Pablo de Hita y Salazar: Difference between revisions
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The following year, in 28 Sep 1680,<ref name="worldstatesmen"/> Hita y Salazar was suspended from office as governor of Florida and in 30 November of that year, with the arrival of the new governor of the province, [[Juan Márquez Cabrera]], Hita y Salazar gave him a report that included a detailed outline of the progress made by him in the city until then. In this report, he explained the many changes he had done in the castle (which he considered insufficient)<ref name="tonybridgescastillo"/> and included also the planes of [[Apalachee Province|Apalache]], [[Guale]] and San Marcos, as reference on which he had done and to he follow the works.<ref name="fuerte de la piedra y la Villa"/> However, none of these changes correspond to the original plans, which meant that he had rejected the orders of the Crown to meet the close-ups in the construction of the castle. |
The following year, in 28 Sep 1680,<ref name="worldstatesmen"/> when the walls were nearly finished, and the pit was finished, including the embankment (although the officials in charge of the work said that still would missing four more years and an expenditure of eighty thousand pesos),<ref name="fuerte de la piedra y la Villa"/> Hita y Salazar was suspended from office as governor of Florida and in 30 November of that year, with the arrival of the new governor of the province, [[Juan Márquez Cabrera]], Hita y Salazar gave him a report that included a detailed outline of the progress made by him in the city until then. In this report, he explained the many changes he had done in the castle (which he considered insufficient)<ref name="tonybridgescastillo"/> and included also the planes of [[Apalachee Province|Apalache]], [[Guale]] and San Marcos, as reference on which he had done and to he follow the works.<ref name="fuerte de la piedra y la Villa"/> However, none of these changes correspond to the original plans, which meant that he had rejected the orders of the Crown to meet the close-ups in the construction of the castle. |
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In addition, Governor Cabrera made a series of investigations that concluded with that the numbers of materials and structures carried out in St. Augustine by Hita y Salazar and those that he indicated have done in the castle, in the report the gave to Cabrera, did not coincide. His engineers found many errors in the structures that he commanded to do, especially in reference to some walls and bastions, which were unstable because their bases were incomplete. One side of the bastion of San Carlos had to be, in fact, completely rebuilt, as this was in a very uneven wall. Because of these errors the former Governor Hita Salazar was blamed by discrepancy to his engineer, Lajon Lorenzo, whom said had provided him the data to produce these pieces. |
In addition, Governor Cabrera made a series of investigations that concluded with that the numbers of materials and structures carried out in St. Augustine by Hita y Salazar and those that he indicated have done in the castle, in the report the gave to Cabrera, did not coincide. His engineers found many errors in the structures that he commanded to do, especially in reference to some walls and bastions, which were unstable because their bases were incomplete. One side of the bastion of San Carlos had to be, in fact, completely rebuilt, as this was in a very uneven wall. Because of these errors the former Governor Hita Salazar was blamed by discrepancy to his engineer, Lajon Lorenzo, whom said had provided him the data to produce these pieces. |
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Revision as of 23:38, 9 August 2015
Pablo de Hita y Salazar | |
|---|---|
| 27º Governor of La Florida | |
| In office 3 May 1675 – 28 September 1680 | |
| Preceded by | Nicolás Ponce de León II |
| Succeeded by | Juan Márquez Cabrera |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1646 Seville, Spain |
| Died | unknown |
| Spouse | Juana Dávila |
| Profession | soldier and governor |
Pablo de Hita y Salazar (born 1646, date of death unknown) was a Spanish soldier and governor of Florida (1675–1680), who was best known for his many mistakes made in the re-construction of the Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida and his refusal to follow the orders of the crown on the construction of the castle.
