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Guemes submitted recommendations for making FL more cost effective
Source: The Governorship of Spanish Florida #122
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The viceroy submitted his recommendations in 1753. For Florida he advocated a basic complement of 400 men—300 in six infantry companies, 40 for an artillery company, and 50 for a cavalry company. In no case would a soldier be allowed to hold two posts or enjoy two salaries, a common practice in the past. When a soldier died or was transferred, his commanding officer was ordered to pick three men as possible replacements and submit their names to the governor, who would choose one and send on the nomination to the king for final approval. All old and crippled soldiers were ordered to Cuba, leaving only able-bodied men in the garrisons at Saint Augustine and Apalache. Revillagigedo also suggested new red-and-blue uniforms for Florid infantrymen and new swords for cavalrymen. Golden epaulets were to adorn the shoulders of each officer serving in Florida. To eliminate the moral problem of those forced to serve in Saint Augustine, the viceroy proposed a yearly interchange of half the Florida garrison with a comparable number of men from the garrison at Santiago de Cuba. All soldiers being transferred were to use the gear and equipment of the soldiers with whom they exchanged places, removing the high costs of transporting baggage between Cuba and Florida. Each soldier would, however, carry one item to his new assignment—his own sword, rifle, or pistol, depending upon his rank and company affiliation. The viceroy also proposed that the garrisons be exchanged in April or May when storms were less likely to interfere with the voyage between Santiago and Saint Augustine. Other recommendations bore directly or indirectly on military policy in the colony. Forced laborers and slaves working on the fortifications in Florida received a daily ration of two meals of bread and meat, one blanket a year, and a crude suit of unbleached linen. Revillagigedo also allocated 9,864 pesos 2 reales a year for payments to widows and orphans, many of whom had formerly received their livelihood from the military payroll and held places allocated for effective infantrymen. The New Law remedied a great many ills in the colony. It provided Florida with an able-bodied complement of artillerymen, infantrymen, and cavalrymen for the first time in also 200 years. The New Law relieved the governor of the burden of providing for forced laborers and slaves working on the fortifications at Saint Augustine and Apalache, and eliminated the old abuse of allowing widows and orphans to assume places on the military rolls held by their husbands and fathers. By providing a two-year term for soldiers serving in Florida, the viceroy solved a major moral problem. Troops in Saint Augustine knew now that they were not destined to serve indefinitely in the desolate Florida province and could look forward to returning to Santiago once their two-year term was completed. Undoubtedly, the red-and-blue uniforms for the infantry, the epaulets for the officers, and the swords for the cavalry also improved moral and provided more esprit de corps. Combined with the strengthening of the defenses that had proceeded apace since 1743, the New Law was a significant step toward improving Spain’s military position in the Southeast. Unfortunately the reforms had just taken hold when the governor had to turn the province over to the English. (Tepaske GSF)
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