Mission 2000 Database

Notes: He claimed to have been 71 years old in 1781. If that is the case, he would have had to have been born at least a few months before his baptism.

Born in Pamplona, Navarra, Spain, Domingo Elizondo served in the military about 54 years. He started as a "cadete" and saw his first action in North Africa in "la toma de Orán" and participated in the functions of that campaign.(1) In his "Regimento de Sagunto"(2) he fought in the battles of "Camposanto,"(3) "Piacenza,"(4) and "Tidone."(5) He was the first on the scene with the detachment he commanded to hold the front at the Plazuela de San Fransisco de Velletri (6) against the Austrians, until relieved by the "Guardias Valonas."(7) Elizondo participated in the surprise attacks at Pavía (8) and Santangelo and the other functions in Italy. All of this, of course, was during the War of Austrian Succession. During these years he had two horses shot out from under him. He also fought in the war with Portugal. It was after these wars in Europe that he was promoted to Brigadier General and was sent to New Spain to establish the "Regiment of Dragoons of Spain." There he commanded that newly formed regiment and others in the Sonora Expedition and the "domination for His Majesty of the Seri, Pima, and Sibubapa Indians," which lasted four years. He was then appointed governor of the city of Acapulco. During his time at Acapulco, he applied for permission to go back to Spain to visit his family. The King granted him a two-year license in 1774, but he was unable to use it until 1779. On the way back to Spain he took sick and disembarked when the ship reached El Coruña on the northeast coast of Spain. After recovering from the illness he traveled on to Pamplona where he stayed until 1781. At that time, with his two years up, he asked for a year extension because his doctors were telling him that at his advanced age of 71 years, he would again catch whatever illness it was that nearly destroyed him on the way over. The king granted him the extra year. Before the year was out he traveled to Madrid to make preparations to set sail for New Spain once again. There he asked for relief from the Spanish government because his wage had been coming from the "Reales Cajas" de México, but because of the "present war" (the American Revolution), the money had not been arriving. The king granted his request, but he died before embarking for America.

1) Orán was a city on the coast of Algeria that was captured by the troops of Cardinal Cisneros in 1509. This "toma," or capture of Orán was a reconquest in 1732, in which one of the actions was the taking of the Castillo de Mazalquivir.

2) Sagunto, the city from which Elizondo's regiment took its name, is almost due south across Spain from Pamplona on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.

3) The battle of Camposanto took place on February 8, 1743 during the Spanish expedition to Italy in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). Elizondo was on the front line under Castro on the left wing of the battle. At 4pm when the armies were 400 yards apart, the Austrian left flank cavalry attempted to outflank the Spanish right wing and to push to the Panaro River. However, as they wheeled, the Spanish cavalry, under the Duke D’Atrisco, seized the opportunity to attack. The Sardinian cavalry broke before contact and the Austrian cuirassiers were overwhelmed. Lt. General Mariani supported the Spanish cavalry with his infantry who shot at the Austrian second line cavalry. A charge by Elizondo's Sagunto Dragoons completed the rout. The Austrians lost two Generals and eight standards in this phase of the battle and this may have been one of the two occasions in which Elizondo had a horse shot out from under him. In the end, it was a loss for the Spanish and their allied forces.

4) Returning again to the same area, the Spanish and French forces were involved in the Battle of Piacenza on June 15, 1746 and suffered another defeat.

5) The Battle of the Río Tidone took place on August 9, 1746

6) Just south of Rome, Velletri was one of the ancient world's most important strategic locations. The battle of Velletri took place on August 11 and 12, 1744. Don Carlos, the future Spanish King Carlos III, was in overall command. His forces were surprised by an early morning attack, but managed to turn it into a victory. This may have been the other action in which Elizondo had a horse killed while charging. He seems to have been involved in the battle for the city, itself, whereas Juan de Pineda, the future governor of Sonora during the Seri Campaign, was in an infantry regiment of grenadiers fighting in the mountains above Velletri.

7) The "Walloon Guards" were French speakers from southern Belgium.

8) Pavía, Italy was controlled by the Spanish, Austrians, and French at various times during the War of Austrian Succession.