Vargas Swamp Battle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vargas Swamp Battle
Batalla del Pantano de Vargas

Vargas Swamp Lancers memorial near Paipa, Boyacá.
Date July 25, 1819
Location Colombia
Result Decisive Neogranadan victory
Belligerents
Spain Republic of New Granada
*Foreign volunteers
Commanders and leaders
José María Barreiro Simón Bolívar
James Rooke
Strength
Spanish
3,800+ regular forces 		Neogranadan
~2,600 regular forces
Casualties and losses
Spanish combatant dead:
500 to 600 		Neogranadan combatant dead:
140+

Vargas Swamp Battle (Spanish: Batalla del Pantano de Vargas) was an armed conflict that occurred near Paipa, on July 25, 1819. The joint Venezuelan and New Granadan army commanded by Simón Bolívar was trying to prevent the Spanish forces from arriving at Santafe de Bogotá, which was lightly defended, before they did. Bolívar's army successfully bested the royalist army in spite of the exhaustion of the troops after climbing the Páramo de Pisba, and crossing the swamp. This battle and the next victory over the Spanish by the Boyacá Bridge secured the independence of Colombia.[1]

During the action the left flank of the Patriot army was outflanked and withdrew in disorder. The British Legions played a decisive role in recovering the situation when their commander James Rooke led the 2nd Rifles in a bayonet charge against the Spanish defenses on the hills, gaining the position at great cost.[2] A cavalry attack by the Venezuelan Lancers then decided the outcome of the battle, turning defeat into victory.[3]

The battle is commemorated in the Vargas Swamp Lancers memorial.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Batalla del Pantano de Vargas". Toda Colombia. Retrieved 2-009-05-09. 
  2. ↑ "Bolivar's British Legion". Ian Fletcher Battlefield Tours. Retrieved 2009-05-09. 
  3. ↑ "Dictionary of Irish Latin American Biography: Rooke, James". Society for Irish Latin American Studies. Retrieved 2009-05-09. 
  4. ↑ "Celebración de la batalla del Puente de Boyacá". Ministerio de Defensa Nacional, Republica de Colombia. August 7, 2004. Retrieved 2-009-05-09. 

Coordinates: 5°44′15″N 73°04′30″W / 5.73750°N 73.07500°W / 5.73750; -73.07500

Gran Colombia Gran Colombian independence
Background
Overview
Political history
Military history
1812–1816
1819–1823
Colombian figures
Venezuelan figures
Other figures
Other
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.