Don Gutierre de Hevia y Valdés was a Spanish military man, who was an Admiral in the Spanish Navy, and became the commander of its Spanish Marine Infantry. Hevia and his forces were the defenders of Havana when it was lost to the British during the Siege of Havana.
Biography
Born at Tortona, Italy, he joined the Spanish Navy in 1720. In Cadiz, he was involved in a duel and killed his opponent. He was tried but acquitted, and left for the Americas. He entered service in the Spanish Navy, and was the third man to set foot on enemy territory during the expedition to Oran in 1732. In 1747 he received his first command, the warship Nueva España. In 1759 he commanded the Fenix that was part of the convoy that brought Charles III, the new King of Spain, from Naples to Spain. For this, he received the titles of Marqués del Real Transporte and Vizconde del Buen Viaje, and was promoted to Squadron leader, as was given overall command of the Spanish Marine Infantry. In 1761, Hevia and his fleet of 12 ships was dispatched to Havana, to defend the city against an expected assault by the British, as Spain had entered the Seven Years' War that year on the side of France. On June 6, 1762, a powerful British invasion force under the Earl of Albemarle began the Siege of Havana. Hevia's ships played no part in the battle, as all the guns and men were disembarked and used to defend the forts. When the city was taken on 13 August, the British confiscated Hevia's entire fleet, which he had neglected to burn. Hevia and the surviving Spanish sailors and marines were transported to Spain. On his arrival, the Madrid government court-martial him. He was stripped of his titles and condemned to house arrest for 10 years. Thanks to the influence of his father-in-law, Juan José Navarro, Marqués de la Victoria, Hevia was pardoned on September 17, 1765 on the occasion of the wedding of Charles, the Prince of Asturia. Hevia was reinstated as overall commander of the Marine Infantry, with his headquarters in Cadiz. He died in 1772 at Isla de León.
