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Fernando De Leyba, El Ceutí Que Cambió La Guerra De Independencia Americana

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Fernando De Leyba, El Ceutí Que Cambió La Guerra De Independencia Americana Mayo 2021 ISSN 2444-2933 Fernando de Leyba El ceutí que cambió la Guerra de Independencia americana POR César Cervera Moreno Con el apoyo de: Fernando de Leyba, el ceutí que cambió la Guerra de Independencia americana San Luis (en inglés St. Louis) puede ser muchas cosas en la imaginación colectiva. Una ciudad a un río pegado. Uno de los grandes motores de la industria pesada de EE.UU. ya en declive. Un pasaje importante de la historia colonial francesa. La sede de los Juegos Olímpicos de 1904, que fueron los primeros celebrados fuera de Europa. Y hasta el lugar de nacimiento del Premio Nobel de Literatura T. S. Eliot. Pero lo que no es para casi nadie, cuando piensa de primeras en la ciudad del estado de Misuri, es un lugar donde España dejó profundas huellas durante 40 años de historia. Mapa de San Luis, 1780. Cuatro décadas que no se vieron truncadas, sobre todo, gracias al empeño de un centinela español que durante siglos ha rozado el anonimato. Fernando de Leyba y Córdova Vizcaigaña es uno de Quinto hijo de siete hermanos, Leyba encontró esos héroes desconocidos, sin rostro, sin voz, que un futuro en las filas del Ejército, que desde la vagan como espectros por la historia olvidada de llegada de los Borbones a España había sido objeto de España. Suenan sus cadenas arrastrándose por los un amplio paquete de reformas en un intento de libros y las crónicas, pero hasta fechas muy profesionalizar la carrera acorde a las necesidades de recientes nadie se ha molestado en unir las piezas la Monarquía católica. El ceutí entró en el oficio de su para comprender la dimensión del personaje. padre, Gerónimo de Leyba y Córdova,como cadete Durante años se pensó incluso que había nacido en en el regimiento de infantería de España a los Barcelona debido a que su padre estuvo allí destinado, diecisiete años, permaneciendo allí hasta pero gracias a la investigadora Kristine L. Sjostrom y ascender a subteniente de compañía (1756), luego al cronista de la ciudad José Luis Gómez Barceló, que subteniente de bandera (1763) y cinco años después a halló su partida de nacimiento, hoy se sabe con capitán. El hecho de que tardara tantos años en entrar certeza queFernando de Leyba llegó a la vida en en el Ejército, cuando hubiera sido posible que lo Ceuta, un 24 de julio de 1734, en el seno de una hiciera con doce años, y que la fecha de ingreso familia de larga y noble tradición castrense de coincidiera con la muerte de su padre lleva a Antequera (Málaga) por parte de padre y de la hija especular si eligió esta carrera forzado por las del notario de la ciudad de Ceuta por parte de madre. circunstancias familiares. La plaza africana se encontraba en ese momento curándose las heridas que el eterno sitio de treinta y A lo largo de su prolongada trayectoria de casi tres años acometido por las fuerzas marroquíes había treinta años, el militar serviría en la guarnición de provocado y, como el propio Leyba, estaba ocupada Orán, Nueva Orleans, Arkansas, San Luis y Cuba. moldeándose una historia propia. Se encontraba en el regimiento Aragón defendiendo 4 Fernando de Leyba, el ceutí que cambió la Guerra de Independencia americana La Habana de un ataque inglés, en el marco de la Manila, perdidas en cuestión de meses. La Francia de guerra de los Seis Años, cuando cayó prisionero de Luis XV, por su parte, compensó a su maltrecho estos durante la defensa del Castillo del Morro en aliado con el caramelo envenenado de Luisiana, 1762. El conflicto donde la España de Carlos III se territorio que los galos no estaban en condiciones de había posicionado con Francia se resolvió con graves conservar tras años de estéril lucha contra la pérdidas para el Imperio. El rey cedió La Florida a población indígena y de tensiones fronterizas con Gran Bretaña a cambio de recuperar La Habana y españoles y británicos. Defensa del Castillo del Morro de la Habana (José Rufo, 1763). 5 Fernando de Leyba, el ceutí que cambió la Guerra de Independencia americana UNA PROVINCIA DESIERTA Luisiana tenía una extensión de más de dos millones de kilómetros cuadrados, aunque cuando Francia se la cedió a España menos de veinte mil colonos la habitaban. Población que no dejó de aumentar en las siguientes décadas, en parte debido a la emigración de andaluces y canarios que vinieron del otro lado del charco. Esta vasta provincia carecía de grandes recursos mineros y, bajo dominio francés, llevaba un siglo languideciendo dentro del fracaso colonial que fue toda la Nueva Francia. Los gobernadores españoles trataron de evitar los errores de sus antecesores y se apartaron lo máximo de los modelos francés y británico de colonia, lo que partió por mejorar las relaciones con las tribus indias. No era algo distinto de lo que llevaban