Don José María Callava

I represent Don José María Callava. I was the final Spanish Governor and Colonel Commandant of Florida. I was born in Spain and was an officer of the old European tradition. I became a colonel and provincial governor before the age of 40. I was a knight of the military order of St. Hermengildo and decorated with the cross of distinction of the Battle of Almocid. After the changing of the flags, I remained behind in Pensacola to finalize arrangements for the transition of government. General Andrew Jackson and I very much got off on the wrong foot before July 17, and matters deterioriated during the Vidal affair, during which our language and cultural barriers caused chaos. Tempers flared, and he ended up having me arrested. After my release, I went to Washington, D.C. to complain about my treatment, and that was the last I saw of Pensacola.