Today's DAR
On November 12, I had the honor of joining Texas State Regent Marcy Carter-Lovick, Honorary President General and U.S. Semiquincentennial Commissioner Lynn Forney Young, Historian General Suzanne Heske, America 250! National Chair Kathryn Walker West, many Texas Daughters, and the representatives of several Hispanic heritage societies for the dedication of the first America 250 plaque in my home state. The Texas Society is honored to have worked with the City of San Antonio’s World Heritage Office to place a plaque at the Spanish Governor’s Palace in recognition of the essential contributions made by Spanish ranchers in the quest for American independence. These ranchers are among the more than 500 Spanish Patriots to whom DAR members have traced their lineage.
Honoring Spanish Patriots in San Antonio
The essential role played by Spain in the fight for American independence is not a story many of us learned in school. Spanish Patriots were residents of Spanish Louisiana or Nueva España, which included portions of the present-day states of Texas, California, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona, as well as Mexico. Spanish forces also served in Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean. After Spain declared war on Britain as an ally of France, Spanish forces under the leadership of the Spanish Governor of Louisiana, General Bernardo de Gálvez, attacked British positions in the south and captured West Florida in battles along the Gulf Coast ending with the Siege of Pensacola. Pensacola’s battle lasted for two months, ending May 8, 1781, making it the longest-lasting siege of the American Revolution. This secured the southern route for supplies and closed off the possibility of any British offensive through the western frontier of the United States via the Mississippi River.
Spain also supported American forces with money, food supplies, uniforms, blankets, medicines, weapons, and munitions. In 1780, Carlos III, the King of Spain, issued a royal decree that all subjects in Nueva España make a voluntary contribution, or donativo, of one or two pesos to help fund the American Revolution. In 1781, Spain provided financing for the Battle of Yorktown with gold and silver coins collected in Havana, alleviating the financial difficulties faced by General George Washington and the Continental Army. Spain also financed French land and naval forces critical to the American war effort and ultimate victory at Yorktown.
In Texas, Spanish ranching activity had reaching “astonishing proportions” in the 1770s and 1780s, as documented by the Honorable Robert H. Thonhoff in his seminal work The Texas Connection with the American Revolution. (Earlier in the day, the Texas Society presented the prestigious DAR History Award Medal to Judge Thonhoff in recognition of his extraordinary research and writings.) The area now occupied by present-day San Antonio was home to the Presidio de San Antonio de Béxar, which included the Spanish Governor’s Palace, residence of the presidio’s senior ranking officer. Around the presidio was the Villa de San Fernando de Béxar, founded in 1731 by the Canary Islanders sent by Spain’s King Felipe V to establish the first civil government in the Province of Texas.
In 1779, Gálvez—in need of supplies for his forces in Louisiana—sent an emissary, Francisco Garcia, requesting and authorizing the first cattle drive out of Texas. Garcia arrived in San Antonio de Béxar on June 20, 1779. By August 1779, 2,000 head of Texas cattle from the Spanish ranches located along the San Antonio River Valley and the La Bahia area (now Goliad) were headed to Gálvez’s forces. All told, more than 9,000 head of cattle were trailed from Texas to Louisiana between 1779 and 1782 in support of Spanish troops and local militias.
A National Historic Landmark, the Governor’s Palace represents the last visual remnants of the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, making it the ideal location for a DAR America 250 marker. Thousands of visitors tour the Governor’s Palace each year to learn about life in Nueva España.
The America 250 marker is located in the side courtyard of the Governor’s Palace and is visible from busy Commerce Street in downtown San Antonio near the Riverwalk. Following the dedication ceremony, the approximately 100 guests present enjoyed a reception in the main courtyard hosted by the 12 chapters of the San Antonio Area Regents Council, as well as the Thomas Shelton and Uvalde de las Encinas DAR chapters. It was delightful to meet the Honorary Consul of Spain, the Honorable Steve Alfonso Chiscano, as well as leaders from Hispanic heritage societies including the Canary Islands Descendants Association, 1718 San Antonio Founding Families & Descendants, and Los Bexarenos. Many of these leaders are DAR members.
The dedication ceremony was an incredible example of the opportunity we have as a National Society to celebrate our nation’s rich history and diversity of experience as we approach our 250th anniversary. By uncovering and sharing these chapters in our nation’s history, we are not only telling a more complete story of the American Revolution but also opening the door to DAR membership to more women.
