FRANCISCO SAAVEDRA DE SANGRONIS AND THE PEOPLE OF HAVANA, CUBA

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Francisco_de_Saavedra_%28Goya%29.jpg

How the people of Havana, Cuba helped with the 1781 Victory at Yorktown.

By Jennifer K. Bolton, Park Guide, Interpretation and Education Division
Valley Forge National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service).

“We are at the end of our tether, and that now or never our deliverance must come.” ~ General George Washington, April 9, 1781

For six long years, the Continental Army had dealt with inadequate pay and supplies while fighting against the British.

Yet in 1778, France had formalized their alliance with the United States, which occurred while Washington’s troops encamped at Valley Forge. By 1781, Spain and the Netherlands had since joined the fight against Great Britain, an imperial rival. So, this was a costly, worldwide conflict for the British. They had to keep diverting troops to protect their interests outside of North America, to include portions of Europe, India, and the West Indies.

It was just a question as to which side would capitulate first: The British or the Continentals.

Ironically, the French expeditionary army under General Comte de Rochambeau had insufficient funds, much like the Continentals. The French army relied upon hard coin, which “arrived at unpredictable intervals and never in sufficient quantity” for their needs.

To help Washington mount a successful campaign against British General Cornwallis, the French needed money, and fast. That was when Francisco Saavedra de Sangronis and the people of Havana, Cuba came to the rescue. You read that right: Cuba.

A Spanish official, Saavedra appealed to Havana residents for an emergency loan, promising prompt repayment “in specie as soon as treasury ships from Vera Cruz docked.” In an era before cell phones or online crowdfunding, Saavedra obtained over 500,000 pesos in only six hours.

The money was distributed throughout French Admiral de Grasse’s squadron just before they sailed for Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. There, they assisted Washington and Rochambeau against Cornwallis, who occupied the port of Yorktown. The rest as they say, is history.

Yorktown did not end the war, which would last nearly two more years. Yet it did prompt the British to pursue negotiations. While French and Continental efforts deserve much of the credit, their success at Yorktown would not have been possible without Saavedra and the people of Havana, Cuba.

For more National Park connections to National Hispanic Heritage Month, go to https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/hispanic-heritage-month.htm.
Sources:
Chávez, Thomas E. Spain and the Independence of the United States: An Intrinsic Gift. Albuquerque, NM: UNM Press, 2002. Page 13.

Lewis, James A. “Las Damas De La Havana, El Precursor, and Francisco De Saavedra: A Note on the Spanish Participation in the Battle of Yorktown.” The Americas 37, no. 1 (1980): 83-99. Accessed October 4, 2020. Doi: 10.2307/981041. Pages 84, 95-96.