Cubans,
as a people, helped raise much-needed funds for the Revolutionary Army
of George Washington. The "Havana's Ladies," a group of Cuban
mothers, heard General Washington's plea for desperately needed funds
and raised an astonishing amount for that time. They sent to Virginia
the equivalent in today's money of $28 million. This has received little
exposure in American history books, but is well documented. The
inscription that the "Ladies of Havana" wrote on their
contribution was:
"So the
American mothers' sons are not born as slaves."
The pledge of the Havana's Ladies, remained very little known, with the
exception of an American historian Stephen Bonsal, who wrote:
"That
sum collected [by the Havana's Ladies] must be considered as the ground
whereon was erected the American independence."
Gen. Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau wrote in his "Daily
Memoirs," available in the Library of Congress:
"The
joy was enormous when it was received, the money from Havana: The
contribution of 800,000 silver pounds which helped stop the financial
bankruptcy (of the Revolutionary Army) and raised up the moral spirit of
the Army that had began to dissolve."
Carmen Maria Rodriguez has also done research into this chapter
of the Revolutionary war. She writes:
This July 4th, New York will be scenario of the largest maritime event
in the history of humankind. In this regard, the city, and the
nation are outdoing themselves to stage along with simultaneous
fireworks, one of the most impressive displays of popular joy and
freedom ever staged commemorating a nation's freedom.
Being
Cuban born and living within sight of the Statue of Liberty, I cannot
help but think of who and what made this possible. My mind races
back to a demonstration held in New York by Cuban Americans when someone
handed to me a piece of paper in which the former US Ambassador to Cuba
Stephen Bonsal wrote, "The Contribution of Cuban women by way of
their jewelry, could very well be the foundation on which is founded,
the freedom of the United States". Bonsal, having lived in
Havana, also penned a book, "When the French were here".
A friend of mine, Tirso Gonzalez, veteran of the 2506 Brigade, once
heard me talking about this case, and both he and I sent out to
investigate in the NY Public Library if this indeed was true. This
is what we both found out:
General George Washington had a dream to liberate the colonies from the
English. He also had a band of mercenaries whom to pay, since he
relied on these type of soldiers to wage the war which he felt was just
and necessary.
The French were here in the colonies helping out, and given that there
was no money to finance the mercenaries or the war, Lafayette commanded
the frigate known as "L'Aigrrette", to travel first to Cadiz,
Spain, to see if money could be gotten. To no avail, the Spanish
in Cadiz were very kind but not financially forthcoming. The ship
then went on to Saint Domingue, what is now Haiti, and what was then the
riches of all colonies given the enormous wealth to be had in the sugar
industry. The French there told the French on the ship, "Nous
n'avons pas d'argent", in other words, there would be no money from
Saint Domingue sent to Washington. L'Aigrette then set sail to the
Port of Havana to obtain water and supplies to return up to Virginia.
It was there that word got out, that Washington needed funding to stage
a battle which was at the time only in the planning stage. Women,
girls, from Havana, to Matanzas to Pinar del Rio gave freely of their
jewelry, the French even documenting that they disposed of their
diamonds, to help Washington in his quest for freedom and his financing
of his mercenaries.
The
women of Cuba came forth, knowing that this was a just cause, giving up
of their only wealth, which was their gold, to assist the love of
independence of another nation.
When
L'Agraitte set sail and arrived in September of 1781 in Virginia,
General Washington upon knowing that there was sufficient financing of
over 1,200,000 pounds of Cuban gold, silver and diamonds, historians
point out that he lost his usual sedate composure and threw his hat in
the air from sheer joy.
Cuban
Women's Contribution to the cause of American Independence thus made
possible the financing of the decisive battle of American Independence,
known as the then on 31 October 1781, that General Cornwallis of
England, had his sable turned over to General Washington, as a sign of
surrender of the English to a band of dreamers know as the Founding
Fathers of the United States of America.
"May God bless the children of these Cuban women who loved their
own freedom, but knew that the cause of liberty and justice is one to be
pursued at all costs everywhere in the world where there is need for
such a state of affairs."
When New York rejoices this Fourth of July, I too in a way shall rejoice
doubly, since it was our Cuban ancestors, and despite all the disdain
for this land, that made possible, the freedom and bounty of so many.
And by writing this, I hope to start waking up people's minds that
Cubans even today as in 1781 maintain their unique tradition of
defending freedom above all else.
