Jonas Coe
Jonas Halstead Coe, sometimes given in Spanish as Comodoro Juan Coe, was an American-born naval commander, notable in the early naval history of Argentina and Uruguay.
Early years
Coe was born in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey, in 1805.Service history
In Peruvian waters
In 1824, at the age of 18, Coe joined the Chilean fleet, then commanded by Lord Cochrane, and served on board the brig Protector during the Peruvian War of Independence.Cisplatine War
Serving as an officer in the Argentine fleet under Admiral William Brown, he achieved distinction in the battles of Juncal and Monte Santiago in the Cisplatine War that led to the Uruguayan independence in 1828.Service in the Uruguayan Navy
After the war with Brazil, he moved to Montevideo and became a partisan of Fructuoso Rivera and the Colorado Party.At the beginning of the Uruguayan Civil War, he was given the rank of commodore and placed in command over the fledgling Uruguayan Navy's Escuadra Oriental, consisting of the flagship Cagancha; the corvettes Constitución, Sarandi, and 25 de Mayo; the brig Pereyra; and the schooner General Rivera.
Although Brown's fleet was of similar size, Coe remained in harbor at Montevideo under the protection of the shore batteries for two months. On May 24, 1841, thinking Brown's forces to be scattered, he sailed out of the harbor only to be forced to retreat back in at dusk. He remained in harbor until August 3, when the Battle of Santa Lucía River saw the General Rivera sunk. In his third engagement on December 9, the Argentine brig Belgrano captured the Cagancha and all her crew.
Following these reverses, President Rivera appointed Italian skipper Giuseppe Garibaldi to the rank of colonel and created the command of the 2ª División de la Escuadra Oriental, transferring most of Coe's ships to the new fleet. The new unit achieved some success before being routed by Admiral Brown in the battle of Costa Brava, on the Paraná River.
After this, the war simply became a siege of Montevideo, with Argentina and the Blancos in control of the sea, but the supply to the port was granted by Britain.