By MICHAEL KERR
Gazette staff writer

Ambrosio José Gonzales fought first for his native Cuba's independence against Spain, and then for the Confederacy's secession against the Union.

He was the first Cuban to shed blood for his nation's independence, served as artillery commander for the Confederates at the Battle of Honey Hill and married the daughter of Beaufort's William Elliot III.

Last week, Antonio Rafael de la Cova, author of "Cuban Confederate Colonel: The Life of Ambrosio José Gonzales," told the Beaufort County Historical Society the story of a man who, he said, has never received the credit he deserved.

"My interest in this initially was when I read about a Cuban in the Civil War," said de la Cova, an assistant professor of Latin American studies at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind.

De La Cova, who, like Gonzales, is Cuban born, said he got in touch with Ambrose Gonzales, the great-grandson of the Confederate colonel, as he began work on his book.

"He was always very supportive," de la Cova said of Ambrose Gonzales, calling him a close friend, "even when I was uncovering controversial topics."

Gonzales was born in Mantanzas, Cuba, in 1818. He came to the United States for the first time in 1829 to study at the French Institute in New York City before returning to Cuba and attending the University of Havana in 1839.

He participated in the Cuban filibuster movement of the 1840s and 1850s against Spain, in part because Gonzales and the other members of the movement feared Spain would quickly abolish slavery in Cuba.

Gonzales wanted to see slavery gradually phased out, thinking an outright end would be a blow to the nation's economic prosperity, which was heavily dependent on sugar.

"They really saw this as an economic doom," de la Cova said.

On May 19, 1850, while serving as the aide-de-camp, to Gen. Narciso Lopez, Gonzales was wounded during the 610-man filibuster invasion of Cardenas, Cuba

Gonzales "becomes the first Cuban to shed his blood for Cuban liberty," de la Cova said.

"As a result, he goes into immortality," he said.

Soon after, Gonzales leaves Cuba for the United States. In 1852 and again in 1856, while living in South Carolina, Gonzales lobbied with the Democratic party, which favored Cuban annexation.

In 1856, he married Harriet Elliot, the daughter of South Carolina planter, writer and state Sen. William Elliot, who owned five plantations and 1,000 slaves.

Gonzales and Elliot lived at Oak Lawn Plantation in South Carolina's Lowcountry, about 24 miles from Charleston.

"When the war broke out, he followed his in-laws into the Confederacy," de la Cova said.

A personal feud with Jefferson Davis prevented Gonzales from reaching the rank of general, although he was nominated six times, de la Cova said.

He was appointed by the South Carolina government to inspect coastal defenses, and commanded 157 artillery guns against Union attack at Charleston Harbor and nearby James Island. He also commanded the artillery at the Battle of Honey Hill near Beaufort on Nov. 30, 1864, where Confederate forces fought off the Union although heavily outnumbered.

Dot Gnann, the president of the county historical society, said she was delighted to welcome de la Cova to Beaufort to share his knowledge.

"It was an absolutely fantastic speech," Gnann said after the lecture. "It reiterated for me the connection of Gonzales -- the Beaufort connection."

Larry Rowland, a local historian and history professor at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, said Gonzales' life made for a "great adventure story."

"It's really a great story of American history and has a tremendous connection to South Carolina," Rowland said.

"It's just a great, great story."

Gonzales' connection to South Carolina, in fact, is still alive today, de la Cova told the audience. His sons, Narciso, Ambrose and William Elliot founded The State newspaper in Columbia, the largest newspaper in South Carolina.

"It's your history, and I think it belongs to you," de la Cova said.

For more information on Gonzales, visit www.latinamericanstudies.org/gonzales.htm.

Copyright 2004 The Beaufort Gazette • May not be republished in any form without the express written permission of the publisher.