The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 42, July 1938 - April, 1939 Page: 7

The Origin of General Mina's Invasion of Mexico

were in communication with Miguel Santamaria of Vera Cruz,
Bolivar's secretary, Revenga, and a revolutionary propagandist.24
Baltimore was probably more important than New Orleans as
headquarters for the enemies of Spain at this time. Many French
refugees were there and at Philadelphia, as were Jos6 Miguel
Carrera from Chile and Mariano Montilla from Caracas. Jos6
Alvarez de Toledo soon arrived from New Orleans.25 Gual acted
as Mina's press agent to some extent, and caused a notice to be
published in the Baltimore newspapers vouching for the young
general.26 The Baltimore American, in its issue of July 17, 1816,
announced Mina's arrival and recommended him to the people of
the United States.27
Mina's activities in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York
were directed toward securing supplies and American officers to
command the forces he expected to join him in Mexico.28 Jose
Miguel Carrera made a vain attempt to divert the expedition to
South America. Carrera had arrived at Annapolis in January,
1816, and occupied himself with efforts to obtain aid for the
revolution in South America. He urged Mina to go to Chile
instead of to Mexico; but Mina was not to be moved from his
original plan, and the Chilean was forced to look elsewhere for
aid.29 Although Mina was not willing to assist Carrera, he wrote
to General Bolivar on July 21, giving an account of his prepa-
rations.30 He invited Bolivar to co-operate in the enterprise against
Mexico, and after exterminating Spanish power there, Mina would
serve under Bolivar's orders in Venezuela.31
Among the Baltimore merchants who were willing to risk
their capital in the glorious cause of independence and profits,
were Dennis and Alexander Smith. The Smith brothers, with
other merchants, provided the Calypso, arms, munitions, supplies,
24Mier to Sres. P. and A., Baltimore, September 15, 1816, in Hernandez,
Documentos, VI, 918; Zarate, op. cit., p. 560.
25Felipe Larrazabal, Vida del Libertador Sim6n Bolivar (Madrid, 1918),
II, 47-48.
26Mier's Declaration, October 6, 1817, in Hernandez, op. cit., VI, 806.
27Kentucky Advertiser (Winchester), August 10, 1816.
28Mier's Declaration, October 6, 1817, in Hernandez, op. cit., VI, 807.
29Benjamin Vicuia Mackenna, El Ostracismo de los Carreras (San-
tiago, 1857), p. 45.
soBolivar to M. Maxwell Hyslop, Port-au-Prince, October 4, 1816, in
Vicente Lecuna (ed.), Cartas del 'Libertador (Caracas, 1929), I, 253.
31Larrazabal, op. cit., II, 48.