José Francisco Gana Castro

José Francisco Gana Castro (February 19, 1828 - August 7, 1894) was the Chilean Minister of Defense from October 15, 1890, to March 29, 1891, as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army from August 22, 1888, to September 4, 1891, and was a notable participant of the War of the Pacific before being exiled to Spain after the defeat of the Balmaceda Government. He was also one of the founders of the Mulchén throughout the planning of the foundations of the city.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gana and the second or maternal family name is Castro.
Justo Arteaga Cuevas
Minister of National Defense
In office
October 15, 1890 – March 29, 1891
PresidentJosé Manuel Balmaceda
Preceded byFederico Errázuriz Echaurren
Succeeded byJosé Velásquez Bórquez
Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army
In office
August 22, 1888 – September 4, 1891
Preceded byEmilio Sotomayor Baeza
Succeeded byMarco Aurelio Arriagada
Personal details
Born(1828-02-19)February 19, 1828
Talca, Maule Region, Chile
DiedAugust 7, 1894(1894-08-07) (aged 66)
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Alma materEscuela Militar del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins
Military service
Allegiance July Monarchy
 Second French Republic
Conservative Republic
Liberal Republic
Branch French Army
 Chilean Army
Years of service1843 – 1891
RankDivisional General
Battles/warsWar of the Pacific Chilean Civil War of 1891

Biography

Castro was born on February 19, 1828, as the son of Rafael Gana López and Benigna Castro Cruz.[1] At the age of 15, he entered the Escuela Militar del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins before going to study military engineering at France at the Metz Military School in 1843.[2][3] He also married Carmen Vicuña Cañas around 1838.[1]

After graduating, he became a member of the French Army as artillery lieutenant until 1850 where he moved to the United Kingdom before returning to Chile in 1852.[2] He was promoted to captain in 1854 and to sergeant major in 1859.[2] He was then made lieutenant colonel of engineers in 1867 and was made chief of staff of the Army of Arauco.[2] From 1870 to 1871, he was commander of the Army of Araucanía as well as laying out the foundations for the city of Mulchén.[2] In 1878, he was one of the main advocates for the use of Armstrong guns with the next year having him commanding the Army of Valparaíso during the War of the Pacific and participating in the Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos.[2] After Lima was occupied, Gana was made Chief of Callao as well as Commander-in-Chief of the Tarapacá Division. Due to his services, he was promoted to Brigadier General in 1882.[2]

In 1884 Castro was appointed General Commander of Arms of Santiago and was an Inspector General of the National Guard.[2] On October 15, he assumes as Minister of National Defense, a position he held until May 20, 1891, around the same time that he assumed the Command in Chief of the Army from January 12, 1891.[4] During the Chilean Civil War of 1891, he supported the Government of José Manuel Balmaceda but were decisively defeated at the Battle of Placilla on August 28, 1891.[2] This caused all supporters of Balmaceda's government exiled and General Gana took refuge in the United States embassy at Santiago before going into exile in Barcelona where he remained until his death on August 7, 1894.[1] His corpse was then recovered and given a burial at the Santiago General Cemetery on November 25, 1894.[2]

References
  1. "José Francisco Gana Castro - Chilean Genealogy Network". Genealogía Chilena en Red (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  2. "Reseña biográfica José Francisco Gana Castro - Reseñas biográficas - Historia Política - Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional". Biblioteca del Congresso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  3. Fernando Silva Vargas; Juan Eduardo Vargas Cariola, eds. (2019). Historia de la República de Chile: La búsqueda de un orden republicano. 1826- 1881. Parte 1. Vol. 2. Ediciones UC. ISBN 9789561424586. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  4. Historia del Ejército de Chile: Reorganización del ejército y la influencia alemana, 1885-1914 (in Spanish). Estado Mayor General del Ejército. 1980. p. 118. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.

Further reading
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