Ambrosio José Gonzales

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Ambrosio José Gonzales (1818–1893) was a native of Cuba who served as a Colonel in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.

Born in Spain, Ambrosio José Gonzales was a Cuban revolutionary who sought political separation of Cuba from Spain. His association and influence with prominent U.S. southerners led him to author a manifesto encouraging U.S. annexation of Cuba. Gonzales became active in the Cuban "Filibuster Movement," which sought to annex Cuba through a combination of financial, diplomatic, and military means. He worked as an advisor to the Americans and made plans to organize an invasion force.

Gonzales settled in the United States after the failure of filibuster efforts in 1854. He married Harriett Rutledge Elliot, the daughter of William Elliott (1788-1863), a prominent South Carolina State Senator, planter and writer. They had six children; Ambrose E. Gonzales (1857-1926), Narciso Gener Gonzales (1858-1903), Alfonso Beauregard Gonzales (1861-1908), Gertrude Ruffini Gonzales (1864-1900), Benigno Gonzales (1866-1937), Anita Gonzales (1869-?). He eventually became well known in Southern society.

During the Civil War he was commissioned a Colonel and played a prominent role in coastal defense for the Confederacy. He later served as an artillery commander at the Battle of Honey Hill.