Leandro Gomez

José María Leandro Gómez Calvo (Montevideo, March 13, 1811 - Paysandú, January 2, 1865) was a Uruguayan soldier, especially known for his heroic defense of Paysandú in 1864, at the end of from which he was executed.

Biography

Son of Roque Gómez, a native of Galicia, and María Rita Calvo, from Montevideo, he was the brother of General Andrés A. Gómez (1798-1877). He was a merchant in his youth.

In 1837, on the occasion of Fructuoso Rivera's revolution against President Manuel Oribe, he joined the capital's militias with the rank of infantry captain. After Oribe's forced resignation, he went to Argentina, fighting under the orders of the deposed president in a large part of the campaign against Juan Lavalle, the Argentine phase of the Great War. After Lavalle's defeat and death, he participated in the Battle of Arroyo Grande as General Oribe's aide-de-camp.

It became notorious with the establishment of the "Sitio Grande" of Montevideo, in 1843, during the Great War. Once Oribe established with his forces in the Cerrito de la Victoria – where a government parallel to that of Montevideo was erected, the Government of the Cerrito – Leandro Gómez was appointed as Assistant General Officer, occupying other positions in the besieging army of Montevideo until the capitulation of the October 8, 1851.

After some time away from the Army, he rejoined it and was promoted to the rank of sergeant major in 1858, the following year to lieutenant colonel, and finally in 1860 to militia colonel. In 1861 he was appointed Major Officer of the Ministry of War and Navy.

Rise of Flowers against Watercress

In 1863, General Venancio Flores –who had participated in the Lavalleja campaign after the landing of the Treinta y Tres Orientales, acted in numerous military and political instances of the country, and was President of the Republic for a brief period– promoted from Argentina an uprising against the government of President Bernardo Prudencio Berro.

Colonel Leandro Gómez was then assigned as Deputy to the General Staff of the government army, acting in various parts of the territory. In such capacity, with the rank of colonel of the National Army, he participated in the combat of Las Cañas, which occurred in the department of Salto, on the banks of the stream of the same name, a tributary of the Arerunguá, which took place on July 25, 1863, integrating the government forces commanded by General Diego Lamas, who were defeated but managed to withdraw towards the city of Salto in a brilliant military maneuver. Gómez was first named Military Commander of Salto, but he was soon transferred in the same position to the city of Paysandú.

The revolutionary forces of General Flores attacked Paysandú in 1864, being ultimately rejected by the government army under the command of Leandro Gómez, in an action that motivated the Government of Montevideo to promote him to Major Colonel and designate his soldiers as " meritorious of the Homeland”. However, shortly after, in October 1864, Flores' army attacked Paysandú again, this time with the support of the Brazilian squadron and Argentine troops on land, establishing a siege that surrounded the city by land and water.

The defense of Paysandú

The Brazilian squadron bombarded the city with its cannons, having to evacuate women, children and the elderly from it. The Paysandú military crew suffered enormous casualties but resisted the siege for two months, categorically refusing the surrender proposed by the attackers. On December 3, Flores sent a final demand for surrender, which was returned by Gómez with a laconic reply:

"When I succumb."

On January 2, 1865, the attackers finally entered the assault on the city, still defended by some 700 soldiers and government officials, under the command of General Leandro Gómez. The combat was fierce, and the defenders were finally defeated.

Leandro Gómez was taken prisoner by a Brazilian officer, but he rejected his offer to protect him from his compatriots. The later General Francisco Belén offered him the guarantee of his life in the name of Flores, but by order of General Gregorio Suárez he was shot in the middle of the street, together with several of his officers.A supplier of Flores's forces tore out his long beard of the corpse; in later days the victorious officers used the loot as a war trophy and an object of ridicule.

This episode in the history of the Uruguayan civil wars, is known as "The Defense of Paysandú", sometimes referred to simply as "The Defense", and has led to the city has been designated as "La heroica Paysandú". The figure of Leandro Gómez is recognized as an example of military valor, and exalted –particularly by those close to the National Party– as one of the great heroes in the history of Uruguay.

The adventures of his remains

Statue that is on his "current" mausoleum.

After his execution, he was taken from a common grave and secretly buried by an in-law. Later, his remains were taken to Concepción del Uruguay, where they were left in the care of a priest. Knowing that they were going to arrest him, he handed them over to a neighbor, who in turn, due to his age, left them with a relative of General Gómez.

In 1884, friends and family with the support of President Máximo Santos performed a ceremony for him and buried him in the central cemetery of Montevideo.

In 1965, the inhabitants of Paysandú wanted to make a mausoleum in that city for the General, but a granddaughter of the General showed a letter written by Gómez, in which he specified that his wish had been for his remains to rest in Montevideo, together with to those of his wife.

In 1984, during the civil-military dictatorship, his remains were taken to Paysandú, where they were deposited in an urn in the mausoleum in Constitution Square. In later years, the false rumor spread that the ballot box is empty, despite the fact that there is a notarial deed that denies it.

In November 2009, unknown persons entered and desecrated his grave. Only phalanxes and other small remains remained, which fell to the floor. One person claimed that they had been given them to keep temporarily and handed over bones, in two batches, that presumably belonged to the general. He was prosecuted for concealment, but the expert reports on the remains delivered could not advance.

Caminatour / Cairns of Defense

On January 2, 2019, as part of the commemorative act for the Defenders of Paysandú, the "Mojones de la Defensa" were inaugurated, a project that consists of a series of posters installed in different parts of the city referring to the episode. Each milestone includes a QR code that allows the walker to deepen the information. It can be seen in Mojones de la Defensa. There is also a route called "Camino de Leandro Gómez" that can be done accompanied by local guides. It can be consulted in tourist information offices in the city.

Curiosities

• There are trace plants of the genus Tradescantia that are known in Uruguay as "Leandro Gómez".