Juan Bautista Topete

For his father, also a sailor and military officer, see Juan Bautista Topete y Viaña.

Juan Bautista Topete y Carballo
Juan Bautista Topete y Carballo (1887) by Rafael Monleón (Naval Museum of Madrid).
Born	(1821-05-24)May 24, 1821 San Andrés Tuxtla, New Spain
Died	October 27, 1885(1885-10-27) (aged 64) Madrid, Spain
Military career
Allegiance	Spain
Rank	Vice admiral
Conflicts	War of Africa Spanish–South American War Third Carlist War
Awards	Knight of the Order of Saint Sylvester Commander of the Order of Charles III Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Hermenegild Cross of Naval Merit
Signature

Juan Bautista Topete y Carballo (San Andrés Tuxtla, New Spain, May 24, 1821 – Madrid, October 27, 1885) was a Spanish sailor, military officer and politician, vice admiral of the Spanish Navy, remembered for his part in the War of the Pacific and in the Revolution of 1868. He was Minister of the Navy in several governments and acting President of the Council of Ministers on three occasions (from August 25 to September 21, 1869, from December 27, 1870 to January 4, 1871, and from May 26 to June 5, 1872).

Biography

Origins

He was born in San Andrés Tuxtla, in the intendancy (now the state) of Veracruz, Viceroyalty of New Spain (present-day Mexico), where his father, Juan Bautista Topete y Viaña, a native of Cartagena, was stationed, at that time as Commander of the Third Division of Militias of Sotavento (later Minister of the Navy), whose headquarters moved to the port of Alvarado. His mother, Clara Carballo y Romay, from Tlacotalpan (Veracruz), belonged to an influential family of that prosperous region (counting among its relatives Francisco Lagos Cházaro, President of Mexico at the beginning of the 20th century, among others). He had two brothers who were also naval officers: Ramón, vice admiral of the Royal Navy (1819, San Andrés Tuxtla – 1908, Madrid) and Ángel, captain first class.

Youth

After the independence of Mexico, shortly after his birth, his family moved to Havana, where he spent his childhood and part of his youth. Seeing the young man's inclination toward the sea, his parents gave him their permission and submitted the application for admission to the Royal Navy, which he entered at the age of fifteen, in the year 1836.

From the closure of the Royal Companies of Midshipmen and Naval College until the opening of the new maritime training center promoted by Minister Armero, those who obtained the favor of admission as students did not form a corps or share classrooms, but went directly aboard the available ships of the Navy on lengthy training voyages. The young Topete had to go to San Fernando to take the entrance examination. After he had passed the tests, the Royal Order of August 26, 1836 states: "that the candidate favored with a midshipman's place, don Juan Topete, has been examined on this date in all the work of the course of elementary naval studies of don Gabriel Ciscar, and being versed in all of it, deserved to pass with the grade of fair," which betrayed a notable stinginess. But the result had no influence whatsoever, since on the very day he passed he was ordered to embark on the frigate Esperanza, to begin to season himself in the ways of the sea. Long gone were the days of the Royal Companies of Midshipmen, which had prepared the young men beforehand.

For nearly three years, between 1836 and 1839, he completed his first stages in the waters of the island of Cuba, first on the brig Marte and then on the frigate Restauración, with which he carried out countless cruises seeking to combat arms smuggling and the trade in Black slaves. He also, for a short time, carried out assignments aboard the corvette Villa de Bilbao. So much time at sea caused his health to suffer, and he therefore embarked on the merchant frigate Unión, on which he crossed the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in Santander at the end of 1839, just as the First Carlist War had ended.

He spent the year 1840 aboard several ships, among them the steamer Delfín and the frigates Isabel II and Cortés. By order from above, he transferred to the brig Patriota, with which he carried out operations of all kinds in the waters of the Mediterranean, off the coasts of Catalonia and the Levante, ranging from the transport of troops, munitions and gunpowder to the expatriation of persons.

On January 2, 1841 he embarked on the frigate Isabel II bound for Havana, where his father was no longer in command of the arsenal. On his arrival he transferred to the brig Marte, which he already knew. Changes of ship were constant, as there were few officers; he embarked on the corvette Liberal and later on the steamer Congreso, making cruises with all of them in the sinus Mexicanus. On October 21, as recorded in his Service Record:

...at grave risk to his life, he saved that of a crew member of the steamer Congreso, who had fallen into the sea and was about to drown; he threw himself into the water and prevented the worst from happening.

For his daring and bravery he was later awarded the Cross of Naval Merit.

The pursuit of slave ships became the main mission of the Spanish Navy in American waters. Governor Jerónimo Valdés summoned the slave traders and prevented expeditions from landing on the island, putting an end to such an inhuman and long-lived practice. Until 1844 he was attached to the naval forces of the Havana naval station, and so served on the ships that were there, among them the steamer Congreso and the frigate Isabel II.

A new voyage to the Peninsula aboard the 74-gun Soberano became a new and revealing experience, as he was on one of the old ships of the line, of which almost none remained in the Navy. However, his promotion to lieutenant obliged him to return to Cuba, where he arrived on Christmas Eve 1845.

