Fernando Valerio

Fernando Valerio Gil (1806 – November 2, 1863) was an agriculturalist and soldier from the Dominican Republic. He is considered a hero of the battles of Santiago —together with José María Imbert—, and Sabana Larga —together with Juan Luis Franco Bidó—. He was commander in chief of the northern border.

General Fernando Valerio Gil was born in 1806 in Sabana Iglesia, in the parish of Santiago. Described as white and blue-eyed, Valerio was born in a family of Spanish ancestry. His parents were Narciso Valerio and Elena Gil Tineo. Valerio married his first cousin once removed Petronila Suriel Fernández (c. 1801–1908) in 1827, with whom he begot 7 children. He also had offspring with other two women, with María Ignacia Gómez had two children and with Eduviges Peña had four children.

During the Haitian regime that ruled Santo Domingo, Valerio belonged to the civic infantry in which he reached the rank of captain. After the Dominican Independence was declared in February 1844, the Haitian president Charles Rivière-Hérard advanced with his troops to reconquer the rebel territory, but Valerio, at the head of a contingent, confronted him. This event, that was known as the "Charge of the Andulleros", was decisive for the Dominican victory at the Battle of Santiago (March 1844). When the Dominican War of Independence ended in 1856, Valerio was promoted to the rank of Divisional General.

According to data obtained personally, in the historical archive of Santiago and by articles published by the young historian Edwin Rafael Espinal Hernández, he concludes that Fernando Valerio was born in Santiago around the year 1801, son of Narciso Valerio and Elena Gil. The confusion comes because the entire area between Sabana Iglesia, Jánico and San José de las Matas was known as the mountain area which for religious purposes was dominated by the latter municipality, that is, everything related to the civil registries of those baptized and permits to be able to marry had to be done in San José de las Matas, since the parish was based there.