Battle of Huaqui
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Huaqui was a battle between the Primera Junta
's (Buenos Aires
) revolutionary troops and the royalist troops of the Viceroyalty of Peru
on the border between Upper Peru
, (present-day Bolivia
), and the Viceroyalty of Peru on June 20, 1811.
and Antonio González Balcarce, had their first encounter with the royalists under the command of General José Manuel de Goyeneche in October 1810. The royalist army did not press their advantage and did not pursue, and while retreating to the South, they had another encounter which they lost at Suipacha
.
The successful advance of the Primera Junta's troops continued to the North of Upper Peru and on June 20, 1811 they met again near the Desaguadero River
where battle ensued.
General Goyeneche decided to do a direct attack with his full force. At three in the morning of June 20 he ordered colonels Juan Ramírez and Pablo Astete, lieutenant colonels Luis Astete and Mariano Lechuga (with 350 cavalry and four cannons) to attack Caza, near the road to Machaca and communication to Huaqui, while he marched towards Huaqui with colonels Francisco Picoaga and Fermín Piérola commanding 300 cavalry, 40 guardsmen and 6 pieces of artillery.
At dawn the heights on the hills the royalist troops needed to take were already teeming with revolutionary troops, cavalry and fusiliers who started shooting the Spaniards along with grenades and slingshot
s. The royalists responded and within a few hours made the revolutionaries retreat.
When the independentist troops heard of Goyeneche's advance towards Huaqui, Castelli, Balcarce and Montes de Oca left the town with 15 artillery pieces and 2,000 men and took a strong position on the road to Huaqui between a small lake and the hills behind.
Goyeneche ordered and advance under enemy fire while colonel Picoaga's battalion covered them with return fire. The independentist troops, recognizing general Goyeneche, directed their fire towards him, he ordered one of his aides to transmit the order to attack with his right flank, also covering the road with Piérola's battalion and detached three companies to advance on the front while he and the rest of his troops attacked through the left.
The Argentine cavalry tried to stop the push but was overran and fled, along with the whole rebel army towards Huaqui. Goyeneche ordered pursuit and subsequently captured the town. Colonel Ramírez soon after sent a messenger informing them of victory at Caza.
The battle ended with the Argentine troops in full retreat, with more than a thousand men lost and abandoning most of their artillery. In full run they took refuge in Potosí
and later on farther south in Jujuy.
who had agreed with the Argentine troops that while he started the revolution in Tacna
, the Argentine army would advance towards Peru
to initiate the liberation campaign on that country, but the defeat at Huaqui stopped the plans on Peruvian territory.
The bad impression that this defeat caused in Buenos Aires, where they had lost their guns, made that González Balcarce and Castelli
were relieved of commands and court-martialed. The defeat also caused a cease-fire on the fight in Montevideo
due to the concern in Buenos Aires on being attacked from two fronts at the same time.
The independentist's defeat at Huaqui was of such magnitude that the weakness created in the North after the battle forced them to name General Belgrano
to take control of the Army of the North
and try to re-establish discipline, train the troops and wait for new armament. It forced him to take extreme measures and mobilize Northern Argentina's population in Jujuy Province
towards the South before the imminent Spanish offensive. This episode is known in history as the Jujuy Exodus
(Spanish:Éxodo Jujeño).
Primera Junta
The Primera Junta or First Assembly is the most common name given to the first independent government of Argentina. It was created on 25 May 1810, as a result of the events of the May Revolution. The Junta initially had representatives from only Buenos Aires...
's (Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
) revolutionary troops and the royalist troops of the Viceroyalty of Peru
Viceroyalty of Peru
Created in 1542, the Viceroyalty of Peru was a Spanish colonial administrative district that originally contained most of Spanish-ruled South America, governed from the capital of Lima...
on the border between Upper Peru
Upper Peru
Upper Peru was the region in the Viceroyalty of Peru, and after 1776, the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, comprising the governorships of Potosí, La Paz, Cochabamba, Los Chiquitos, Moxos and Charcas...
, (present-day Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
), and the Viceroyalty of Peru on June 20, 1811.
Prelude
The army commanded by Juan José CastelliJuan José Castelli
Juan José Castelli was an Argentine lawyer. He was one of the leaders of the May Revolution, which started the Argentine War of Independence...
and Antonio González Balcarce, had their first encounter with the royalists under the command of General José Manuel de Goyeneche in October 1810. The royalist army did not press their advantage and did not pursue, and while retreating to the South, they had another encounter which they lost at Suipacha
Battle of Suipacha
The Battle of Suipacha was fought on 7 November 1810 in Bolivia during the Bolivian War of Independence between the Spanish colonial army and the Republican forces sent by the Primera Junta from Buenos Aires. At the time Bolivia was known as Upper Peru . It was the first decisive defeat of the...
.
