Cayetano Valdés y Flores

Cayetano Valdés y Flores (1767-1834) was a Spanish naval officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, fighting for both sides at different times due to the changing fortunes of Spain in the conflict.

Early career

Born in Seville, Valdés was just fourteen when he departed for the Naval Academy in Cadiz in 1781. During his time there he saw action in the American Revolutionary War, participating in the Siege of Gibraltar from the landwards side. He also took part in a Spanish operation against Algiers in an effort to crush the rampant piracy and white slavery sponsored by the Dey.

Malaspina and Galiano expeditions

Valdés finally achieved his position as a confirmed officer of the scientific expedition of Alessandro Malaspina. In 1791 Malaspina gave him command of the "goleta" "Mexicana" and orders to explore the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Strait of Georgia in an expedition under the command of another of Malaspina's officers, Dionisio Alcalá Galianocite web |url= http://www.mala.bc.ca/www/discover/capt/capt.htm |title= Captain Alexandro Malaspina |accessdate= 2008-02-05 | publisher= Malaspina University-College] The term "goleta" is Spanish for a schooner-like ship but not necessary rigged as a schooner. The "Mexicana" began rigged as a topsail schooner but was changed during the voyage to a brig. [cite book |last= Kendrick |first= John |title= The Voyage of "Sutil" and "Mexicana", 1792: The last Spanish exploration of the Northwest Coast of America |year= 1990 |publisher= The Arthur H. Clark Company |location= Spokane, Washington |isbn= 0-87062-203-X |pages= p. 34]

Napoleonic Wars

Following his graduation from the academy, promotion was rapid, and by 1797 he was in command of the ship of the line "Pelayo" at the battle of Cape St Vincent when the British fleet of Sir John Jervis defeated the Spanish thanks to a daring manouvere by Horatio Nelson. Valdés however gained a reputation from this battle as a strong fighter, and was again promoted, this time into the larger "Neptuno", in which he conveyed the commander of Spanish forces in Hispanola on a joint Franco-Spanish operation against the rebellious slaves in Haiti during the Haitian Revolution.

In 1805, Valdés and the "Neptuno" were based in Cadiz as commodore of a squadron of ships, and so they were called on to fight when the French fleet attempted to make the open sea during the Trafalgar campaign. On the 21 October the combined fleet was chased down and attacked in the Battle of Trafalgar. Valdés again fought hard, his ship was leading the combined fleet and turned back into the melee behind him. Unfortunately the French ships accompanying the "Neptuno" under Admiral Dumanior did not turn back and so the isolated "Neptuno" was surrounded and eventually forced to surrender.

Although his ship was wrecked in the storm which followed the battle, Valdés and many of his shipmates survived, and thus he was in England when the Peninsular War broke out in Spain in 1808. Immediately released and returning home, Valdés enlisted in the land army and participated in a battle at Espinosa de los Monteros on the staff of General Blake but mainly contented himself with administration and involvement in the Cadiz Cortes. For this service during the was he was appointed the Captain General in charge of Cadiz, but on the return of Ferdinand VII of Spain, he was stripped of his titles and was lucky to escape death during the repression which followed the restitution of an absolute monarchy.

Later life

In the uprising of 1820 he was again heavily involved on the republican side, and fought in the First Spanish Civil War although without much success, proving more adept as the short-lived government’s minister for war. Under a sentence of death, he fled to Gibraltar where he was protected by the British for ten years until in 1833 he was permitted to return and even had his titles of captain general of Cadiz and admiral returned to him. He died in Cadiz in 1834.

Legacy

Valdes Island, an island on the Strait of Georgia, is named for Cayetano Valdés, as is Cayetano Point on that island's southwestern end. [BCGNIS|3465|Cayetano Point] Other features on Valdes Island that relate to the 1792 voyage include Mexicana Hill, named for Valdés's ship the "Mexicana", [BCGNIS|22571|Mexicana Hill] Dibuxante Point, named for the artist José Cardero who sailed on board the "Mexicana", [BCGNIS|17310|Dibuxante Point] , and Vernaci Point, for Juan Vernacci y Retamal, one of Valdés's officers.

References

External links

* "This article is based on a translation of an article from the Spanish Wikipedia".
* [http://capitanalatriste.com/escritor.html?s=patentescorso/pc_17sep06 A portrait of Cayetano Valdés] , by Arturo Pérez-Reverte