View source for Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia<br />{{small|Compañía Franca de Voluntarios de Cataluña}}
|image=
|caption=
|dates=1767–1815
|country={{flagicon image|Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg}} Spain
|allegiance=
|branch= [[File:Emblem of the Spanish Army.svg|22px]] [[Spanish Army]]
|type= [[Light Infantry]]
|role= [[Garrison]]
|size=
|command_structure=
|current_commander=
|garrison=[[Guadalajara]] {{small|(1772–1800)}}
[[El Perote]] {{small|(1800–1815)}}
|nickname=
|patron=
|identification_symbol=
|identification_symbol_label=
|motto=
|colors=
|march=
|mascot=
|battles=
|notable_commanders=[[Pedro de Alberní]]
[[Pedro Fages]]
|anniversaries=
|decorations=
|battle_honours=
}}
The '''Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia''' (Spanish: ''Compañía Franca de Voluntarios de Cataluña'') was a [[Company (military unit)|military company]] of the [[Spanish Army]] serving in the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish colonial empire]].
==Origins==
The company was raised in [[Barcelona]] in 1767 for service in [[Viceroyalty of New Spain|New Spain]], as a part of an effort to improve the defenses of Spain's [[Spanish Empire|overseas empire]], which in turn was part of the larger [[Bourbon Reforms]] of King [[Charles III of Spain|Carlos III]]. Initially recruited from the ''2nd Regiment of Light Infantry of [[Catalonia]]'', the company was composed of four officers and one hundred enlisted men and was commanded by Captain Agustín Callis, a veteran of Spain's wars in [[War of the Austrian Succession|Italy]] and [[Seven Years' War|Portugal]].<ref>Sanchez, pgs. 3–12.</ref>
== Service in Sonora ==
The Catalan Volunteers arrived in [[Guaymas]], [[Sonora]] in May 1768 as a part of an expedition of some 1200 Spanish soldiers and native allies assembled to quell a revolt by [[Pima people|Pima]] and [[Seri people|Seri]] Indians.  After years of active campaigning, the Volunteers returned to Mexico City in April 1771.<ref>Sanchez, pg 16–30</ref>
== The Establishment of Alta California ==
In September 1768, Lieutenant [[Pedro Fages]] and a detachment of 25 Volunteers were ordered south to [[San Blas, Nayarit|San Blas]], [[Nayarit]] to form a part of the expedition of [[Gaspar de Portolà]] to establish a Spanish foothold in [[Alta California]].  After 110 days at sea, the Volunteers arrived at [[San Diego Bay]] in April 1769.  By this time, over half the soldiers and most of the crew were incapacitated with [[scurvy]].
Twelve Volunteers succumbed to illness while awaiting the arrival of the overland arm of the expedition under Captain [[Fernando Javier Rivera y Moncada]], who arrived a month later.  Still short of provisions, however, the lot of the soldiers improved very little.  Despite these privations, the Volunteers participated in the [[Portola expedition]] that established San Diego and Monterey, and remained as the first garrison of the [[Presidio of Monterey]], under Fages' command. Volunteers accompanied Fages on expeditions to explore the [[San Francisco Bay]] region in 1770 and 1772.
In June 1770, command of the military forces in California passed from Portola to the short tempered and relatively inexperienced Fages. His often high handed treatment of soldiers and missionaries and his possible mishandling of the distribution of rations led to criticism from Father [[Junípero Serra]], who successfully petitioned [[Viceroy]] [[Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa]] for his removal. Fages and the detachment of Volunteers left Monterey to rejoin their Company in July 1774.<ref>Sanchez, pg. 32–57</ref>
At least one of the Volunteers later returned to retire in California. [[Jose Antonio Yorba]] settled in what is now [[Orange County, California]] to become the patriarch of an important [[Californio]] family. The city of [[Yorba Linda, California]] is named for the Yorba family.
== Reorganization ==
In Sonora, the Catalan Volunteers served alongside the [[Fusileros de Montaña]] (Mountain Fusiliers), another independent company from Catalonia associated with the 2nd Regiment.  As a part of new regulations promulgated in 1772, the two commands were merged and reorganized into two companies of 80 men and 3 officers each: The First Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia, which included the detachment in California under Fages and remained under the command of Captain Callis, and a Second Company under Captain [[Antonio Pol]].  Both companies were based in [[Guadalajara]].<ref>Sanchez, pg. 103–104</ref>
== Garrison Duty in Central Mexico ==
As [[light infantry]], the Volunteers were thought to be particularly well suited for duty in the mountainous country of central Mexico.  Though based in Guadalajara, detachments of Volunteers were frequently posted to the Presidio of Mesa del Tonati in the mountains of Nayarit, the [[Real del Monte]] near Mexico City, and to serve as harbor guards at San Blas, the headquarters for Spanish naval operations in the Pacific.  For the most part, this service was fairly routine, except for occasional calls to quell disturbances.
