One of a series of children’s stories titled "National History Series," the Revenge of the Gaucho tells the story of the Ramón family. The parents’ two children die when a gaucho, named Fernández, tramples them while recklessly racing his horse. The children’s father, seeking revenge, hunts down the murderer, but Fernández escapes. At the end of the story, Don Ramón, now a soldier in Urquiza’s army that will defeat Rosas at the battle of Caseros (1852), finds himself face-to-face with the murderer and avenges the death of his children.
More than an attack upon the guacho way of life, the story is an indictment of Rosas. Fernández represents the violence Rosas used to control Argentina. Here, that violence destroys the hopes of a young nation. Not coincidentally Don Ramón’s final revenge occurs during the battle that vanquishes Rosas.
