BESIDE BOLIVAR

The Edecán Demarquet

Simon Bolivar said of Eloy Demarquet: “Demarquet does not know how to lie or slander; I believe him loyal and sincere”. Though this French officer, a veteran of Napoleon's wars, is rarely mentioned in works on Bolivar, the latter's correspondence documents the close relationship between the two men and the high esteem in which Demarquet was held not only by his leader, but by others in Bolivar's circle. Even after Bolivar's death, Demarquet continued to serve Ecuador before returning to France. He left descendants in both countries, several of whom made names for themselves. This volume brings together scattered information from a wide variety of different sources to tell the memorable - and largely lost - story of this little known figure in the struggle for Latin American independence and to trace the paths of some of his descendants.