Action of Picheuta

Argentine and Chilean wars of independence: Patria Nueva campaign 1817–1818
Juncalito Picheuta Crossing of the Andes Chacabuco Curapalihue Cerro Gavilán Talcahuano Cancha Rayada II Maipú

The Action of Picheuta was a military engagement that took place on January 24, 1817, during the Crossing of the Andes.

The column led by Juan Gregorio de las Heras was still crossing the mountain range, being 50 kilometers away from the Uspallata Pass. A royalist task force led by Miguel Marquelli, composed of three officials and fifty soldiers, surprised the patriots at Picheuta, which was defended by five soldiers, many privates and a corporal from the battalion Nº 11. Marquelli had orders to cross the Uspallata on a reconnaissance mission.

The royalists surprised the patriots with an attack from the left flank. Half the forces of Las Heras was captured and taken prisoners, and the others fled to warn the bulk of the Army of the Andes of the nearby royalist presence. This led to the battle of Potrerillos the following day.

Bibliography

Camogli, Pablo; Luciano de Privitellio (2005). Batallas por la Libertad. Buenos Aires: Aguilar. ISBN 987-04-0105-8.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.