Defender of the Nation's Capital: The Notable Life of Lt. Augusto Rodríguez

Image courtesy of The History of the Fifteenth Connecticut Volunteers in the War for the Defense of the Union, 1861–1865 by Sheldon B. Thorpe.

 

Lieutenant Augusto Rodríguez (1841 – March 22, 1880), was a Puerto Rican who served as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Rodríguez served in the defenses of Washington, D.C., and led his men in the Battles of Fredericksburg & Wyse Fork. For his actions during the war, Augusto Rodríguez was awarded the Civil War Campaign Medal. After the war, Rodríguez became the proprietor of a cigar store, a bartender & saloon keeper. He was also a firefighter in New Haven. Rodríguez died in his home in New Haven on March 22, 1880, and was buried under the name of "Gustave Rodrique" in grave #2 in the Firefighters Pantheon at the Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven.

On August 14 of 2019, the earthly remains of Lt. Augusto Rodríguez were exhumed from his gravesite at Firefighters Pantheon at the Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut. The remains were given full military honor by the Puerto Rico National Guard and interred at the Puerto Rico National Cemetery. The remains were entombed in a special section of the cemetery.

 

The information above can be found on Wikipedia.

 

Barely a month before the United States entered World War I, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones-Shafroth Act on March 2, 1917, under which Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory and Puerto Ricans born in Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899 were granted U.S. citizenship. At the time it was statutory citizenship, meaning that citizenship was granted by an act of Congress & not by the Constitution (thus it was not guaranteed by the Constitution). The act also created a bill of rights for the territory, separated its government into executive, legislative and judicial branches, and declared Puerto Rico’s official language to be English. By 1952, all persons born in Puerto Rico on or after January 13, 1941, and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, were citizens of the United States at birth.

As citizens, Puerto Ricans could now join the U.S. Army, but few chose to do so. After President Wilson signed a mandatory military service act two months later, however, 20,000 Puerto Ricans were eventually drafted to serve during World War I. But the First World War was not the official debut of a Puerto Rican fighting for the United States. In the 1800s, Puerto Ricans in the United States could be found mainly living in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. A commercial bond between the United States and the Spanish islands of Puerto Rico and Cuba began when Spain allowed foreign trade with the islands in 1824. As early as the 1830s, trade routes and as a result regional ties, continued to link Puerto Rican emigrants to northeastern Atlantic cities.

Among the earliest emigrants involved in trade and other enterprises in the Northeast during that period was the merchant family of José de Rivera, a wealthy sugar and wine trader who lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut from 1844 to 1855. The Puerto Rican abolitionist, Julio Vizcarrondo, scion of a privileged family, found his way to Boston in the 1850s, not for purposes of trade but for political reasons. In Boston he was free to join anti-slavery movements and publish provocative political tracts read throughout Europe and the United States. Along with his Bostonian wife, he returned to continue his abolitionist mission in Puerto Rico in 1854

Just as they have in the 20th and 21st centuries, Puerto Rican immigrants living in the United States in the 19th century joined the armed forces when war threatened. And the biggest war to occur during the 19th century in the United States was the American Civil War. Records of this time period typically describe Puerto Rican soldiers as “Spanish,” since Puerto Rico belonged to Spain at the time. Such as in the case of Augusto Rodríguez of New Haven, Connecticut, who served with the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war, in the 1870 U.S. census, his birth place is listed as Spain, even though he was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico...While we are on the subject of Augusto Rodríguez, let's now dive into the life of one of the unknown Puerto Ricans who fought to preserve the Union.

 

Augusto's story, hidden history that has remained long forgotten, is the story of a Puerto Rican immigrant who became an American & a Civil War that pinned brother against brother in a defining moment in our nation's history.

 

For the rest of Augusto's story, please check out the audio link provided for EPISODE TWENTY-THREE (Welcome to SEASON 3!) of our podcast, Hidden History: An Odyssey Through Time

LISTEN NOW: Defender of the Nation's Capital: The Notable Life of Lt. Augusto Rodríguez

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Images and Documents

On March 14, 1861 Augusto Rodríguez became a naturalized U.S. citizen, although his name was listed as "Gustav Rodrequez" (courtesy of Connecticut, District Court Naturalization Indexes, 1851-1992).

Marriage announcement for Augusto Rodríguez and American Eliza Hickox. Augusto's name is listed as ""Augustus Duclair Rodriques" (courtesy of the New Haven Daily Palladium, August 22, 1862).

1870 U.S. census. Augusto's name is 4th on the list and is spelled "Gustave Rodriques".  Below him is his wife, Eliza, and daughter Clara. This census has her birth year at 1861 when it was closer to 1866 (courtesy of familysearch.org).

On July 3, 1873, Rodríguez applied for a disability service connected pension. According to Rodríguez, he claimed to have developed Rheumatoid arthritis during his time with the U.S. Army. On July 5, 1873, he was awarded a pension of $2.00 a month. The name listed on the pension paperwork is "Augustus Rodriquez" & his rank in the Army as "Sergeant", even though he had been a Second Lieutenant, but all other information checks out (courtesy of the U.S. National Archives).

Letters included in the pension paperwork written by two doctors on Augusto's behalf (courtesy of the U.S. National Archives).

Augusto Rodríguez died on March 22, 1880 at the age of 39 & was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, among firemen, rather than soldiers. At the time of his death, his name was recorded as "Gustave Rodrique" in the Connecticut Vital Records of 1640-1955 & he was buried under the name "Gustave Rodirique".

1900 U.S. census showing Harry Starbird, his wife Clara, and mother Ellen. 

Augusto Rodríguez & his wife had a daughter named Clara. She appears in the 1870 U.S. census with her parents, although her birth year is a bit off. In 1897, a marriage took place in New York City between a man named Harry Starbird & a woman named Clara Redriguez Tyrrell. It was the second marriage for both of them and "Augustus Duclare Redriguez" and "Elizabeth Hickok" are listed as the parents of the bride. Clara's birth year on the marriage record is recorded as June 1866.

Clara Rodriguez Starbird shows up one more time in the 1900 U.S. census, living with her husband Harry & mother-in-law Ellen, along with one child. Her birth year is recorded as June 1866 & father's birthplace is listed as Spain. This is the last time Augusto Rodríguez's daughter makes an appearance in the historical records (courtesy of familysearch.org).

On August 14, 2019, the remains of Lt. Augusto Rodríguez were exhumed from his gravesite at the Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut & were transferred to the Puerto Rico National Cemetery. The bag of earthen remains that were exhumed included a half-length femur bone, a silver casket handle, bits of ceramic and a shovelful of dirt.

The new gravesite of Second Lieutenant Augusto Rodríguez, Puerto Rico National Cemetery, 2019.

Featured Video

The American Civil War was the culmination of a series of confrontations concerning the institution of slavery. The following video, provided by American Battlefield Trust, is a timeline of the events that led to the Civil War:

Reading Material

During National Hispanic Heritage Month, we pause and reflect on our shared history as Americans and celebrate the rich mosaic of people and cultures who build and strengthen our U.S. Army and our nation. 

Learn more below:

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Comments

Donna Mendoza
7 months ago

So very good history on Mr Rodriguez,I really enjoyed it and so sad that he died so young