This march was composed by Lieutenant José Arena (Italy 1869-Argentina 1954), who was Band Conductor and author of several other military marches for the infantry, one of which is “Suipacha”, also included in this CD.
Lt. General Bartolomé Mitre (Buenos Aires 1821-1906), in whose honor Arena composed this march, was a distinguished military and brilliant historian, journalist and politician. Exiled from Argentina during the dictatorship of Governor Juan M. Rosas, he was the Director of Bolivia’s Military School and then worked as a journalist in Chile and Uruguay. As an artillery officer, in 1852 he directed the Argentine artillery in the Battle of Caseros, in which Rosas was ousted and Mitre was promoted to Colonel in the battlefield.
He commanded the Buenos Aires army in the battles of Cepeda and Pavón, was then appointed President of the Republic and took office on 12 October, 1862. After two and a half years in office, where he centered on public liberties and educational and commercial progress, Paraguayan forces invaded Argentine territory. This was the factor that unleashed the bloody War of Paraguay.
Paraguay, led by dictator Marshal Francisco S. López, confronted Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay united under an Alliance Treaty signed on 1 May, 1865. General Mitre was selected General-in-Chief of the allied armies. He delegated the country’s government on Vice President, Dr. Marcos Paz, and departed to direct the military operations, which lasted 5 years and concluded with the occupation of Paraguay and the death of López.
Until the end of his life, Mitre contributed to the country’s development through an intense intellectual activity, which included the foundation of the daily “La Nación” in 1870, among other journals. This newspaper, which continues being published to date, is one of the most prestigious of the Americas.
