Vicente Filisola
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Vicente Filisola (b. 1789, Ravello, Italy -d. 1850, Mexico City) joined the Spanish army in 1804 and later served in New Spain (Mexico) in 1811. As a supporter of Agustin de Iturbide, who declared himself emperor of Mexico, he became a brigadier general in Iturbide's army.
In 1833, he became commander of the Eastern Provincias Internas (Eastern Interior Provinces) and later was granted land in Texas for the settlement of 600 non-Anglo-American families.
Antonio López de Santa Anna commissioned Filisola as his second-in-command during his fight for Texas. When Santa Anna was captured by the Texans at the Battle of San Jacinto, he was responsible for the withdrawal of the Mexican forces from Texas.
Filisola carried out Santa Anna's orders to retreat, evacuated San Antonio and ratified the Treaties of Velasco. After both parties to the treaties broke parts of the agreement, he received instructions from the Mexican government to not retreat. Although he offered to return to Texas, the exhausted Mexican force continued to Matamoros where José de Urrea replaced Filisola in general command and Filisola resigned his own command to Juan José Andrade.
During the Mexican-American War Filisola commanded one of three divisions of the Mexican army.
Filisola died of cholera in Mexico City in 1850.
Although Filisola was accused of being a coward and a traitor in overseeing the withdrawal of the Mexican troops, he was exonerated in 1841.
He later published a defense of his retreat which was later translated and published in 1837 by the Republic of Texas. In 1928 Castañeda published a translation of Filisola's account in The Mexican Side of the Texas Revolution, and his complete account of the Texas Revolution is found in Memoirs for the History of the War in Texas, published in 1985.
[edit] Links
__ Memoirs for the History of the War in Texas. Vicente Filisola, 1985 Eakin Press, Austin, Texas
__ The Mexican Side of the Texas Revolution, 1836. Carlos E Castaneda, trans. P L Turner 1956 (reprint of 1928 ed).