Early years
Hita y Salazar was probably born in 1646 in Seville, Spain.[1] When he was young joined the Spanish army. He served for forty years in Flanders, Germany, Mexico [2] and in the Cambray War. He also organized the construction of the port of San Juan de Ulloa.[3] So, Hita y Salazar attained the rank of Sergeant Mayor. At some point, he also served as corregidor of Veracruz.[2]
He served in the military until the 3 May 1675,[4] the year in which the Spanish Crown chose him to become the new governor of Florida.[2]
Governor of Florida
The Castillo de San Marcos
He took control of Florida in St. Augustine where was reconstructed the Castillo de San Marcos with the plans of major real engineer. Thus, Hita y Salazar, with 29 years, left Sevilla that year and moved to Florida. During that time, the government de Hita y Salazar made further changes and reforms in the castle.[5] So, although was Manuel de Cendoya who began the re-built of Castillo de San Marcos, was Hita y Salazar who consolidated the final draft: dimensions of the square, placement of elements of fortification, polvorines and houses soldiers; while the workers remained being recruited Amerindians. He recommended (following the military engineering concepts in vogue) that the fort is made in pentagonal shape (as the fort of San Diego, in Acapulco, Mexico), although the idea was rejected by his advisers.[2]
On 30 July, after know the creation of another fortress, he think that it was unnecessary. Later, Hita y Salazar sent two letters to the Crown in which he explained the progress made in the Castillo de San Marcos and gave suggestions on the fort. He also explained that he thought any attacker who arrived at Saint Augustine would try conquer it and hold only to Anastasia Island, cutting off re-supply fleets, and sometimes, also bombarding the castle. To protect the island and prevent the invasion, De Salazar decided that its engineers built a redoubt of four arms, which should leave the coast of El Pinillo and would protect the entry and access to Anastasia Island. However, it seems that many of his decisions took may have been influenced by a false idea that there was an army on Anastasia Island that could bombard the castle and, moreover, he would cut off lines supply. This, by the time, was not real. However, after he come to reason and withdrew his theory of invasion of the island, British General Oglethorpe tried to do exactly that in 1739. The supply ships were prepared for the attack, but the castle was able to prevent the few cannonballs that were sent by Oglethorpe, thanks to blocks and others elements (such as the coquina rock) with which the castle was built and that blocked the impact of cannonballs. So the constant bombardment was ineffective.[5] Hita y Salazar also sent a plane to Viceroy of New Spain, Payo Enríquez de Rivera, explaining of graphically way the state inn which was the Fort and his advance, foundations, tanks and bastions that were being built. Hita y Salazar, apparently, had economic and technical problems to reach to certain parts of the work. The accounts and expenses always exceeded the budgeted (although he came out unscathed from the impeachment trial that was applied him in 1678). [2]
Hita y Salazar also ordered the construction of a battery in front of the castle to protect his deck and the pier, so that some transport activities carried out by the ships would remain in force, including the duration of the attack. All these changes would be paid at the expense of defenses. When Hita y Salazar came to the west Florida, he decided he could make in this place a wall of defense to prevent a military attack and replacing the wall by a real stone wall. However, with this idea, he showed, at least to his staff, he did not understand the fabrication of a fortification, which prompted to his staff to send a letter to the Spanish crown criticizing him.
When the Spanish crown had not yet sent a response, Hita y Salazar decided to stop all construction. The interruption of the construction was rejected by many people in St. Augustine. So the May 8, 1676, a staff of Hita y Salazar sent other letter to the Crown complaining about the plans of his superior. The Crown decided that he should not make these changes and that he was not competent enough for this position because was before the political that the ideas of a simple soldier in the army, so he had no experience in construction. The personal of Hita y Salazar warned the Crown of the need to stay with the original plans. In October 14, 1676 the Real Accounts sent another letter to the crown, that indicated a long list of expenses, changes and delays made by the Governor Hita y Salazar, also including the wages paid to workers when they did nothing significant.
