Battle of Carabobo
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| Battle of Carabobo | |||||||
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| Part of the Venezuelan War of Independence (Military career of Simón Bolívar) |
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 Detail of La Batalla de Carabobo by Martín Tovar y Tovar. Oil on canvas. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Patriots British Legions |
Royalists | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
 Simón Bolívar |
 Miguel de la Torre |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 4,000 infantry 2,500 cavalry |
5,000 troops no cavalry[1] |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 200 dead[2] | 2,908 dead or wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Carabobo, 24 June 1821, was fought between independence fighters, led by Simón Bolívar, and the Royalist forces, led by Spanish Field Marshal Miguel de la Torre. Bolívar's decisive victory at Carabobo led to the independence of Venezuela.
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[edit] History
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The Royalists occupied the road leading from Valencia to Puerto Cabello. As Bolívar's force of 6,500 approached the Royalist position, Bolívar divided his force and sent half on a flanking maneuver through rough terrain and dense foliage. De la Torre likewise split his force and sent half to deal with this flank attack. Hitting the Patriots with musket fire, the Royalists held back the attack for a while. The Venezuelan infantry failed and retreated, but the Irish, Welsh, and English of the "British Legion" fought hard and took the hills. They sustained about 50% of Bolívar's casualties. The Patriots eventually broke through the Royalist lines on the flank and marched towards the rear of de La Torre's force. The Spanish infantry formed squares and fought to the end under the attack of the Patriot cavalry. The rout was so bad that only some 400 of one infantry regiment managed to reach safety at Puerto Cabello. With the main Royalist force in Venezuela crushed, independence was ensured. Subsequent battles included a key naval victory for the independence forces on 24 July 1823 at the Battle of Lake Maracaibo and in November 1823 José Antonio Páez occupied Puerto Cabello, the last Royalist stronghold in Venezuela.
[edit] Commemoration
June 24 is celebrated as Battle of Carabobo Day in Venezuela. This day is also called "Army Day" in Venezuela.
[edit] See also
- Nevado, Bolivar's dog, who died in the Battle of Carabobo
[edit] Notes
- ^ from 1.551 of theoric cavalry , only two squadrons of hussars fight as infantry. The rest of royalist cavalry 1.372 Venezuelan llaneros, flee from the battle
- ^ Implausible, even if given by Bolivar.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Battle of Carabobo |
[edit] Animated Demo
- http://www.prodi.com.ve/home/presentacion1.htm (in Spanish language)
[edit] General
- Venezuela on Encyclopedia of Days
- Carabobo 1821 on Prodiseño Escuela de Comunicación Visual y Diseño
- Bolivar's British Legion by Ian Fletcher from Ian Fletcher Battlefied Tours
- Pages of Glory on Simón Bolívar, The Southamerican Washington from Don Mabry's Historical Text Archive.
Coordinates: 10°00′16″N 68°09′57″W / 10.0045°N 68.1657°W
