Gran Colombia-Peru War

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The first international conflict which the rising Republic of Peru had to face, was against the Gran Colombia (modern-day countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela), due to the claim that nation had made to the territories of Jaén and Maynas, legitimately pertaining to Peru from before independence.

The declaration of war against Gran Colombia occurred on July 3, 1828, entailing the Peruvian Government to enable its ground and naval forces. The Peruvian Navy's the first encounter of the conflict took place in August of 1828, when the Peruvian corvette “Freedom”, to the control of the lieutenant commander Carlos García del Postigo's corvette in the international waters to the west of the Gulf of Guayaquil, with the purpose of controlling and of intercepting the ships that entered or left that port. On the 31 of August of 1828, the Gran Colombian ships “Pichincha” and “Guayaquileña” attacked the Peruvian corvette forehead to Punta Malpelo, being defeated and forced to retire with heavy losses on board.

Soon, the Peruvian forces established the blockade in Guayaquil on the entire Gran Colombian coast from Tumbes to Panama. The Peruvian squadron, in control by the vice-admiral Jorge Martin Guise, went to Guayaquil and made diverse incursions before attacking the defenses of that city, on the days of 22 to the 24 of November of 1828. In this move he managed to eliminate the defenses afloat and to silence good part of the enemy artillery, but on the nights of the 23rd and the 24th, the frigate “President” ran aground and the defenders took advantage of the situation to attack. At dawn, with the rise of the river, the frigate had returned to surface, but the last enemy shot had hit the Vice-Admiral Guise, who passed away shortly after. The control of the suadron was assumed by the first lieutenant Jose Boterín, who continued the siege to the enemy on their own teritorry. They finally surrendered on January 19 of 1829. After this victory the corvette “Arequipeña” and the brig “Congress” returned to on Panama, to rescue one of the merchant ships captured by the Gran Colombians. Guayaquil would remain occupied by Peruvian forces until the July 21, 1829. The conflict would conclude after the signature and ratification of the Armistice of Piura signed on the 10 of July of that same year;