Florencio Xatruch

Florencio Xatruch (October 21, 1811 – February 15, 1893) was a general who led the Honduran expeditionary force against William Walker in Nicaragua in 1856.

Life

Florencio Xatruch was born in

Catalan background, and his mother, Eugenia Villagra, was part of Choluteca

's upper class, and whose family owned mines.

In 1824, Xatruch was sent to León, Nicaragua to continue with his studies.

Military career

In 1826, as he returned to Honduras, he joined the armed forces of Domingo Sarmiento and Santos Sánchez, who were against the government of

captain by General Julian Tercero, and he served under the leadership of Francisco Ferrera

.

When

Catrachos

", term (nickname) that Hondurans are known as, especially in Nicaragua.

In 1855, Xatruch was promoted to brigade general. President Guardiola sent Honduran troops to fight William Walker under the leadership of the Xatruch brothers. Florencio was named General in Chief of the Allied Armies of Central America, but later, for political reasons, Juan Rafael Mora was left in charge and Xatruch was demoted to Inspector General.

He also led the combat against the filibusters in Puebla, Rivas.

Several Central American countries recognized him as brigade and division general. On June 12, 1857, Xatruch made a triumphant entrance to

Minister of Finance of Honduras from 1858 to 1859.^[1] On February 15, 1864, the General Assembly of Honduras declared him Vice President of Honduras to the cabinet of José María Medina

.

He briefly acted as President from March 26 – May 17, 1871.

Life in Nicaragua

After the civil war of 1856, Xatruch stayed in Nicaragua, and worked in agriculture and mining. It is told that he had to sell the medals of honor he had received in order to finance his new businesses, that included two coffee farms ("Honduras" and "La Cruz") and several estates in Managua.

In Nicaragua, Xatruch was named Director of Eastern Highways, by president

Jinotepe. In 1878, president Pedro Joaquín Chamorro

named him Governor of Chinandega and Leon, and that same year, on August 9, he was named Division General of the Nicaragua Army.

Death

Xatruch died in

Managua, Nicaragua on February 15, 1893, when he was 82 years old. He was buried in the San Pedro Cemetery with great honors. Nicaragua National Congress, by decree on February 24, 1893, authorized the following epitaph

: " From Nicaragua to the Honduran by birth but Nicaraguan by adoption, General Florencio Xatruch, a testimony of admiration and thankfulness for the services he provided to the Country".

Tarea Xatruch Battalion (2003)

In August 2003 Honduras President

Nasariya, Karbala and Najaf

in Iraq, where they joined 360 Salvadoran, 230 Nicaraguan, 300 Dominican, and 1,300 Spanish soldiers.

References

^ García Buchard, Mercedes Ethel (2007). DINÁMICA POLÍTICA Y CONSTRUCCIÓN NACIONAL ESTATAL EN HONDURAS (1838-1872) (PDF) (Doctor in History thesis) (in Spanish). UNIVERSIDAD DE COSTA RICA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 June 2022.

[hacienda-1] García Buchard, Mercedes Ethel (2007). DINÁMICA POLÍTICA Y CONSTRUCCIÓN NACIONAL ESTATAL EN HONDURAS (1838-1872) (PDF) (Doctor in History thesis) (in Spanish). UNIVERSIDAD DE COSTA RICA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 June 2022.

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