José Prudencio Padilla

Life and career

José Prudencio Padilla (Riohacha, Colombia, March 19, 1784 - Bogotá, Colombia, October 2, 1828) was a hero in the battles of independence for Gran Colombia (present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama). He was the foremost naval hero of the campaign for independence led by Simón Bolívar, the creator of the first Navy and Admiral of Great Colombia.

His parents were Andres Padilla, who was a builder of small boats, and Lucia Lopez. He started life as a seaman in the domestic service of merchant vessels in port and homeland at 14 years old and appeared as porter at the Royal Spanish chamber of the New Kingdom of Granada. On October 21, 1805 he received his baptism of fire at the battle of Trafalgar, at which he was taken prisoner by the English. In 1808, after his release he returned to Spain, where he was appointed to the boatswain's arsenal at Cartagena de Indias. On April 11, 1811 he took part in the decision of the people of Gethsemane, who, in sympathy with the city of Cartagena, joined in the proclamation of independence of Cundinamarca, thus disregarding the authority of the metropolis. In 1814 he saw action at Tolu and captured a sloop of war realistically with 170 crew that led to Panama. Although the ship he captured had better gunships than the one he commanded, it could not resist the attack and surrendered. In recognition of this, the government awarded Padilla granadino with promotion to second lieutenant of frigate.

In 1815 he served under the command of Simón Bolívar when he went from Bogotá to Santa Marta to free, then Cartagena de Indias besieged by the army of General Pablo Morillo, defended its walls until it was impossible to sustain, and one of the ships Republicans was among the first to break the line of the squad that made it impossible to realistically out of the besieged. Then he went to Jamaica, and as Captain, he met Bolívar in Haiti to reinforce the expedition which sailed from Los Cayos de San Luis on March 31, 1816, the naval victory at Los Frailes (May 2) and landing Carupano (June 1). Promoted him to captain of the frigate commander in chief and the subtle forces of the river, made significant inroads over the province of Cumana. In 1819 participated in the campaign of Casanare, in which he managed the transportation of troops and war material. As second in command of Admiral Luis Brión was found on March 12, 1820 in making Riohacha and then in the battles of the Laguna Salada, Pueblo Viejo, Tenerife, La Barra, Cienaga de Santa Marta and San Juan. Named commander in chief of the subtle forces of the Republic that sieged Cartagena captured several Spanish vessels. On April 19, 1823 was promoted to brigadier general of the Colombian Navy. This time was invested with the office of commander general of the Third Department of the Navy and the Squadron Operations Zulia, which made a brilliant work that culminated on July 24, 1823 in the naval battle of Lake Maracaibo, in which he defeated the Spanish squadron, which led to the capitulation of the field marshal Francisco Tomás Morales on August 3 following.

On November 24, 1826 was promoted to general of division. However, at the beginning of 1828, Padilla was involved in an act of indiscipline in which several officers were involved in Cartagena. Reduced was sent to prison in to Bogotá on May 26, 1828. During the night of September 25, 1828, which carried out the attack on the life of the Liberator (Septembrina Conspiracy), while the assault was executed at San Carlos Palace, some conspirators scaled the walls of the building which served as prison, and assassinated Colonel José Bolívar escorting him to appoint Padilla as chief and release. There is no record of his escape, but was judged by the law of conspiracy, sentenced to death and executed in the Plaza de la Constitution de Bogotá shortly. The wreck of the Almirante Padilla rest in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Remedios Riohacha, which was declared in his honor as the Cultural Heritage of the Colombian nation. Was commemorated in Venezuela, the Almirante Padilla Municipality, in Zulia State, is in his honor.