On his arrival he was given command of the schooner Cristina, which he could not take up until the spring of 1846, as he was sent on assignment to the island of Puerto Rico as an officer of the ship of the line Soberano. With his ship he carried out the missions entrusted to him, serving at Baracoa, Corremell Island, Mujeres and Centoy. The situation at that time was very critical and uncomfortable, as the poet Plácido, accused of conspiring against the Crown of Spain, had been executed by firing squad.

The year 1847 became one of the most difficult, since for the first time the Cuban secessionists began talks with the United States; in command of the schooner Cristina, Topete therefore had to go from one end of the island to the other to try to prevent Yankee arms smuggling.

As his health worsened, he requested and was granted four months' leave, but he was assigned to the Court, where he carried out liaison missions. On November 21, 1849 he was appointed orders officer of the Mediterranean naval division, which covered the area from the Arsenal of Cartagena to the French border, including the Balearic Islands. The division was made up of the corvette Mazarredo, the brig Volador and the steamer Vulcano, with Topete as Commander of the Mazarredo.

The expedition to the Papal States

At that time, the disturbances in Italy caused by the attempts at unification and the proclamation of the Roman Republic had stripped the Pope of his temporal possessions. Narváez, then President of the Council of Ministers, ordered the formation of an army and dispatched an expedition to Rome, having previously agreed on his support with the main Catholic powers: Austria, France and the Two Sicilies.

It was the first time in many years that Spain undertook a deployment of men and ships without direct support from the Peninsula, which was a significant challenge. The expedition consisted of the paddle steamers Isabel II, Vulcano, Lepanto, Piles, Castilla and Blasco de Garay, the frigate Cortés and the corvettes Villa de Bilbao and Mazarredo, under the command of Brigadier José María de Bustillo. They carried an army of 5,000 men under the command of General Fernando Fernández de Córdova, Marquis of Mendigorría.

After a somewhat troublesome crossing because of foul winds and a storm, they arrived at Gaeta, and Pope Pius IX reviewed the forces and blessed them. They then set out, taking up positions at Terracina without meeting serious resistance along the way. Shortly afterwards, with the field already clear, the French general Nicolas Oudinot entered Rome at the head of 30,000 men, and the Papal States were thus restored.

The Spanish expeditionary force returned to the Peninsula disillusioned, but laden with honors and awards, such as the Cross of Saint Sylvester granted to them by Pope Pius IX, another no less important one granted by King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, and the favor of the Royal Order and the Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Charles III, bestowed by the Queen of Spain for having carried out their task with effective zeal. In that year of 1849, the Spanish Royal Navy was reduced to one ship of the line, five frigates, two corvettes, one brig and six steamers.

Service in Cuba

Topete took the corvette Mazarredo to be decommissioned; he had been using her as a floating training ship, on which the instructors gave their classes to the midshipmen, who were then assigned to the ships of the Training Division. He was then assigned to make return voyages between the Iberian Peninsula and the Island of Cuba in command of the brig Galiano, and in 1851 he began making them with the paddle steamer Bazán.

While retaining command of the latter, he was appointed acting secretary of the General Command of Coast Guards. Later, at the Arsenal of La Carraca, he was again given command of the brig Galiano and was also once more assigned to Havana. On January 18, 1852, the port lookouts sighted the brig "with all canvas spread, as a tribute and homage to the naval station."

Because of the Cuban insurrection, during 1853 and part of 1854 he remained in Cuba, paying special attention to the state of mind of his crews, with particular vigilance over those that included natives of the country. In that year of 1854, the diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and Spain broke out, triggered by the Ostend Manifesto, which stated that "if Spain does not sell Cuba, the United States will conquer it."

Assignments and services multiplied, so the Government sent the paddle steamer Bazán, which he also took charge of, without relinquishing command of the Galiano, until June 2, when he was assigned to the hulk Villavicencio. Being once again summoned by the Government, on the 12th he disembarked and crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the mail steamer.

On his arrival he was put in charge of the commission that was to draw up a draft regulation on stores, of mandatory compliance on the ships of the Navy. These were more relaxing posts, but Topete was a man of ships and not of offices, so in September 1856 he was once again acting Commander of the paddle steamer Velasco, assigned to the mail service, which did not prevent him from making a round trip to Havana. He was also given acting command of the paddle steamer Isabel la Católica, which was likewise no obstacle to making another round trip to Havana.

At the beginning of 1857 he was promoted to commander (capitán de fragata) and appointed second Commander of the ship of the line Reina Isabel II. He was later ordered to return to the Island of Cuba, as the Havana naval station was receiving heavy traffic of ships from the Peninsula, having become the only bastion of the Spanish territories in America.

On August 1, 1857 he was appointed chief of the division of light forces assigned to the pursuit and capture of the illicit trade in bozal Black slaves, a post in which he served until December 7, when he was given acting command of the frigate Esperanza, which would prove an experience, before later being given command of one of the most modern units of the Navy, the steam screw frigate Berenguela. With this ship he carried out several assignments, among them one to Veracruz, calling at New York and Tampico, on a typical show the flag mission, before returning to Havana.

