Cornelio Saavedra

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This article is about the Argentine military man, for his Chilean grandson see Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez.

For the Bolivian province, see Cornelio Saavedra, Potosí.

Cornelio Saavedra

Cornelio Judas Tadeo Saavedra (born September 15, 1761 in Otuyo-died March 29, 1829 in Buenos Aires) was a military man, born to a noble family in Potosí (in present day Bolivia), part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. He was involved in the Buenos Aires May Revolution.

Son of Don Santiago de Saavedra, Cornelio was born in La Fombera, a ranch in the small village of Otuyo near the city of Potosí. Because of his father's military career, the family moved to Buenos Aires when he was a child. There, as a young man, he attended to the Colegio Real de San Carlos where he studied philosophy between 1773 and 1776; but had to drop school and take care of the family's ranch in Buenos Aires Province.

In 1797, Saavedra started his career in public service and politics assuming different positions in the city government. In 1799 he becomes Regidor of the Buenos Aires Cabildo (City Hall) and later, in 1801, Mayor of the same governamental body. In 1805, he was named Administrador de Granos, an organism that ruled the city's provision and trade of wheat and other cereals.

It was during the British invasions (1806-1807) that Saavedra discovered his military conditions. He joined the Patricios regiment in 1806 and fought for the Buenos Aires reconquest. After the victory and because of his outstanding performance, viceroy Santiago de Liniers elected him chief commander of the Patricios. Under his command, the Hispanic - native forces repelled the invaders out of Buenos Aires in the second invasion in 1807.

In 1810, Saavedra participated in the May Revolution which started the Argentine War of Independence from Spain. Conservative and pro Hispanic, Cornelio was asked to retire his support to the current viceroy, Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros. He finally did it in May 20 and started the political turmoil that forced the viceroy to agree with the organization of an Open Cabildo (Cabildo Abierto) where the citizens of Buenos Aires claimed the dismissal of the Spanish ruler. In May 25, a First Junta was elected with Saavedra himself as president and Cisneros was imprisoned.

Saavedra's conservatism soon clashed with the liberal ideas of Mariano Moreno, the Junta's Secretary and two factions appeared in the new government: saavedristas and morenistas . The First Junta was expanded in December of 1810 to include deputies from the other provinces (Junta Grande), still with Saavedra as president. After the disaster of the first Upper Perú campaign in the battle of Huaqui, he went to the city of Salta and attempted to reorganize the army. While he was in the north, the morenista faction took over and replaced him with a new government: the First Triumvirate in August 26, 1811. The next year, a counter-revolution established a Second Triumvirate and the morenistas were expelled.

Nevertheless, in January 1814 when Gervasio Antonio de Posadas assumed as Supreme Director , Saavedra was prosecuted for conspiracy and had to exile himself in Chile with his son. He returned in October the same year and asked the protection of general José de San Martín who settled him in the city of San Juan. In 1818, the National Congress dropped all charges and restored his general rank and honors.

In October of 1818 Supreme Director Juan Martín de Puyerredón awarded Saavedra the rank of Brigadier General and in December, was named Chief Commander of the Army; a position he held until the beginning of 1821. During the war with Brazil in 1825, he offered his services but was kindly rejected because of his advanced age.