Carlos Alvarez De La Mesa
Immigrant, Soldier, Patriot
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Born in Madrid, Spain, around 1828, Carlos Alvarez de la Mesa immigrated to the United States and settled in New York, leaving a large family behind in Spain.
He married his wife, Fannie, in 1861, right before he left to join the Union Army, serving in the 39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, known as the Garibaldi Guard. Specifically organized to recruit immigrants from Germany, Italy, Hungary, France, Sweden, Spain and other parts of Europe, communication was challenging in the Garibaldi Guard, with very limited English often as the only common language.
Throughout his service, Captain de la Mesa wrote frequently to his wife. His correspondence covers his experiences fighting in the vicinity of Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Based in Washington, D.C., Fannie de la Mesa visited was able to visit her husband often and assisted with the war effort. This assistance included inspecting a suspected Confederate spy, a woman who was found to be carrying a suspicious letter.
Captain de la Mesa fought with his regiment in the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861 and the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, where he was severely wounded. With wounds too severe to warrant his return to active duty served the duration of the war with the Veteran Reserve Corps.
After the war, Fannie moved with the couple's three children to Grafton, Massachusettes, while Carlos worked at a military hospital in Albany, New York. In 1872, he died in Washington D.C., a resident of an insane asylum due to "diseases of the brain" most likely caused by a venereal disease contracted during the war. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery beside a son who served as a doctor in the Spanish-American War and contracted blood poisoning.
De la Mesa's letters to his wife discuss his religious faith, his relationship with and expectations of her, and his experience as a foreigner. He describes the common understanding among the members of the Garibaldi Guard-- an eagerness to fight for the Union cause tempered by homesickness for their nations of origin, their languages, and their culture. Carlos de la Mesa's letters also speak to his desire to place his family on firm economic footing, a common experience among people who join the military for purposes of social mobility.