On his arrival he found a Royal Order that read: "that copies be included of the communications addressed to this officer by the Spanish subjects resident in Mexico, thanking him for the important services he rendered in said port," as well as another from the Captain General of Havana referring to the same matter. He carried out another assignment to the port of Veracruz, but on his return to Havana he received very welcome news, as he was informed that he had been appointed Commander of the Order of Charles III.

The War of Africa

Main article: Hispano-Moroccan War (1859–1860)

Topete remained in command of the Berenguela until August 9, 1859, when by order from above he was assigned as major general (chief of staff) of the naval forces of Africa. These forces consisted of the paddle steamers Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Castilla, Pizarro, Ulloa, Santa Isabel and Vigilante, plus the screw schooner Buenaventura. These were the units that undertook the missions of patrolling the coasts of the Rif and combating the piracy carried out by Moroccan cárabos against Spanish merchant ships.

When war was officially declared in October 1859, the blockade of the coasts began by the Squadron of Operations, made up of the ship of the line Reina Isabel II, the frigates Princesa de Asturias and Blanca, both screw-driven, the corvette Villa de Bilbao, also screw-driven, the storeships Antillas and Marigalante, the paddle steamers Isabel II, Colón, Vulcano, León, Alerta, Piles, Lepanto, Santa Isabel, Buenaventura, Ceres, Rosalía, Álava, Ferrol and San Antonio, as well as four feluccas and 16 small gunboats, under the command of squadron chief Segundo Díaz Herrera, with Commander Juan Bautista Topete y Carballo as its major general.

Once the blockade was established, a very violent Levante gale arrived that prevented the most vital operations. During one of those days of galerna, a detachment was left without provisions and came to be called the camp of hunger, but the determined action of the commander-in-chief of the squadron himself, José María Bustillo (who had relieved Segundo Díaz Herrera), alleviated the situation: he had the first boat of the Berenguela lowered, and in it he made for the camp, which he supplied at great risk to his life. For her part, the frigate Blanca bombarded Río Martín, which was a relief for the troops, as they were being shelled by the Moorish batteries, which were destroyed.

Another notable event was the landing of naval forces at Cabo Negro, which caused a rout in the enemy camp, leaving the approach to Ceuta almost free. Ships were detached to the Atlantic Ocean and supported with their fire the army's advance on Larache, Arcila, Rabat and Salé, all despite the persistence of the gale.

In all these actions Topete had to redouble his efforts so that nothing was lacking, attending to the embarkation and disembarkation of war matériel and supplies, as well as provisions and equipment, the transport of the sick and wounded to the hospitals, and all this without losing communications between Ceuta and Algeciras, which were so difficult because of the persistent gale. In all the operations, and owing to the effects of the gale, only two paddle steamers and three feluccas were lost, so that these were complicated operations, but without great losses.

For the enormous work he carried out, Topete was awarded the cross of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand and the Cross of the Order of Saint Hermenegild. On April 7, 1860 he was granted by Royal Order the rank of Colonel of Infantry, in reward for his services in the war in Morocco, and the corps of Mining Engineers honored him with its Gold Medal. The journal of sessions of the Cortes of May 29, 1860 records what was then said about the Navy and the War of Africa:

Worthy of glorious commemoration is our nascent navy, which with such valor knew how to brave the hurricanes and storms, serving now as a powerful auxiliary to our heroic army, now dominating the African forts with its guns. On its nascent pedestal its future greatness can be glimpsed.

The duel with Campoamor

After his outstanding performance in the War of Africa, Topete was given various posts, all of them routine and serving as a warrior's rest. In 1861 he was appointed second Commander of the Arsenal of La Carraca in San Fernando, and on April 1, 1862 he received command of the ship of the line Rey Francisco de Asís, the last ship of the line built by Spain, which had been converted into a floating naval school for seamen, allowing him to combine his responsibilities aboard with his duties as a deputy to the Cortes. During the time he held this post he became interested in politics and joined the Liberal Union.

In 1863, the appointment of Augusto Ulloa y Castañón as Minister of the Navy in the government of O'Donnell provoked the rejection of the officer corps. The celebrated poet Ramón de Campoamor, a fervent defender of the Isabelline monarchy, then wrote an article against the chiefs of the Navy, in which he said: "Why do you not like Mr. Ulloa? Because he has never caught an oyster in his life?" As soon as the naval officers read it in La Época, they named Juan Bautista Topete, a great shot and swordsman with saber and pistol, to challenge Campoamor to a duel. And since the latter, though kind and jovial, never refused an affair of arms, he accepted the challenge of the impetuous Topete.

Campoamor's seconds were General Reina and the Baron of Villatardi; Topete's, the Navy generals Quesada and Prast. The duel was arranged with sabers and took place at the Salamanca estate. The sabers were provided by Moreno Benítez and were as sharp as razors. Once the two adversaries were face to face, the signal was given and the fight began.

