la aceptación por el Congreso de EEUU de que fuera proclamado con carácter póstumo ciudadano honorífico de los Estados Unidos. Por ello, tras la versión en español —preparada por el gabinete de Traductores del ET— se reproduce la que en idioma inglés confeccionó el autor. UNITED STATES OF... SPAIN? The true history on the process to get Bernardo de Gálvez as an honorary citizen of the United States. Guillermo Fesser. Spanish Journalist. Washington The U.S. Senate has just given the OK to hang on its walls a portrait of Bernardo de Galvez. Who? yes, I said Bernardo de Galvez, the cheerful and humble Spaniard who was Governor of Louisiana, Viceroy of New Spain, Commander in Chief of the Caribbean fleet, which included the French navy, and one of the biggest heroes of the American Revolutionary War. Never heard about him? Don´t be ashamed. I am not 122 REVISTA EJÉRCITO • N. 902 MAYO • 2016 surprised. It´s only recently that I accidently discovered the immense contribution that Spain made to the creation of the United States, while I was doing research for my book, “One Hundred Miles from Manhattan”. The Spanish legacy in the US is something nobody seems to have a clue about, neither Americans, nor Spaniards. Two thirds of the actual territory of the U.S. was once under Spanish rule, and for some reason, that fascinating part of history has never been told. We tend to picture the Spanish conquistadors as being mostly located in Mexico or down in the jungles of Peru. Well, surprise, surprise. The Spaniards were also the first Europeans to see the Grand Canyon,the first to cross the Mississippi River, the first nonnative Americans to populate the Great Plains or the first Europeans to land in Alaska. The reality, as portrayed in the book “Banderas Lejanas” (Far away Flags)is that “much before the United States existed as a nation, Spain had already conquered the Far West and fought or made treaties with the main Indian tribes that Hollywood would later make famous.” Where do you think cowboys came from? Which language do you think the apache Jeronimo spoke? It turns out that Spain also played a pivotal role when the United States gained its independence from England. I´ll give you an example. Guess which barge displayed the flags of all nations and fired the salute of thirteen guns during George Washington´s presidential inauguration parade in 1783. Ready? The Spanish shipof war “Galveston”, commanded by Spanish General Bernardo de Galvez. Whaaat? Yes, Galvez, a guy from Macharaviaya (a small hamlet of 500 inhabitants in Malaga, Spain) after whom the city of Galveston, Texas, was named. Galveston is actually a derivation from the old Galveztown, you see. Then, who on earth was this guy to the right of President Washington in such a historical moment for this nation? Very simple, he was the Spanish Ambassador Mr. Diego Gardoqui. Washington thought he owed a big portion of his victory to the King of Spain, both for his military and economic support. And he seemed to be particularly moved by the courage and fine military strategy of General Don Galvez, as the President warmly referred to the Spaniard in the complimentary letters that he addressed to His Catholic Majesty from his headquarters in New Windsor. As Martha Gutierrez-Steinkamp writes in her book Spain: The Forgotten Alliance, “it wasn´t until Spain entered the war, as an ally of France on the side of the colonists, that British naval superiority was Escudo de Bernardo de Gálvez
EJERCITO DE TIERRA ESPAÑOL MAYO 2016
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