Antonio Rafael de la Cova

The definitive biography of a Cuban and Confederate rebel

6 x 9, 568 pages, 28 illus.
cloth, ISBN 1-57003-496-6, $59.95s

ABOUT THE BOOK

Cuban Confederate Colonel: The Life of Ambrosio José Gonzales tells the story of a revolutionary who figured prominently in both his native country's struggle against Spain and the Confederacy's fight for secession. Immortalized as the first Cuban to shed blood in the effort to oust the Spanish, Gonzales (1818–1893) managed to place himself in the center of hostilities in both his homeland and in the United States. In this biography, Antonio Rafael de la Cova examines the Cuban filibuster movement of the 1840s and 1850s, the American Civil War, and Southern Reconstruction from Gonzales's unusual perspective as both a Cuban and Confederate rebel. In doing so, de la Cova sheds new light on the connections between Southern and Cuban society, the workings of coastal defenses during the Civil War, and the vicissitudes of Reconstruction for a Cuban expatriate.

De la Cova draws on archival sources from Cuba, Spain, and the United States to offer groundbreaking material on the filibuster movement, including the integral participation of Freemasons and the involvement of Robert E. Lee. De la Cova also documents Gonzales's preparation of invading forces, authorship of a United States annexation manifesto, and association with influential Southern politicians.

With the failure of the 1854 filibuster attempts, Gonzales settled in the United States and married into South Carolina's prominent Elliott family. The author traces Gonzales's significant role in Confederate coastal defenses, his costly feud with Jefferson Davis, and his finest hour as a Confederate–as artillery commander at the Battle of Honey Hill.

Following the war, the colonel pursued a variety of vocations, all of which were marginally successful, but like many others he never provided the security he sought for his extended family. De la Cova points out that while Gonzales's connections to Cuba's economy may have made his postwar entrepreneurial endeavors distinctive, his efforts were similar to those of other formerly wealthy Southerners who sought to recover their estates and social status.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Antonio Rafael de la Cova is an assistant professor of Latin American studies at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. The author of the forthcoming book The Moncada Attack: Birth of the Cuban Revolution, de la Cova holds a Ph.D. from West Virginia University. He lives in Terre Haute.

REVIEWS

"His [Gonzales'] adventurous and ultimately frustrating life is ably recounted in this scholarly biography."—The Charleston Post and Courier

"A very readable biography of this obscure Cuban Carolinian."—Southern Seen

"Employing impeccable detective work, Antonio Rafael de la Cova's important biography illuminates the history of antebellum American filibustering, Confederate military operations in the southeast, and post-Civil War Southern economic conditions. Perhaps more important, he reminds us of the need to integrate Cubans into America's mid-nineteenth century immigration story."—Robert E. May, Department of History, Purdue University

"Antonio Rafael de la Cova's biography of Ambrosio José Gonzales is a finely crafted narrative that carefully relates the life and times of this important Cuban filibuster and Southern patriot. Gonzales' career brought him in contact with such notables as Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Narciso Lopez, John C. Calhoun, P. T. G. Beauregard, and many others while his sons became the founders of the Columbia, South Carolina State newspaper. An epic work, it contains a wealth of new information on Cuban filibusters and their U.S. allies, Freemasons, and the Civil War and Reconstruction in South Carolina."—Stephen R. Wise, curator, Parris Island Museum and author of Lifeline of the Confederacy: Blockade Running During the Civil War

AWARDS

2004 Finalist for the 2004 Peter Seaborg Award

2004 Honorable Mention, George C. Rogers Award from the South Carolina Historical Society

BOOK FLYER

Download the flyer/order form here. You will need Adobe Reader which is free from Adobe.

ALSO FROM THE AUTHOR

The Moncada Attack: Birth of the Cuban Revolution

LINKS OF INTEREST

Latino Studies Resources: http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/