Campoamor was very soon able to perceive the superiority of his skill: the sailor attacked vigorously, but without result, as the poet parried his blows with ease. The former, blinded by rage, rained down cuts and backhand strokes, which always met their parry. Campoamor in turn attacked without managing to touch him, but the length of the bout worked to Topete's disadvantage, and Campoamor ended up wounding him on the forehead. Topete, his face covered in blood, let out a roar and lunged at the poet. The latter moved to parry and wounded him a second time on the right hand, disarming him. The brave sailor then exclaimed in fury:

Damnation! What will my comrades say?

General Reina, stepping between them, replied:

They will say that you have been brave; but with weapons it is chance that wounds.

Campoamor immediately went up to Topete and embraced him, and from then on they were good comrades.

The War of the Pacific

Main article: Spanish–South American War

Once the legislative session was over, in June 1864 he received a Royal Order granting him command of the screw frigate Blanca. By then, political events had forced Admiral Luis Hernández Pinzón to raise the Spanish flag over the Chincha Islands on April 14 of that year.

The Government, aware that the situation was worsening by the moment, decided to send more ships to the Pacific, and the order to do so was given to the frigates Villa de Madrid, Berenguela and Blanca, the latter under Topete's command, with Admiral José Manuel Pareja as commander general, who on his arrival would replace Admiral Pinzón in command of that squadron. Shortly afterwards the schooner Vencedora joined the squadron, also sent because the squadron needed shallow-draft ships, very suitable for those coasts.

Pareja had been born in Peru, so he knew his fellow countrymen well. As plenipotentiary he negotiated a treaty, which was called the Vivanco-Pareja treaty, under which Spain returned the Chincha Islands and Peru would salute the Spanish flag, recognize the commissioner sent by the Queen and pay 3 million pesos in compensation.

Once such an amicable treaty had been approved, some sailors from the frigate Resolución went ashore, but the discontent of the inflamed populace manifested itself in a mob that attacked the Spaniards on February 5, 1865. Cabo de Mar (petty officer) Esteban Fradera was killed; finding himself surrounded, he defended himself and with his knife managed to kill three of his attackers and wound seven others, but the crowd fell upon him and killed him.

After a new attempt to reach a treaty and compensate the relatives of Petty Officer Fradera, the Peruvian Government broke off negotiations, and Pareja, complying with the orders received from Madrid, decided to begin the blockade of the coasts of Peru. The Government, anticipating the union of Chile and Peru against Spain, sent the new ironclad frigate Numancia, under the command of Captain Casto Méndez Núñez.

By order of Admiral Pareja, the Numancia stationed herself off Callao, the strongest stronghold in Peru. The blockade was carried out under extremely difficult conditions, since with four frigates and two schooners, with no ports for resupply and no resources of any kind, more than 1,600 miles of coast had to be covered. The blockade was deployed as follows: the Villa de Madrid, flying Admiral Pareja's flag, and the schooners Vencedora and Covadonga, off Valparaíso; the Berenguela, with a captured steamer, the Matías Cousiño, off Coquimbo; the Blanca at Caldera and the Resolución at Concepción, so that from one end of the blockade to the other there was a distance of two hundred leagues without any kind of communication.

When Chile declared war on Spain, Admiral Pareja had to readjust his already scarce forces and extend his blockade line. He decided that the schooner Covadonga should guard Coquimbo, that the Berenguela should go to Caldera to join the frigate Blanca, and that the schooner Vencedora should go to Concepción and return with the frigate Resolución, lifting the blockade at Concepción. In this way, if Peru's hostility was confirmed, they would go at full steam to Valparaíso, picking up the Covadonga in its waters and, all together, blockade the port.

But it turned out that the Covadonga, in a surprise attack by the Chilean corvette Esmeralda, was captured. Because of this small disaster Admiral Pareja committed suicide, perhaps taking his personal honor too far.

Méndez Núñez, who had been promoted to brigadier for his brilliant voyage from Cádiz to Callao and was in command of the Numancia, took command of the Pacific squadron. His first orders were to concentrate his forces in the two main ports of Chile, thus trying to avoid further surprises and risks, but also to fulfill the duty of informing the Government of the death of the Commander-in-chief of the squadron.

Méndez Núñez ordered a search for the Covadonga in an attempt to recapture her, but it proved fruitless, so he sent the Villa de Madrid, under the command of Claudio Alvargonzález, and the Blanca, under the command of Topete, to look for them in the only place that had not been explored: the labyrinth of the Chiloé and Calbuco archipelagos.

First they came upon the Peruvian frigate Amazonas aground on a sandbank and, shortly afterwards, found the rest of the fleet in a sheltered cove behind Abtao Island. After an intense long-range cannonade of little effect, which would go down in History as the Battle of Abtao, Claudio Alvargonzález wrote in his report:

At half past five, considering that it was illusory to think of attacking the enemy at point-blank range, since he would be inclined, if not to run aground, to an impossibility of movement with no possible or probable success, and considering the imperative need to get out of the narrows by daylight, I ordered the firing to cease. After conferring again with the commander of the Blanca (Topete), we decided not to persist in the attack, given the impossibility of a good result whatever the manner in which it might be combined and the number of our ships. We therefore left, with the same precautions, the reefs of Lami and Carva, sailing always in the hope that the enemy would offer battle outside the shoals. (...) The enemy remained still, his ships letting off steam, in no way disposed to leave their entrenchments.