haciendo desde hace siglos los españoles en otros rincones. La Corona española tenía una arraigada tradición de acuerdos comerciales y militares con tribus locales. Como señala Abelardo Levaggi, historiador especializado en Mapa de Louisiana, 1804. Derecho, «la costumbre de celebrar tratados de paz se extendió a todas las fronteras de las Indias, y por todo el período hispánico, hasta proyectarse -al menos en algunos casos- a la época legislación española favoreció que la cifra llegara independiente». Muchos de estos tratados a cero con el paso de las décadas. De los 161 seguían en vigor cuando la soberanía esclavos indios que existían hacia 1732 en la territorial pasó a manos estadounidenses. Luisiana francesa, apenas rondaban el centenar en tiempos del gobernador A esta mejora del trato con los indígenas en Bernardo de Gálvez y, al final de la presencia Luisiana ayudó también la absoluta prohibición española en esta zona, ya no apareció de su esclavitud en territorio español, un registrado ningún indio esclavo. Esta política principio que hundía sus raícesen el provocó que muchos esclavos negros reclamasen Testamento de Isabel la Católica y en una su propia libertad ante los tribunales españoles legislación pionera en la protección de alegando tener algún tipo de ascendencia india. derechos. Si bien la prohibición de someter a los Algunos de estos casos incluso llegarían a ser indios a la esclavitud se aplicó estrictamente a la sustanciados por tribunales norteamericanos adquisición de nuevos seres humanos y se dejó tras la adquisición de la Luisiana por los en una especie de limbo a los ya esclavizados, la EE.UU. 6 Fernando de Leyba, el ceutí que cambió la Guerra de Independencia americana Ya reanudado el oficio militar tras su breve prisión,Fernando de Leyba fue destinado al De los 161 esclavos mando de la tercera compañía de fusileros del indios que existían regimiento fijo de Luisiana, con base en Nueva Orleans, en calidad de capitán. Llegó a este hacia 1732 en la territorio hostil al dominio español en 1769 con Luisiana francesa, la expedición del irlandés Alejandro O'Reilly, al apenas rondaban el cual el rey ordenó retomar el control de la provincia después de que los colonos franceses se centenar en tiempos levantaran contra el gobernador Antonio de del gobernador Ulloa, más científico que administrador, al que Bernardo de Gálvez y, lograron expulsar el año anterior. Al capitán ceutí se le asignó el puesto de Nuestra Señora al final de la de Arkansas, a 800 kilómetros de Nueva presencia española Orleans, donde se encontró un fuerte en en esta zona, ya no lamentables condiciones con su estacada y cuartel pendiendo de un hilo, las tropas sin pagar apareció registrado y con falta crónica de harina en sus almacenes. ningún indio esclavo. Además de solventar estas urgencias, el ceutí debió enfrentarse a los mismos inconvenientes que los franceses, que habían cimentado su relación con los indios Quapaw (Arkansas oriental-Alta Luisiana) a base de obsequios diarios a cambio de paz y tranquilidad. El enésimo de los conflictos surgió cuando el jefe Quapaw Cazenonpoint rechazó una medalla española por ser más pequeña que en las que en su día recibió de los franceses. De Leyba tuvo que hacerse con una de mayor tamaño y con nuevos regalos para convencer al jefe indio de que no degollara a la guarnición española. Para evitar este tipo de desaires en el futuro, Bernardo de Gálvez solicitaría a Madrid que se acuñasen nuevas medallas de plata más grandes (54 mm. de diámetro en lugar de los 36 del modelo antiguo). No obstante, Antonio de Ulloa (Andrés Cortés y Aguilar, circa 1856). las nuevas medallas al mérito de tamaño grande, de las que se conservan muy pocos ejemplares, 7 Fernando de Leyba, el ceutí que cambió la Guerra de Independencia americana una de ellas en el Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Mississippi. Este general malagueño,que fue el generaron un nuevo problema por su bella artífice del primer sistema educativo público factura. Se hicieron tan demandadas por los bilingüe del mundo en Nueva Orleans,se ganó jefes indios que el gobernador de la Luisiana el apodo del Conciliateur por mantener la paz tuvo que limitar su reparto a una por jefe y social con los criollos franceses de la Luisiana y por tribu. permitir la libertad de comercio en una iniciativa que disparó la economía de Nueva Orleans y San Que un oficial militar prestara tanta atención a Luis. Cuando empezaron a escucharse gritos de las alianzas con las tribus locales tenía una razón revolución en Boston, Unzaga y el capitán general de ser más allá de la buena vecindad.De Leyba de Cuba, Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, había recibido instrucciones claras de Luis de fueron los primeros en intuir la magnitud del Unzaga y Amézaga, sustituto de Alejandro levantamiento que se estaba cocinando en O'Reilly como gobernador de la Luisiana, territorio británico.
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