored in shallow waters. After the formation of the first local government junta in the May Revolution of 1810, he joined the army destined to fight the Spanish troops at the Upper Peru, which was victorious in the Battle of Suipacha (in present-day Bolivia). He then returned to Buenos Aires and took part in the siege of Montevideo.
Güemes returned to Salta in 1815, and organized the resistance against the royalists (forces loyal to Spain) employing local gauchos trained in guerrilla tactics. He was appointed Governor of Salta Province and in November of that year, General José Rondeau, appointed leader of the Peru campaign to replace José de San Martín, suffered a defeat and attempted to take weapons from Salta's gauchos. Güemes refused and the Supreme Director of the Provinces of the Río de la Plata, Ignacio Álvarez Thomas, sent troops to help Rondeau. Eventually an agreement was reached, by which Güemes would continue to lead his forces and would help the armies sent from Buenos Aires.
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Wikipedia