Méndez Núñez decided to make the attempt himself to finish off the enemy fleet, and so he convened a council of chiefs and officers, who were not in favor of risking the Numancia in that intricate maze of islands and channels, for which, moreover, no reliable nautical charts existed. Even so, on February 17, 1866, the minor damage to the Blanca having been repaired, still under Topete's command, they left the Valparaíso anchorage, with her leading the way as scout, followed by the Numancia, under the command of her Commander Antequera and with the squadron chief Casto Méndez Núñez. This second expedition to Chiloé did not have the expected result either, since the Chilean-Peruvian fleet sought an even more inaccessible and protected refuge. Although the allied ships could not be destroyed, they would remain in their hiding place for the rest of the war.

The bombardment of Valparaíso

But on the return to Valparaíso, Topete captured the steamer Paquete del Maule, which had on board one hundred and seventy sailors in the service of Peru, eagerly awaited to complete the crews of its new ships, the Huáscar and the Independencia, which left the Peruvians without trained men for two long-awaited ships. The capture took place even though the steamer was flying the British flag, but since this tactic was already known, the Blanca fired a salute at her, as the gun was not loaded with a projectile, and the steamer stopped without offering any kind of resistance.

After being informed of the Government's decision to bombard Valparaíso, Méndez Núñez publicly announced his intention and gave four days' notice for the civilian population to leave their homes, and for charitable establishments and hospitals to be marked with white flags. When the deadline expired, on March 31, 1866, the frigates Villa de Madrid, Resolución and Blanca, plus the corvette Vencedora, prepared to carry it out, with the ironclad Numancia remaining behind them to protect them from a nonexistent attack by the enemy squadrons.

The neutral ships of the United States and the United Kingdom withdrew at 8 in the morning. The Numancia fired two cannon shots warning that the bombardment would begin at the appointed time. At 9:15 the firing began, starting with the official buildings, such as the customs houses and the Government warehouses. At 12:00 the firing ceased. 2,600 projectiles were fired, causing damage valued at fourteen million pesos, which was the equivalent of 3.6 times the cost of the Spanish demands for compensation that had led to the war.

When the bombardment was over, and annoyed by the reproaches for having bombarded a defenseless town, Méndez Núñez set course for San Lorenzo Island, off the Peruvian port of Callao, in order to bombard the latter, the strongest stronghold in South America. The voyage was made in two divisions, one of which would go under sail because it was escorting the transports, while the first, with the Numancia at its head, would make it under steam.

The bombardment of Callao

Peruvian battery in the port of Callao, May 2, 1866.

May 2, 1866 dawned with mist, hiding the town and the forts that the Spanish squadron was to bombard. At 9 in the morning an address was given on all the ships, read by their commanders to all the crews:

Sailors and soldiers: After a long and arduous campaign, today we are given the opportunity to close it worthily, punishing as it deserves the audacity and perfidy of an enemy that has left nothing undone in order to vilify our beloved Spain: Spain, which today expects us to avenge her worthily.

The same desire animates us all, and I cannot doubt that, with your courage, resolve and enthusiasm, you will see it fulfilled, returning to the bosom of your families after recording a page of glory in the history of the modern navy, leaving its honor at the height that our homeland has the right to expect of us. Long live the Queen!

Your Commander General, Casto Méndez Núñez.

During the wait caused by the mist, the opportunity was taken to move two guns from the port side to the starboard side, which was the one the Numancia was going to present to the enemy. She would thus have 19 guns in the battle instead of 17. At the same time the steam launch was lowered into the water so that, moored alongside on the lee side, with her commanding officer, Ensign Joaquín Lazaga, she would be ready to carry out whatever assignments the command might order.

At 11:15, the air was already clearing, and the flags signaling to clear for action were seen flying from the top of the Numancia's mizzenmast, whereupon all the ships headed for their pre-established positions. Then the drum calls of generala and calacuerda were heard on all the ships, the battle flags were hoisted, and they took up their positions.

The Numancia, leading the Southern division, which had the shortest distance to cover, was the first to reach her position, opposite the fortifications of Santa Rosa, and steering so as to present her starboard battery to the enemy, as soon as she was within range she fired the first bow gun, thus opening fire at 11:55.

