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| - The Diary of Pablo Sanchez November 22, 1810 Dear Diary, It all started back in the late fall of 1810 when a skirmish broke out among the people in our town. The Spanish army came marching in demanding respect and control for the Spanish governor. I wasn’t looking for a fight at the time. My son Juan and I went into town to buy wheat for supper that night. It was all unexpecting. The Spanish opened fire on a group of Paraguayian rebels who tried disarming the soldiers. I ran for cover. But before I could run away, I noticed my son on the ground with a bloody shirt. He was only 16 and too young to die. After this skirmish, I decided to become one of the rebels and overthrow the government. I didn’t want my son to die for no reason. December 10, 1810 Dear Diary You know who I am diary; Pablo Sanchez from the outskirts of town. I am poor and lonely since my wife died during the birth of my son. I have three things in my life: God, Juan, and my farm. My son, who told you earlier, was supposed to be 17 next May but he rests in peace now. I’m starting to lose faith in everything. Ever since I lost my son, I don’t feel a purpose for going on. I want freedom for my country and myself. December 21, 1810 Dear Diary, We had another meeting today to discuss our plans for overthrowing the government. I was unanimously elected the leader of our revolution along side José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia. We both had good ideas. We put together two town militias to ward off any Spanish troops that wonder through our town. In all together, we only have 226 men signed up in the militia. Almost half of these are young and old men. Since my farm was on the west side, I was protector of the west. I have four other farmers living in my house with me; Miguel, Antonio, Jose, and Francis. They helped me guard the west side. Francia told us that Argentina recently fought off Spanish forces gained their independence. He also said that Argentina is planning on including Paraguay into their new country. He wants us to assemble and be prepared to fight off the Argentineans if they try to take Paraguay. January 2, 1811 Dear Diary We lost a lot of soldiers, friends, brothers, and husbands today. We finally encountered the Argentinean army. Francia wasn’t able to reinforce us so my militia fought alone but managed to keep them out of Paraguay. Francia and I expect the Argentineans to make one more final run at us. January 16, 1811 Dear Diary, Francia and I met to talk about a plan for overthrowing the Spanish governor. I proposed that we take the governor by force. I wanted to gather all of our troops we have and march to the governor’s house and personally take him out of power. If Spanish troops were in the way, I agreed to fight. But Francia and I decided that we need to knock Argentina out of the picture before we took over the governor. February 4, 1811 Dear Diary, Firing among Paraguayan citizens occurred today. I was fortunate to have not been there but my good friend and roommate, Miguel, was a victim today. We buried him outside my home and wrote “Fight ‘till the Death” on his tomb stone. Too many people close to me have died. March 12, 1811 Dear Diary, Hooray! We finally defeated the Argentinean army. They thought they could take over our father’s land. To hell with them! We got Argentina out of but at a heavy toll; 79 men were lost at the Battle of Paraguay. Now our main focus is on the Spanish and the governor. Once we overthrow them, life will be easier. I’m meeting with Francia sometime soon to discuss further ideas on overthrowing the governor. April 21, 1811 Dear Diary, Francia and I have set a date next month for the attack on the governor’s home; May 14, 1811. We will first declare independence and then fight until freedom is brought upon our country. We don’t expect much defense from the Spanish soldier’s. No recent attacks or skirmishes by the Spanish have occurred. I think they are worn done and ready to hand over freedom. We will know by next month what is to come of our country. May 13, 1811 Dear Diary, I met with our soldiers to go over our plans one final time. They seemed afraid of what might happen tomorrow. I was a little nervous myself but I tried not to show it. Before we dismissed I gave some encouraging words. I spoke about the American Revolution. This raised the men’s morale. They believed if the colonists could overthrow the British, then we can overthrow Spanish rule. I convinced our men it was liberty or death. May 14, 1811 Dear Diary, We have freedom! This is such a great day. We declared our freedom and overthrew the governor without firing a single shot. No one was harmed in the process. I wish my son were here with me. He always spoke of freedom from the Spanish. I wish he were here… May 17, 1811 Dear Diary, Now that we are free, talk of what to do with our new government is becoming very chaotic. All the soldiers believe that Francia should be leader of our new free country but that’s not for me to decide. My time with politics and war is over. I’m returning to my farm to live the rest of my life in peace. I hope this country that was home to my son can be developed peacefully.
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