Ricardo López Jordán
Enmity toward Urquiza
Enmity toward Urquiza
---------------------

In 1861, Argentine president [Santiago Derqui](/wiki/Santiago_Derqui "Santiago Derqui") named López Jordán chief of one of the two cavalry columns that fought in [Battle of Pavón](/wiki/Battle_of_Pav%C3%B3n "Battle of Pavón") on September 17 of that year. In the battle, López Jordán, Juan Saá, and Benjamín Virasoro completely defeated the cavalry of the city of Buenos Aires, while the Federalist infantry was repulsed. But Urquiza, without putting his whole army into action, retired with all his infantry, artillery, and reserves. All the Federalists thought that Urquiza had passed to the side of Buenos Aires, which is fairly certain: he appears to have come to a tacit accord with [Bartolomé Mitre](/wiki/Bartolom%C3%A9_Mitre "Bartolomé Mitre"), a future president of Argentina, to permit Urquiza to control his own province without interference while abandoning the Confederation to its fate.In fact, Urquiza's province of Entre Ríos was the first so to disregard the national authority of the president and congress of the Confederation. See: Ruiz Moreno, Isidoro J., *Campañas militares argentinas*, Ed. Emecé. Páez de la Torre, Carlos (h), *El derrumbe de la Confederación*. Memorial de la Patria, tomo XI, Ed. La Bastilla, Bs. As., 1984\.

Derqui promoted his two victorious military chiefs, Saá and López Jordán, to general on September 20, but the two generals were not able to defend him. López Jordán turned back to Entre Ríos, obeying Urquiza's order, and renounced his governmental and military duties. A little later, Derqui resigned his own office and the [Argentine Confederation](/wiki/Argentine_Confederation "Argentine Confederation") was dissolved. The following year, after nearly all the provincial governments had changed, [Bartolomé Mitre](/wiki/Bartolom%C3%A9_Mitre "Bartolomé Mitre") was elected president.

López Jordán never forgave Urquiza for having retreated from Pavón and blamed Urquiza for the national government's remaining under the control of centralists from the city of [Buenos Aires](/wiki/Buenos_Aires "Buenos Aires"). But, for the moment, López Jordán did not make up his mind to take action: he still believed in Urquiza, even if less and less.

From his province in the years that followed, López Jordán observed how the Federalists in the western reaches of Argentina and in the [province of Corrientes](/wiki/Corrientes_Province "Corrientes Province") were destroyed without the leader of the Federalist party, Urquiza, doing a thing to aid them. He also saw how an invasion supported by the [province of Buenos Aires](/wiki/Province_of_Buenos_Aires "Province of Buenos Aires") and by [Brazil](/wiki/Brazil "Brazil") overthrew the lawful president of Uruguay and how a Brazilian fleet destroyed his native city, Paysandú. Urquiza still did nothing.

In 1864, López Jordán stood as a candidate to succeed Urquiza as governor of Entre Ríos, but Urquiza declared himself to be in favor of the candidacy of his nephew José María Domínguez, a man completely subordinated to his political leader and who, in the end, was elected.

The war in Uruguay provoked a Paraguayan reaction which led to the [Paraguayan War](/wiki/Paraguayan_War "Paraguayan War"). Urquiza called the people of Entre Rios to the war against Paraguay; López Jordán accompanied him but later told Urquiza that

Urquiza ordered the mobilization of the forces of Entre Ríos at the encampment of Basualdo, in the northern part of the province. Eight thousand men presented themselves there, but nearly all believed that they were to unite with the Paraguayans against the Brazilians. When the citizens learnt on whose side they were to fight, they simply went home. López Jordán supported and cheered the desertions and was accused of having instigated it. When Urquiza again tried to gather his army, this time at the encampment of Toledo, the men again deserted. In the end, only eight hundred citizens of Entre Rios went to war; and very few returned from it.

In 1867, a revolution organized by Juan Saá, Juan de Dios Videla, and Felipe Varela broke out in the Argentine provinces of [Mendoza](/wiki/Mendoza_Province "Mendoza Province") and [La Rioja](/wiki/La_Rioja_Province_%28Argentina%29 "La Rioja Province (Argentina)"). These leaders invoked the name of Urquiza and begged him to support the revolution. Urquiza did not move, and the revolution was quickly defeated. A powerful opposition censured Urquiza, but the power of the *caudillo* was greater, and there were many arrests.

In 1868, Urquiza lost the election for president of Argentina but chosen by the provincial legislature in April of that year, again became governor of Entre Ríos, in spite of the popular support for López Jordán's candidacy. On July 31 of that same year, López Jordán and Justo Carmelo Urquiza, son of the *caudillo*, defeated national forces invading in support of a revolution in Corrientes even while rumors were circulating that López Jordán might start a rebellion against Urquiza in Entre Ríos.

The war against Paraguay ended the following year; the cost to Argentina was more than ten thousand deaths. A few months later, at his lavish country seat, [San José palace](/wiki/Palacio_San_Jos%C3%A9 "Palacio San José"), Urquiza received the Argentine president, [Domingo Faustino Sarmiento](/wiki/Domingo_Faustino_Sarmiento "Domingo Faustino Sarmiento"), whom the Federalists regarded as the chief of their enemies, the embodiment of all they opposed. López Jordán prepared himself for revolution.

That revolution erupted on April 11, 1870\. As a first step, a party of 50 men under the command of Simón Luengo penetrated San José palace with the object of seizing Urquiza; but he defended himself by shooting and ended up dead. That same day, in the city of [Concordia, Entre Ríos](/wiki/Concordia%2C_Entre_R%C3%ADos "Concordia, Entre Ríos"), Urquiza's sons Justo Carmelo and Waldino, both intimate friends of López Jordán, were killed too.

Three days later, the provincial legislature chose López Jordán as provisional governor of Entre Ríos, to complete Urquiza's term as governor. In his inaugural address, López Jordán supported the revolution and in passing scarcely mentioned that he had "deplored that . . . no other way might have been found than that the illustrious víctim sacrificed himself." Later, López Jordán was sought to head a rebellion against the national government. He did not rebel and, indeed, he lacked the time in which to do so.


Who was López Jordán and what was his role in Argentine politics?