Topete, on the Blanca, managed to position himself 800 meters from the Peruvian batteries, disdaining the old axiom that "one gun on land is worth ten at sea." The squadron's fire was so accurate that at 12:10 the armored South tower was blown up by a shot from the Blanca, which penetrated the interior of the tower and reached the powder magazine, blowing it into the air with its entire garrison and with the Peruvian Minister of War, who was inside it. At 15:00 the Blanca withdrew from the line, having used up all her ammunition. Her conduct throughout the entire campaign was praised by friend and foe alike. Luis Royo Villanova, a petty officer (cabo de mar) on board, said:

We of the Blanca had two idols aboard that beloved ship, the boldest, the lightest, the most restless, alert and determined of all those commanded by chief Méndez Núñez. The first of those idols was the flag which, riddled by the bullets of Chileans and Peruvians, always waved above us with the movements and colors of a red and yellow flame. The other idol of the sailors of the Blanca was Topete, our brave captain, restless, nervous, the second propeller and true soul of the frigate, to which he imparted his aggressiveness and his courage. With his example he guided us all, and before his example there was no way to turn one's face away either from the enemy or from the work, which was extremely hard and unceasing. We lived in continual readiness for action, we slept armed at the foot of the guns, and when chance provided us with some treat, such as that thousand bottles of the finest oil that a merchant steamer brought us by mistake instead of waste oil for the engines, Topete took the bottles, emptied them into a tank, poisoned the oil so that only the engine could enjoy it, and we went on eating vegetables boiled in plain water and some coarse and devilish oily fish.

The enemy did not stint on the matter either. In a chronicle published in Lima on May 2, referring to the Blanca, it was said:

She fought with a kind of rage, and her commander was clearly seen to pass from the quarterdeck to the forecastle and present his whole body to the enemy.

On July 3, 1866 Topete was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic for his meritorious work in the Battle of Abtao. Together with the other members of the squadron, he received the thanks of the Queen in an autograph letter, dated July 9 and addressed to the Commander General of the Pacific squadron.

On the return to Spain, the squadron split into two divisions, the Blanca being one of those that made the voyage by rounding Cape Horn under sail, since there was no coal left.

By another Royal Order of September 19, he was granted the Cross of Naval Merit for his determined action in the Battle of Callao. And for his conduct throughout the entire campaign, and for the serious wound received in the bombardment of Callao, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier.

He returned to Madrid, but was received with ill-concealed hostility, since in those days the Government looked askance at those who had revolutionary backgrounds or advanced ideas, which disillusioned him considerably. He was appointed Captain of the port of Cádiz, a post he held until the triumph of the September Revolution of 1868.

The Glorious

Main article: Revolution of 1868

File:Almirante Topete.jpg

Admiral Topete (1868), by Angelo Agostini.

Topete y Carballo took a very active part in the preparation of the national movement, whether because of his ideas, as he was further to the right than Prim himself, or because of the displeasure caused by the appointment of Belda as Minister of the Navy, since his first action was to cut the budget for the construction of new ships from 31 million to 6, which meant that the efforts made in recent years to rebuild the power of the Navy were collapsing because of political irresponsibility, as it was no longer possible to continue building ships.

In September 1868 Juan Prim, Francisco Serrano, Domingo Dulce, Ramón Nouvillas, Rafael Primo de Rivera, Antonio Caballero de Rodas and Topete himself decided to take action. Topete's mission was indispensable and decisive: he was to raise the fleet under his command in revolt. Thus on September 17, aboard the ironclad frigate Zaragoza, anchored in the Bay of Cádiz, he signed the first proclamation of the Revolution of 1868. The proclamation of Brigadier Juan Bautista Topete y Carballo to the people of Cádiz read as follows:

People of Cádiz: A sailor who owes you signal distinctions, among them that of having carried your representation to Parliament, addresses you to explain a most grave event. This is the attitude of the Navy toward the ill-fated Government that rules the destinies of the Nation.

Do not expect beauties from my pen. Prepare yourselves only to hear truths. Our unfortunate country has lain for years subjected to the most horrible dictatorship; our fundamental law torn up, the rights of the citizen mocked; the national representation fictitiously created; the bonds that should link the people with the throne, and form the constitutional monarchy, completely broken.
It is not necessary to proclaim these truths; they are in everyone's conscience.

Otherwise I would remind you of the right to legislate, which the Government has exercised by itself alone, aggravating it with the cynicism of seeking subsequent approvals from the so-called Cortes, without even allowing them to debate each of the rights it presented to them as a whole, for it distrusted even the servility of its followers in the examination of its acts.

That my words are not exaggerated is shown by the administrative laws, the law of public order and the press law.
For another purpose, that of presenting to you one which is the negation of all doctrine, I cite the law on public instruction.

Passing from the political order to the economic, the issues, the loans, the increase of all taxes are recent. What has been their use? You know it, and deploring it with you is the navy of war, the support of the merchant navy and the security of commerce; a body proclaimed not long ago to the glory of the country, and which now sees its arsenals deserted, the poverty of its workers, the neglect of all its members, and sees in so sad a picture a living portrait of the morality of the Government.