The successful advance of the Primera Junta's troops continued to the North of Upper Peru and on June 20, 1811 they met again near the Desaguadero River
Desaguadero River (Bolivia)
The Desaguadero River in Peru and Bolivia is the river that drains Lake Titicaca. It exits the lake at the southern part of the river basin, it flows south and drains approximately five percent of the lake's flood waters into Lake Uru Uru and Lake Poopó....
where battle ensued.
Battle progress
On the morning of the 19th, the revolutionary army had placed their troops in Huaqui, Caza and Machaca and built a temporary bridge over the Desaguadero moving 1,200 troops across. The aim was to distract Goyeneche's troops on their front and right flank while surrounding the royalists on their rear through the lines established by this new bridge.General Goyeneche decided to do a direct attack with his full force. At three in the morning of June 20 he ordered colonels Juan Ramírez and Pablo Astete, lieutenant colonels Luis Astete and Mariano Lechuga (with 350 cavalry and four cannons) to attack Caza, near the road to Machaca and communication to Huaqui, while he marched towards Huaqui with colonels Francisco Picoaga and Fermín Piérola commanding 300 cavalry, 40 guardsmen and 6 pieces of artillery.
At dawn the heights on the hills the royalist troops needed to take were already teeming with revolutionary troops, cavalry and fusiliers who started shooting the Spaniards along with grenades and slingshot
Slingshot
A slingshot, shanghai, flip, bean shooter or catapult is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame held in the off hand, with two rubber strips attached to the uprights. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket which holds the projectile...
s. The royalists responded and within a few hours made the revolutionaries retreat.
When the independentist troops heard of Goyeneche's advance towards Huaqui, Castelli, Balcarce and Montes de Oca left the town with 15 artillery pieces and 2,000 men and took a strong position on the road to Huaqui between a small lake and the hills behind.
Goyeneche ordered and advance under enemy fire while colonel Picoaga's battalion covered them with return fire. The independentist troops, recognizing general Goyeneche, directed their fire towards him, he ordered one of his aides to transmit the order to attack with his right flank, also covering the road with Piérola's battalion and detached three companies to advance on the front while he and the rest of his troops attacked through the left.
The Argentine cavalry tried to stop the push but was overran and fled, along with the whole rebel army towards Huaqui. Goyeneche ordered pursuit and subsequently captured the town. Colonel Ramírez soon after sent a messenger informing them of victory at Caza.
The battle ended with the Argentine troops in full retreat, with more than a thousand men lost and abandoning most of their artillery. In full run they took refuge in Potosí
Potosí
Potosí is a city and the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at a nominal . and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia...
and later on farther south in Jujuy.
Consequences
At the same time, on June 20, 1811 a revolution that was previously prepared, started in Perú. Their leader Francisco Antonio De ZelaFrancisco Antonio De Zela
Francisco Antonio De Zela y Arizaga , is notable for sending forth the first libertarian outcry in the Peruvian city of Tacna on June 20, 1811 in an attempt to start the independence of Peru...
who had agreed with the Argentine troops that while he started the revolution in Tacna
Tacna
- Rail :Tacna is served by a cross-border standard gauge railway to Arica, Chile.It is also the location of the National Railway Museum of Peru.-Air:Tacna is served by the Crnl. FAP...
, the Argentine army would advance towards Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
to initiate the liberation campaign on that country, but the defeat at Huaqui stopped the plans on Peruvian territory.
The bad impression that this defeat caused in Buenos Aires, where they had lost their guns, made that González Balcarce and Castelli
Juan José Castelli
Juan José Castelli was an Argentine lawyer. He was one of the leaders of the May Revolution, which started the Argentine War of Independence...
were relieved of commands and court-martialed. The defeat also caused a cease-fire on the fight in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
due to the concern in Buenos Aires on being attacked from two fronts at the same time.
The independentist's defeat at Huaqui was of such magnitude that the weakness created in the North after the battle forced them to name General Belgrano
Manuel Belgrano
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano , usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano, was an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina...
to take control of the Army of the North
Army of the North
The Army of the North , contemporaneously called Army of Peru, was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was freeing the Argentine Northwest and the Upper Peru from the royalist troops of the Spanish...
and try to re-establish discipline, train the troops and wait for new armament. It forced him to take extreme measures and mobilize Northern Argentina's population in Jujuy Province
Jujuy Province
Jujuy is a province of Argentina, located in the extreme northwest of the country, at the borders with Chile and Bolivia. The only neighboring Argentine province is Salta to the east and south.-History:...
towards the South before the imminent Spanish offensive. This episode is known in history as the Jujuy Exodus
Jujuy Exodus
The Jujuy Exodus was an episode of the Argentine War of Independence. It was a massive forced displacement of people from the Jujuy Province, under by General Manuel Belgrano, conducted by his patriot forces that were battling a Royalist army...
(Spanish:Éxodo Jujeño).