José Gregorio Monagas: The First Spear of the East (+seeding)

José Gregorio Monagas died on July 15, 1858. He was a Venezuelan politician and military man, president of Venezuela between 1851 and 1855.

He was born in Aragua de Barcelona, Anzoátegui state, on May 4, 1795. During the Venezuelan emancipation war, Monagas participated in several important campaigns against Spaniards loyal to Juan Domingo de Monteverde and José Tomás Boves. Because of his courageous participation in the Battle of Carabobo, the Venezuelan independence hero Simon Bolivar named him the First Spear of the East.

José Gregorio excelled in the battles of Bocachica, El Arao and the first of Carabobo, all of them victories, under the orders of General Mariño and then those of the Libertador; by this time he had already been promoted to captain.

In this same year he participated in the defeat suffered by the patriotic forces in La Puerta and without ceasing to fight, he was involved in the retreat to the east where he was present in the actions of Aragua de Barcelona, Los Magüeyez and Urica, all of them unfavorable to the Republicans in the last of which Boves died.

In addition to fighting alongside Santiago Mariño, José Gregorio fought under the command of General José Félix Ribas, in the last attempt to defend Maturín, but when he was defeated there by Francisco Tomás Morales on December 11, 1814, the Second Republic finally perished.

During the Guayana liberation campaign initiated by General Piar and concluded by Simón Bolívar in 1817, José Gregorio played a fundamental role in defending the current Anzoátegui and Guárico states against attacks by realistic forces. In 1818, he participated in the Center Campaign under the orders of the Liberator, fighting in all its actions and especially in the defeat suffered by General Pablo Morillo in Calabozo, in the battle of La Auriosa (February 15) where he had General José Antonio Páez as his direct leader, and in El Sombrero.

José Gregorio Monagas then fought in the battle of Semén, where the Republicans, under the command of the Liberator, were defeated. Always protecting the retreat, and always at the side of Bolívar, Monagas fought in the battle of Ortiz the following March 26.

In 1820, fighting once again alongside his brother José Tadeo, he took part in the victorious battles of Santa Clara, Güere and Quiamare, which decisively contributed to the liberation of his native province and then of the city of Barcelona.

After the war in the East ended with the surrender of Cumaná in 1821, General José Tadeo Monagas assumed the General Command of the province of Barcelona and, at the end of 1822, appointed his brother Colonel José Gregorio, military commander of the capital of the province.

The following April 10, Congress awarded him the rank of general in chief. In the presidential elections that same year, he supported the return to power of his brother, who was elected. After handing over the presidency to José Tadeo on January 20, 1855, José Gregorio retired to private life in Barcelona. In 1857, he came once again as head of the Armed Forces in support of his older brother, once Julián Castro rose up against his second government (1855-1859).

José Tadeo was overthrown in March 1858, José Gregorio Monagas was arrested in Barcelona by the new authorities and sent prisoner to the castle of Puerto Cabello, from where he was transferred to the castle of San Carlos in the bar of Maracaibo. There he fell ill, and when he was being taken to the city of Maracaibo to be treated, he died. His ashes were transferred on November 13, 1872 to the Church of the Holy Trinity (now the National Pantheon).

YVKE