Evils of such gravity demand corresponding remedies; unfortunately, the legal ones are barred; it is therefore necessary to appeal to the supreme, to the heroic ones.
Here is the reason for the Navy's new attitude; one of the parts of its oath has been violated to the detriment of the other. To come to the defense of both is not only lawful but obligatory.
Having set out the motives of my conduct and that of my comrades, I will tell you our aspirations.
We aspire for the legitimate powers, people and Throne, to function within the orbit that the constitution assigns to them, establishing the now extinguished harmony, the now broken bond between them.
We aspire for the Constituent Cortes, applying their loyal knowledge and making use of the all-too-repeated lessons of a fatal experience, to agree on everything that leads to the establishment of the true constitutional monarchy.
We aspire for the rights of the citizen to be profoundly respected by Governments, recognizing in them the sacred qualities that they inherently possess.
We aspire for the public treasury to be governed morally and enlightenedly, modifying burdens, abolishing restrictions, giving scope to the exercise of every lawful industry and a broad field to individual activity and talent.
These, concretely set out, are my aspirations and those of my comrades. Do you join in them without distinction of party, forgetting small differences, which are harmful to the country? By acting thus you will build the happiness of the homeland, and this is precisely the banner that the Navy raises.
Since great sentiments are usually accompanied by catastrophes that tarnish their brilliance, to the certain advantage of their enemies, I believe, with my comrades, that we do a service to the liberal cause by offering to defend it, restraining all excess. Liberty without order, without respect for persons and things, is inconceivable. I repay, people of Cádiz, your affection by placing myself in the vanguard of the struggle that begins today and which you will sustain with your gratitude and courage.
I repay you by explaining my conduct, its reason and its purpose; I address myself to you alone; let those who have title to do so speak to the country.
Bay of Cádiz, aboard the Zaragoza, September 17, 1868.

Juan Bautista Topete.

Prim arrived in Cádiz on the night of September 18, and the rebel squadron, made up of the ironclad frigates Zaragoza and Tetuán, the wooden ones Villa de Madrid and Libertad, plus the paddle steamers Isabel II, Vulcano and Ferrol, with the schooners Concordia, Edetana, Ligera and other smaller vessels, summoned the city to surrender, with Topete as supreme chief, who was seconded by the sailors and the garrison together with the people, so that the Military Governor, faced with an almost inevitable confrontation, decided to hand over the city and join the rebels.

The first thing he did was to send the steamer Buenaventura to the Canary Islands, where the Government had exiled the generals and admirals who did not agree with it, thereby obtaining very important and significant support. On the steamer's return, the Duke of la Torre, who was aboard it, took command, accompanied by all the deported generals, and addressed to the population and to Spain an even more forceful manifesto, "Spain with honor!", signed by all the leaders of the pronunciamiento.

On the morning of the 19th, to the cry of "Long live national sovereignty!", the Mediterranean squadron declared for the revolution. Numerous garrisons in the south of the Peninsula gradually joined it. Prim immediately formed an army, which set out in the direction of Madrid, in whose vicinity the Battle of Alcolea was fought, where the Isabelline forces were defeated, which brought about the triumph of the Revolution.

A problem then arose: Topete was a true gentleman and a man very loyal to the Monarchy, so at first he did not agree with the dethronement of the legitimate queen, Isabella II. In the end they convinced him that the salvation of Spain required this sacrifice, and he agreed to join Prim if the Duke of Montpensier, to whom he was unconditionally devoted, was named king. The capable and scheming Montpensier had placed himself on the side of Isabella II's enemies since long before her fall, in the vain hope of seizing the throne of Spain, but an unfortunate event then occurred that ruined his aspirations: the Duke fought a duel with Infante Enrique de Borbón, Duke of Seville, and killed him, thus removing himself from candidacy for the throne.

Provisional Government, 1869. From the left corner: Figuerola, Ruiz Zorrilla, Sagasta, Juan Prim, Serrano, Topete, Adelardo López de Ayala, Lorenzana and Romero Ortiz (photo by J. Laurent).

Topete, on the other hand, gained great popularity; on his arrival in Madrid he was received with a great ovation, and when the Provisional Government (1868–1869) was constituted he was given the Navy portfolio. With modesty and integrity he declined promotion to rear admiral, and he was elected deputy to the Constituent Cortes of 1869 for Madrid and Vich. From his time at the Ministry of the Navy there remained the work carried out through his efforts to put down the insurrection on the Island of Cuba, for which he requested, and obtained from the Cortes, supplementary levies with which to complete the crews of the ships.

Perhaps one of Topete's most important facets, and the least known, was his concern for naval training afloat. This may have been because he was unable to receive it to the normal extent, and very early on he found himself aboard ship, and in combat, without the necessary preparation. The fact is that when he arrived at the Ministry of the Navy, one of his first measures was the establishment of a Floating Naval School, which would restructure the training of midshipmen.

Later, when Serrano was appointed Regent and Prim took over the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, he also took charge of the Ministry of Overseas and the Ministry of War (1869–1870). In addition, between August 25 and September 21 he held the Presidency on an acting basis while Prim was absent.

The reign of Amadeo of Savoy

Amadeo I of Spain.

On November 26, 1870 a vote was held in the Congress of Deputies to elect the new King of Spain. As it was decided that it would be Don Amadeo of Savoy, and not the Duke of Montpensier, Topete submitted his resignation to the Duke of la Torre. But on December 27 Prim was ambushed and received several gunshot wounds, which ended up causing his death three days later. Faced with this situation, the Government appealed once more to Topete's patriotism, and he, as a consistent man and for the good of Spain, accepted the post of President of the Council of Ministers on an acting basis until January 4, 1871. His new post obliged him to go and receive the new king.

