Mirandas Expedition (Feb-Aug 1806)

Adventure, Heroism and Tragedy

Carlos Vidales 2006-2013

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.

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.

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

Francisco de Miranda was born on March 28, 1750 in Caracas, Venezuela. His name was originally Sebastin Francisco but dropped the name Sebastin 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Miranda's Expedition: pp. 589-602

The Library of Congress

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

Eyewitness narratives of Don Francisco de Mirandas 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.

Biggs:
El Leandro es un barco de cerca de doscientas toneladas de capacidad, comandado por el capitn Thomas Lewis un hombre valiente y un verdadero maestro de su profesin.

[] Hay cerca de doscientos hombres a bordo, de manera que usted puede concebir que es mucha tripulacin y as, un poco mal acomodada.

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 . . ."

Feb 12

Feb 13

Feb 18

March 12

En este da los colores colombianos fueron desplegados a bordo por primera vez. Esta bandera est formada por los tres colores primarios que predominan en el arco iris (amarillo, azul y rojo). Hicimos una fiesta en esta ocasin; se dispar un can e hicimos brindis (Biggs)

March 28

March 28

April 7

April 11

April 16

24

27

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.

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.

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.

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

The peoples of Latin America remember him with Love and Gratitude