Captain Ubaldo de Coca y Aguilar de Arteaga born in Havana, Cuba, Feb. 6, 1744, the son of Diego de Coca y Aguilar and Faustina de Arteaga y Castro-Palomino.
He started his military career in Havana, Cuba, at 19 years of age, on a Spanish militia regiment formed by young men from local aristocratic Creole families. A short time after joining he participated in the siege of Havana by the British in 1762, a military action that took place from March through August 1762 as part of the Seven Year´s War. His career quickly advanced from Distinguished Soldier in ´62, to Sub Lieutenant in ´63, Grenadier in ´68 and Captain in 1770.
In August 1769 he was deployed overseas to New Orleans under the command of Alejandro de O´Reilly. O'Reilly had been appointed Governor and Captain-General of colonial Louisiana while in Spain in April 1769 with orders to immediately sail to Havana, embark 3,000 troops and proceed to Louisiana. He was the first Spanish official to actually exercise power in the Louisiana territory after France ceded it to Spain. After accomplishing his duties, O´Reilly left and sent most of his troops back to Cuba.
De Coca was among those who stayed behind as part of the Cuban militia that volunteered under the command of Bernardo de Gálvez. Regimiento Fijo de Infantería de Luisiana de Ultramar. He participated with the Rank of Captain on this Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
Bernardo de Gálvez Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Galvez was born in Málaga, Spain July 23, 1746. He was a Spanish military leader and colonial administrator who served as colonial governor of Louisiana and Cuba, and later as Viceroy of New Spain.
Assisted by a volunteer army of troops coming from Spain, the Caribbean and México, among other countries, Galvez aided the American thirteen colonies in their quest for independence and led his forces against Britain during the Revolutionary War, finally defeating the British at the Siege of Pensacola (1781) and reconquering Florida for Spain. The city of Galveston, Texas is named for him.
After his volunteer service, de Coca went back to Cuba and resumed his military duties at the Plaza of Havana. He married Juana Gutiérrez de Bocanegra y Zayas-Bazán, born in Portobelo, Panamá, daughter of Coronel Bernardo Gutiérrez de Bocanegra y Xirón and María Ambrosia de Zayas Bazán y Frómesta. Juana´s maternal ancestry goes back to King Alphonse IV of Aragon.
Ubaldo and Juana had three children Diego, Catalina and María Dolores. Diego was a businessman and the two girls were nuns at the Convent of Santa Clara in Havana, Cuba.
He retired in December 1785 after 25 years of service and died in Havana, Cuba after 1811. During his military career he participated in two significant historical events the last of which contributed to the establishment of the United States as a sovereign nation.