The Numancia, together with other Spanish and Italian ships, was charged with transporting the new king to Spain. On board were her commander, Captain Días Herrera, and the Minister of the Navy, Beránger, and the ship flew the Royal standard. On arriving at Cartagena, Topete went aboard to pay his respects in the name of General Prim and, bowing respectfully before the Monarch, said to him:

The Regent of the Kingdom entrusted me with a mission as honorable as it is undeserved, namely, to go out to meet the monarch elected by the sovereign Constituent Cortes of the nation. I accepted, answering for the life of the King with my own life.

Some time later, he did not conceal his sympathies for the most conservative figures of the Constitutional Party.

He held the post of Minister of Overseas during the government of Sagasta (1871–1872), and showed himself pessimistic about matters concerning the Island of Cuba, as he did not forget the North American premise of buy or conquer, while he saw that Spain was weakening because of its internal struggles. In July 1871 he said: "I will not be a reformist with regard to Cuba, because that is the only way to keep that beautiful province a while longer."

In November of the same year he stated in the Chamber that some Minister had proposed the sale of the Island of Cuba. This statement aroused harsh and profound indignation and forced Ruiz Zorrilla to protest in favor of national integrity and Figueras to request that a commission of inquiry be opened, with the aim of finding out the name of the Minister in question who had made such an unfortunate proposal. In that year he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral.

He later politically opposed the tendencies of the radicals, which he combated in the newspapers El Debate and El Gobierno.

He was called again to take the Navy portfolio by the President of the Government Sagasta in 1872; when the President changed, with Serrano being appointed, he remained in his Ministry, and it so happened that for a few days, in the absence of the President, he was granted the privilege and responsibility of holding the post of President of the Nation on an acting basis (May 26 – June 5).

The Republic

Portrait of Juan Bautista Topete, published in La Ilustración Española y Americana on November 8, 1885, after his death.

When the First Spanish Republic was proclaimed on February 11, 1873, he was imprisoned for a few days in the military prison of San Francisco in Madrid. On his release he withdrew from the political chaos and from the capital, until the Federal Cortes were dissolved and on January 3, 1874 the new Government of the unitary Republic was formed, presided over by his former colleague General Serrano. Topete was called to take up once again his portfolio of the Ministry of the Navy.

As the Third Carlist War intensified, and while still holding the Navy portfolio, he went north at the head of the Navy battalions, which fought with true heroism against the troops of the opposing side, taking the heights of Abanto and Somorrostro at bayonet point.

In one of the actions, while he was in the front line, as he so often was, a bullet cut the strap holding the scabbard of the sword he held in his hand; smiling, he turned to his men and said: "This bullet has freed me from a useless weight, because my sword will not be sheathed for many days." On his return to the capital, he found that he had been left out of the Government, which was once again presided over by Sagasta.

The Restoration

The military uprising of Sagunto, which restored the Bourbons in the person of Alfonso XII, drew from him the most forceful censure, and on seeing that the return of the former dynasty was succeeding, he resolved to leave the military career and put on civilian clothes; but when he requested exemption from service it was denied. In compensation, the new Government granted him, for his conduct at Abanto and Somorrostro, the Grand Cross and Plaque of Saint Hermenegild.

In 1879 he agreed to recognize the monarchy of Alfonso XII, and was accordingly appointed President of the Board of Administration of the funds for Navy awards. In 1880 he was promoted by strict seniority to the rank of vice admiral. A year later he was appointed senator for life, by Royal Decree of September 5, 1881.

He died in Madrid in 1885, at the age of sixty-four.

References

Bibliography

• Cervera Pery, José (1995). Juan Bautista Topete: Un Almirante para una Revolución (in español). Madrid, Ministerio de Defensa. ISBN 84-7823-434-9.
• González de Canales, Fernando, y Estrada Giménez, Rafael (2000). Catálogo de Pinturas del Museo Naval (in español). Madrid, Ministerio de Defensa. ISBN 84-7823-663-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Lledo Calabuig, José (1997). Buques de vapor de la Armada Española, del vapor de ruedas a la fragata acorazada (1834-1885) (in español). Madrid, Aqualarga. ISBN 84-88959-64-8.
• López Cordón, María Victoria (1976). La Revolución de 1868 y la República (in español). Madrid, Siglo XXI.
• Novo Colson, Pedro de (1872). Historia de la Guerra de España en el Pacífico (in español). Madrid.
• Pirala, Antonio (1984). Historia de la guerra civil y de los partidos Liberal y Carlista (in español). Madrid, Turner. ISBN 84-7506-138-9.
• VV.AA. (1928). Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Europeo Americana (in español). Madrid, Espasa.

External links

• Text partially adapted with the author's authorization, who permitted its reproduction on Wikipedia under the GFDL license: Foro de Historia Naval de España y Países de habla española.
• Personal file of Senator for Life D. Juan Bautista Topete y Carballo. (in Spanish)

by Juan Bautista Topete