[Granville-Hough] 22 Mar 2009 - Santo Domingo role

[Trustees and Executors for Granville W. Hough]

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SUPPORT FOR CHESAPEAKE BAY/YORKTOWN

  Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic) was actively involved in
financing, providing troop support, and protecting itself during the
Chesapeake Bay/Yorktown Campaign in which AmericaÂ’s independence was
assured.  Here is how it came about.

  After General Bernardo de Gálvez’ captured Pensacola, his working
partner, the KingÂ’s Representative, Francisco de Saavedra, went in July
to Cap Français (capital of what is now Haiti) to coordinate
Spanish-French activities.  Saavedra, as representative of King Carlos
III, and de Grass, as representative of the French government, developed
the de Grass-Saavedra accord, which their governments later ratified,
for conduct of the war against Britain in the Western Hemisphere.  First
in their agreement was to strike a blow in America which would assure
American independence.  Second was to recover bases and sugar islands in
the Caribbean.  Third was to eliminate the British from the West Indies
by taking Jamaica.  De Grasse had a plan for the first objective, which
was to use his fleet in the Chesapeake Bay to work with RochambeauÂ’'s
French Expeditionary Force and with WashingtonÂ’'s American forces to
corner and defeat Cornwallis in Southeastern Virginia.  Saavedra
approved this plan, but de Grasse had a problem.  Before he could sail,
he needed 2 million livres for his fleet and for Rochambeau'Â’s army.  He
could not raise the money in Haiti.

  Saavedra, recognizing that immediate action was required, transferred
100,000 pesos, which happened to be stored at Cap Français, half the
funds allocated for Santo DomingoÂ’'s governance, to de Grasse; then went
to Havana to secure the additional money.  It is well known how the
citizens of Havana, in six hours, provided 500,000 pesos, and were able
to get the money to the de Grasse fleet.  (Five days later, 1,000,000
pesos from the mint of Mexico was dispatched from Havana on another
French vessel to de Grasse.)  But the Santo Domingo money was first and
very encouraging to de Grasse.

  By terms of the de Grasse-Saavedra accord, de Grasse took his whole
fleet and all the armed forces and militia in Haiti.  Then, the regular
garrison of Santo Domingo, the Enghien Regiment, moved from Santo
Domingo to Haiti to cover for the absent troops.  Within Santo Domingo,
the local militia was alerted to defend their land and shores in case of
any British attacks.

  So the Dominican Republic, not really in the center of events, became
truly committed to the Chesapeake Bay/Yorktown operation.  Everyone must
have been aware they were contributing to truly significant events.

P. S.  If anyone ever tells you that Spain was not involved in the
Revolutionary War, you can say: "I have this cousin who has spent
several years researching what the Spanish did, and he can tell you 
something of what each island, province, and viceroyalty contributed and 
how it helped the American cause, directly or indirectly."