Another song about the siege of Paysandú, where Uruguay was once again invaded by the Brazilian Empire and the military centralism of Buenos Aires (which called itself "Neutral"), with the connivance of the uruguayans colorados (Remember the treaty of "perpetual covenant").
Today I'll only talk about the General José María Leandro Gómez Calvo, son of Roque Gómez, born in Galicia, and María Rita Calvo, from Montevideo, he was brother of General Andrés A. Gómez.
In 1837, on the occasion of Fructuoso Rivera's revolution against President Manuel Oribe, Leandro Gómez joined the capital's militias after Oribe's forced resignation, he went to Argentina, fighting under the deposed president during much of the campaign against Juan Lavalle, during the "Guerra grande" (Conflict that took place at the region of river plate between 1839 and 1851). After the defeat and death of Lavalle, he participated in the Battle of Arroyo Grande as an aide-de-camp to General Oribe, where a parallel government to that of Montevideo, "The Government of Cerrito" was erected, Leandro Gómez was appointed Sub-Official General, occupying other positions in the the besieging army of Montevideo until its end, on October 8, 1851, where he stayed away from the Army for a while.
In 1863, the Colorado leader Venâncio Flores – who had participated in campaign of Lavalleja in the landing of the 33 Orientals, launched a "Liberating Crusade" in 1863, which aimed to overthrow Bernardo Berro, who presided over a (fusionist) coalition government between "Colorados" (Liberals), and "Blancos" (Nationalists). Leandro Gómez was then designated as Assistant to the General Staff of the government's Army, working in different locations in the territory, until he was transferred to the city of Paysandú.
General Flores' revolutionary forces attacked Paysandú in 1864, suffering casualties by the army under Leandro Gómez. However, shortly afterwards, in October 1864, Flores' army attacked Paysandú again, this time with the support of the Brazilian navy (Tamandaré) by water and troops from Argentina by land (Argentina which had been a fragmented nation since the fall of Juan Manuel de Rosas in 1852 and was struggling to suppress a Federalist rebellion in the province of La Rioja) establishing a siege that surrounded the city by land and water.
Leandro Gómez resisted the siege for 30 days, waiting for the reinforcement of Paraguayan troops of Solano Lopez and several Argentine Federalists from Entre Ríos who would come to help him confront Venancio Flores and the Brazilian navy; when finally the Colorados, Brazilians and Unitarians entered the city; Leandro Gómez was captured by the Brazilians, and handed over to the Colorados, Colonel Gregorio "Goyo" Suárez shot Leandro Gómez in the middle of the street, along with several of his officers; meanwhile, the Paraguayan ship "Tacuarí" captured the Brazilian ship "Marquês de Olinda", which was sailing up the Paraguay River to the province of Mato Grosso, provoking a long and devastating War that to this day generates controversy among historians...
"And if we have to die, here we will die for the independence of the Fatherland." - General Leandro Gomez
• Leandro Gómez (Hasta Sucumbir) • Carlos Maria Fossati
▪Lyrics:
Independencia o la muerte
Le proclama a sus soldados
Los dados ya estan echados
Todos hemos de morir
Mas con honor sucumbir
del tirano y sus aliados
Hasta sucumbir, hasta sucumbir
Liberar la patria o sino morir
Vamos valientes, les dice
Toquen dianas y tambores
Superemos los dolores que las heridas nos causan
Defendamosnos sin pausa contra tantos invasores
Hasta sucumbir, hasta sucumbir
Liberar la patria o sino morir
Ruinas... gritos... hambre... ¡Sangre!
Patético 2 de enero
Cuando lo hacen prisionero
Sin que medien condiciones
Mas el pide a los mandones
no lo lleve un brasilero
Hasta sucumbir, hasta sucumbir
Liberar la patria o sino morir
Leandro Gomez allá va
Sin saberlo al matadero
Goyo Suarez traicionero
De un juicio le hace parodia
Y así pasará a la historia
Nuestro más grande guerrero
Hasta sucumbir, hasta sucumbir
Liberar la patria o sino morir
2:48
2:40
2:51
