The Battle of Ayacucho.

Ayacucho (1824)

On 9 December 1824, the Battle of Ayacucho was fought between Rebels under Antonio Jose de Sucre against the Spanish under Jose de la Serna during the South American Wars of Independence.

Why did it happen?

In 1810, while Spain was fighting against the French during the Peninsular War, its colonies in South America revolted against Spanish rule. By 1819, under leaders like Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin, many of Spain’s colonies in South America, from Venezuela to Chile, had gained independence and elected their own leaders to rule the new nations. It was only in Peru that the Spanish managed to keep some semblance of control. In 1821, with the help of a navy led by British admiral Thomas Cochrane, Jose de San Martin invaded Peru and declared the country’s independence. In 1824, Simon Bolivar’s army advanced through harsh terrain from Venezuela to Peru to eliminate Spanish strongholds in the country. On 6 August, Bolivar defeated a Spanish army at the Battle of Junin. In the aftermath of this minor victory, he divided his army in two: While he led half his forces to advance on Lima, his lieutenant Antonio Jose de Sucre led the other half to confront a Spanish army on a high plateau near Ayacucho.

Who was involved?

The Rebel forces at Ayacucho numbered 6,000 infantry and cavalry, plus 1 artillery. The Rebel left wing was under the command of Jose de La Mar with 1,600 infantry and cavalry. The centre under Jose Maria Cordoba comprised 2,300 infantry and 1 artillery. Finally, the right wing was led by William Miller with 2,100 cavalry. In overall command was Antonio Jose de Sucre, who led from the rear. The Spanish forces at Ayacucho numbered 9,000 infantry and cavalry, plus 14 artillery. The Spanish dispositions are as follows: Cacho commanded the left wing, which consisted of 4,100 infantry and cavalry, plus 6 artillery; Alejandro Gonzalez Villalobos commanded the centre with 1,700 infantry and 3 artillery; Jeronimo Valdez commanded the right wing with 2,000 infantry and cavalry along with 4 artillery; Finally, Jose de la Serna held overall command of the Spanish forces with 1,200 infantry in reserve.

What happened?

On 9 December, upon sensing the weakness of the Rebel forces, General Jeronimo Valdez ordered his artillery to open fire upon the Rebel forces, which ravaged their ranks. After the artillery bombardment, Valdez led his infantry against the Rebel left wing and centre, but both held firm against the Spanish forces. After slaying his horse in front of his troops, General Cordova led a counterattack against the Spanish centre and left wing. At the same time, Antonio Jose de Sucre committed his cavalry on the right wing against the Spanish left wing. After 30 minutes of hand-to-hand fighting, the Rebel forces forced their way uphill and captured the Spanish artillery and General Jose de la Serna, which ended the battle. While Rebel losses amounted to just 310 killed and 669 wounded, the Spanish lost 2,000 killed and 1,000 captured.

What changed as a result?

The Battle of Ayacucho was a decisive Rebel victory. In the aftermath of the battle, the terms of surrender imposed by the Rebel forces stipulated that all Spanish forces be withdrawn from Peru and Bolivia. In 1826, the last Spanish soldiers sailed from Lima, thus ending Spanish rule in South America, and confirming the independence of the new republics. Sadly, as stated by R.G. Grant, “the newly independent countries betrayed Simon Bolivar’s dream of South American unity and soon began to turn on each other in an often bloody struggle for territory and power” (Grant, 2005, p.220). In the aftermath of the South American Wars of Independence, a border war was fought between Peru and Gran Columbia from 1828 to 1829, which led to the latter splitting up into the nations of Columbia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. Other notable wars fought during the Nineteenth Century included the Paraguayan War (1864-1870), which cost around 300,000 lives, and the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), fought between Chile and Bolivia over resources contained in the Atacama Desert.

Bibliography

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