On July 3, 1679, came the reply from the Crown and this indicated that the construction should follow the original construction plans.[5]
The following year, in 28 Sep 1680,[4] when the walls were nearly finished, and the pit was finished, including the embankment (although the officials in charge of the work said that still would missing four more years and an expenditure of eighty thousand pesos),[2] Hita y Salazar was suspended from office as governor of Florida and in 30 November of that year, with the arrival of the new governor of the province, Juan Márquez Cabrera, Hita y Salazar gave him a report that included a detailed outline of the progress made by him in the city until then. In this report, he explained the many changes he had done in the castle (which he considered insufficient)[5] and included also the planes of Apalache, Guale and San Marcos, as reference on which he had done and to he follow the works.[2] However, none of these changes correspond to the original plans, which meant that he had rejected the orders of the Crown to meet the close-ups in the construction of the castle.
In addition, Governor Cabrera made a series of investigations that concluded with that the numbers of materials and structures carried out in St. Augustine by Hita y Salazar and those that he indicated have done in the castle, in the report the gave to Cabrera, did not coincide. His engineers found many errors in the structures that he commanded to do, especially in reference to some walls and bastions, which were unstable because their bases were incomplete. One side of the bastion of San Carlos had to be, in fact, completely rebuilt, as this was in a very uneven wall. Because of these errors the former Governor Hita Salazar was blamed by discrepancy to his engineer, Lajon Lorenzo, whom said had provided him the data to produce these pieces.
Construction will continue until 1695, and construction of the castle will cost tons of gold. In 1695, the walls were 26 meters high and were effective in the siege of 1702, keeping the whole population of the city into a fortress surrounded by 300 soldiers. After two months fort was broken.[5]
Contribution to livestock and construction of other forts
Hita y Salazar not only dedicated to building strengths to try to prevent British attacks on Florida, he also gave a boost to the livestock, distributing land to his friends criollos of the province. He himself decided to establish himself as a farmer and lived in Saint Augustine, where in 1680 he commanded to build a house that still exists in that city.[6]
In 1679, while Hita y Salazar was dedicated to the re-construction of San Marcos Fort (and as part of the Spanish colonial expansion in the northwestern Florida area), groups of Spanish colonists settled in St. Marks, Florida and built a wooden stockade at San Marcos de Apalache to prevent external attacks against the colony.[7]
A learned man
Because of his military career, he knew the fortifications and had probably read the treaties of Adam Freitag (LÁrchitecture militaire ou la fortification nouvelle), David Papillon and of Matthias Dogen (that contained the experiences of military fortification in Flanders), and the books of Prieto Floriani and of Jesuit Jean Dubreuil, sieur de Bitainvieu. In addition of the work of Pagan Les Fortifications. All them were published in the seventeenth century and highlight the relationship between population and fort.[2]
Personal life
Hita y Salazar married Juana Dávila (Ruíz)[8] and they had three sons: Tomás de Hita Salazar y Davila (who was born in Veracruz, modern Mexico),[1] Jeronimo Fernando and Pedro de Hita y Salazar.[8]
References
- ^ a b - "Descendants of Pablo de Hita y Salazar". November 26, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h Tercera parte: El fuerte de la piedra y la Villa (In Spanish: Part Three. The fort of the stone and the town). Page 97 and 99.
- ^ ABC SEVILLA: San Agustin de Florida, la ciudad encantada. - 22/06/1955, p. 11.
- ^ a b Ben Cahoon. U.S. States F-K.
- ^ a b c d e Hita y Salazar and the Castillo de San Marcos - by Tony Bridges (accessed July 8, 2010 at 19:00 pm).
- ^ Suárez Fernandez, Luis (November 26, 2008). América en el siglo XVII: Evolución de los reinos indianos (in Spanish: Americas in the seventeenth century: The evolution of the kingdoms Indians).
- ^ "San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park - St. Marks, Florida". Explore Southern History. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
- ^ a b Our Family. Genealogy Pages: Pablo de Hita y Salazar. Retrieved in June 23, 2014, to 16:15pm.