Chandler's Watch

Presidios Honored Through the Centuries

Written by Marc Stockwell-Moniz

Thursday, 21 February 2008

The Presidio in San Diego, CA

It was a typical hot-day in San Diego, Alta California, New Spain on June 21, 1779. In more ways than one, it was also a hot day in the mother county of Spain, 7,000 miles away in Europe. The Spanish monarch, King Carlos III had just declared war on his ancient enemy, the nation of England. King Carlos III was following the lead of France and Holland with his support for the fledging-nation of The United States of America. King Carlos III ordered his army, which was stationed along the California coastline, to fire upon any English ship or to attack any English raiding party that might try to gather supplies along the California coastline.
Communication was very slow moving in the 18th century. News from Europe took six weeks to cross the Atlantic Ocean. And in the case of Spanish-controlled Mexico, additional weeks were added for the news to reach Mexico City. Once in Mexico, any news or orders for the Spanish Presidio garrisons in Alta California took additional time to reach its destination. When news of the declaration of war with England finally reached San Diego, Santa Barbara, Monterey and San Francisco, these small Spanish Presidios were asked to not only fight on behalf of The United States, but also to help finance the war. Each Soldado (solider) in the San Diego Presidio was asked to donate two pesos each and each Native-American one peso each.
King Carlos III sent out a Royal Order in 1780 which said: “Being that the Americans are the principal object of my concerns, and the greed of my enemies, and being able to depend upon the voluntary help that I have always been blessed with and the loyalty of all the people of this vast and rich domain, I have decided at the present time on an easy, almost unnoticed, way to have a one-time donation, a contribution of one peso from all free men as well as Indians and other casts that are part of the people, and two pesos from the Spanish and nobles and all individuals’ servants and maids, deducting this from their salaries.”
The San Diego Presidio garrison had fifty-four Spanish soldiers. The commanding officer was Lieutenant Ortega. He was ordered by Commandante General Teodoro de Croix of the Provinces of Northwest New Spain, which included Alta California, to make war with the English, to secure the safety of their horses and to collect this one-time donation on behalf of King Carlos III.
Spain continued its’ support for The United Sates to the end of the War of Independence. Elsewhere, Spain often attacked English shipping in the West Indies. This action helped free the French fleet that helped secure the victory of the last great battle of the war, in Yorktown, October, 1781. Spanish participation against England, in the Gulf of Mexico and the Louisiana Territory also proved to be quite beneficial to The United States during the Revolutionary War. This action tied up many valuable British ships, supplies and men.
Many years later, on July 16, 1929, philanthropist and patriot George White Marston gifted the people of San Diego the Junipero Serra Museum and the Presidio Park. Marston a former President of the San Diego Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (1914-15) had been buying and preserving the land around the “old” Presidio for over two decades! Marston understood the historical-value and contribution that Spain made to The United States during the American Revolutionary War. Marston presided over this day-long dedication at the Presidio. That day was the culmination of Marston’s hard work and dedication to the site of the first Spanish settlement in Alta California.
On November 4, 2005, the San Diego Chapter of the California Society of the Sons of the American Revolution will dedicate a plaque to the Spanish soldiers and the Native Americans of the San Diego Presidio. These brave soldiers stood guard for liberty and helped The United States gain independence from King George III of Britain. The San Diego Chapter of the California Society of the Sons of the American Revolution extend a warm welcome to all of the citizens of San Diego County to please come and join us as we honor the Spanish soldiers and Native Americans who allied themselves as one of the first friends of the new American nation.

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