== Return To Sonora ==
Fages, his reputation now rehabilitated, was promoted to captain and assigned command of the Second Company in early 1776.  At the urging of [[Teodoro de Croix]], commandant general of the [[Commandancy General of the Provincias Internas]], Fages and his new command were deployed to Sonora, arriving at [[Álamos|Alamos]] in February 1777.
The following April, the Volunteers of the Second Company were posted to the [[Presidio of El Pitic]] (modern [[Hermosillo]]) in response to renewed hostilities with the Seris, who quickly surrendered.
At the urging of Lt. Col [[Juan Bautista de Anza]], the company was posted at the [[Presidio of Santa Cruz de Terrenate]], which had recently been moved from its previous location to one on the [[San Pedro River (Arizona)|San Pedro River]] north of modern [[Tombstone, Arizona]], to reinforce the beleaguered garrison against the [[Apaches]], arriving in the fall of 1778.  Though Fages, now a Lieutenant Colonel, was able to restore order and discipline to the presidio, the garrison proved unable to mount an effective counter-offensive.
In December 1780, with the Second Company now down to half strength, Fages left Terrenate for Mexico City for new recruits.  In his absence, the Presidio was ordered abandoned, and the garrison moved to its previous location at [[Santa Cruz, Sonora]], which was believed to be more defensible and easily supplied.  The company was soon once again posted at El Pitic, where they were employed in putting down another rebellion by the Seris.
In September 1781, Fages led an expedition that included 40 men of the Second Company to the [[Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites|Yuma Crossing]] to quell a rebellion by the [[Quechan]] and their allies.  Though they were able to liberate Spanish captives, secure the remains of the slain Father [[Francisco Garcés]] and recover sacred vessels from the destroyed missions of [[Mission Puerto de Purísima Concepción]] and [[Mission San Pedro y San Pablo de Bicuñer]], Fages' command was unable to subdue the tribe.  Despite two subsequent expeditions by Fages and the Second Company over the next 2 years, the crossing would remain closed to Spain.
During the third expedition in the Fall of 1783, Fages was appointed [[Governor of California]], and the Volunteers returned without him to Pitic.  In subsequent years, the Volunteers of the Second Company were posted around Sonora, assigned to duties at the presidios of Buenavista, [[Fronteras]], Pitic and [[Tucson]] where they were employed fighting the Apaches and Seris, until 1785, when they were assigned to the Villa de [[Chihuahua, Chihuahua|Chihuahua]].  From there, they continued active campaigning against the Apaches.
== The Pacific Northwest and California==
[[Pedro de Alberní]] was named Captain of the First Company when Callis died in 1782.  In August 1789, after years of routine garrison duty in Guadalajara, the company was assigned to duty in the [[Pacific Northwest]] in response to the [[Nootka Crisis]].  They arrived at [[Nootka Sound]] in April 1790 where they re-established the abandoned redoubt of [[Fort San Miguel]], becoming the first regular European military unit posted to present-day [[British Columbia]].<ref name="Chartrand">{{harvnb|Chartrand|2000|loc=The Nootka Incident}}.</ref>
The Volunteer's mission was to secure Spain's claims to the Pacific Northwest against incursions by the British and, in particular, the Russians.  To that end, Alberni's men were employed as [[marine (military)|marines]] in the expeditions of [[Jacinto Caamaño]], [[Salvador Fidalgo]], [[Dionisio Alcalá Galiano]], [[Salvador Menéndez]], and [[Manuel Quimper]] of the Pacific coast from the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]] to [[Kodiak Island]].
The First Company returned to Guadalajara in 1792, though some Volunteers remained on detached duty in Nootka as late as 1794.  In 1796, as a response to the War of the [[First Coalition]] and rumors of American incursions, Alberni, now a Lieutenant Colonel, and his company were sent to reinforce California.  Detachments of Volunteers augmented the Presidios of Monterey, San Diego, and San Francisco.
Part of Alberní's mission in California was to establish a new civilian settlement called the [[Villa de Branciforte]], which was established in 1797, with the intention that the community would be settled by retired Catalan Volunteers.  This however did not materialize, and the project was abandoned in 1802.
Alberní was appointed Governor of California in 1800 and was replaced as Captain by [[José Font]].  Font and his scattered command were active in guarding Spain's claim's in California against incursions by foreign vessels, particularly American ones.  Despite an increase in such activity, the First Company (except for a detachment that remained in San Diego for a few more years) was withdrawn to Guadalajara in 1803 and were not replaced.
== Dissolution of the Companies ==
Lt. Col. Alberni died in Monterey in 1802.  He was the last of the original group of officers who had sailed from Barcelona in 1767.  By this time, the unit was no longer Catalan in character with men and even officers largely from other parts of Spain and [[Criollo people|criollos]] from Mexico.
In 1810, the Volunteers were mobilized against the revolt of [[Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla]].  The First Company, still posted at Guadalajara, was reorganized and absorbed into other units.  As the [[Mexican War of Independence]] escalated, the Second Company, posted at El Perote near Mexico City under Captain [[Juan Antonio de Viruega]] since 1800, was deployed to Morelos to join an army under [[Félix María Calleja del Rey, 1st Count of Calderón|General Calleja]] in a massive campaign against the insurgency.  During the [[Siege of Cuautla]] in 1812, the Volunteers were assigned to man an ambuscade at the [[Campo de Sacatepec]].  Though Calleja later praised their valiant stand, the Second Company was unable to prevent the escape of scrappy rebels under [[José María Morelos]] and suffered heavy casualties.
The Volunteers managed to survive as a Company, participating in the battles of [[Tuxpango]], [[Tlacótepe]], and [[Ajuchitlán]], through 1815, by which time they were no longer a discrete unit, having been absorbed into larger battalions.<ref>Sanchez, pg. 134–140</ref>
==Uniform==
Its uniform consisted of blue coat with yellow collar and cuffs, yellow waistcoat, blue breeches and black tricorne hat with the red cockade of the House of Bourbon.
There were two drummers on the strength of the company. After 1760, Spanish army drummers wore the livery of the [[King of Spain]] – a blue coat with scarlet collar and cuffs, along with a scarlet waistcoat. Both coat and waistcoat were trimmed with scarlet lace that was embroidered with a white chain pattern. This same pattern of lace had decorated French uniforms before the [[French Revolution]] began in 1789. The [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon kings]] of Spain were a branch of the [[French royal family]], and adopted a similar livery.
== Images in Modern Culture ==
The crest of the [[Defense Language Institute]] at the [[Presidio of Monterey]] includes an image of a feathered leather helmet that is meant to symbolize the Catalan Volunteers and to commemorate their role in the founding of the post.  Though such helmets were briefly a uniform item for the Spanish infantry at the turn of the 19th century, it is unlikely that they were ever worn by the Catalan Volunteers in North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dliflc.edu/Academics/academic_affairs/dli_catalog/crest.htm|title=Crest|publisher=Defense Language Institute|access-date=3 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226235154/http://www.dliflc.edu/Academics/academic_affairs/dli_catalog/crest.htm|archive-date=26 December 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The Catalan Volunteers are portrayed in the 1955 American film ''[[Seven Cities of Gold (film)|Seven Cities of Gold]]'', which presents a fanciful and historically inaccurate account of the founding of Spanish California.  Lieutenant Fages is played by Mexican actor [[Victor Junco]].  In the credits, Fages' name is misspelled as "Faces."<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q7457208|title=Seven Cities of Gold}}</ref>
An infantry soldier wearing a Catalan Volunteer uniform briefly appears in the opening scene of the 1968 film ''[[Guns of San Sebastian]]'' which, like ''Seven Cities of Gold,'' stars [[Anthony Quinn]].  However, the movie is supposed to take place in 1746, twenty years before the Volunteers' arrival in New Spain.<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q1754647|title=Guns of San Sebastian}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[History of British Columbia]]
* [[Miquelets]]
* [[Pedro de Alberní y Teixidor]]
* [[Pedro Fages]]
== Notes ==
{{reflist|30em}}
== References ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081030000815/http://www.histocat.cat/pdf/catalans_al_canada.pdf ''Catalans al Canadà'']
* {{citation
| last = Chartrand
| first = Réné
| publication-date = 2000
| title = Canadian Military Heritage
| volume = II
| publisher = Art Global
| url = http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/cmh/en/image_281.asp?flash=1
| access-date = 29 November 2007
}}{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }};
*{{citation
| last = Sanchez
| first = Joseph
| publication-date = 1990
| title = Spanish Bluecoats: The Catalonian Volunteers in Northwestern New Spain, 1767–1810
| publisher=University of New Mexico Press
}};
{{Spanish Empire}}
{{coord|53|05|N|129|25|W|region:CA_source:cawiki|display=title}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Free Company Of Volunteers Of Catalonia}}
[[Category:Pre-Confederation British Columbia]]
[[Category:Pre-statehood history of Arizona]]
[[Category:The Californias]]
[[Category:Military history of Canada]]
[[Category:Military history of Catalonia]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of Spain]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1767]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the Early Modern period]]
[[Category:Spanish Army]]
[[Category:Spanish history in the Pacific Northwest]]
[[Category:1767 establishments in Spain]]