The
Battle of Carabobo, 24 June 1821, was fought between independence fighters, led by
Simón BolívarSimón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte Blanco, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a South American political leader...
, and the Royalist forces, led by Spanish Field Marshal
Miguel de la TorreMiguel de la Torre y Pando, conde de Torrepando was a Spanish General, Governor and Captain General, who served in Spain, Venezuela, Colombia and Puerto Rico during the Hispanic American wars of independence and after.At the age of fourteen he joined the Spanish Army as a soldier during the War of...
. Bolívar's decisive victory at
CaraboboCarabobo is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about 2 hours by car from Caracas. The capital city of this state is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is 4,650 km² and had an estimated population of 2,227,000 in...
led to the independence of
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
.
The Royalists occupied the road leading from Valencia to
Puerto CabelloPuerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in the state of Carabobo about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast...
. 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.
Discussion
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The
Battle of Carabobo, 24 June 1821, was fought between independence fighters, led by
Simón BolívarSimón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte Blanco, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a South American political leader...
, and the Royalist forces, led by Spanish Field Marshal
Miguel de la TorreMiguel de la Torre y Pando, conde de Torrepando was a Spanish General, Governor and Captain General, who served in Spain, Venezuela, Colombia and Puerto Rico during the Hispanic American wars of independence and after.At the age of fourteen he joined the Spanish Army as a soldier during the War of...
. Bolívar's decisive victory at
CaraboboCarabobo is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about 2 hours by car from Caracas. The capital city of this state is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is 4,650 km² and had an estimated population of 2,227,000 in...
led to the independence of
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
.
History
The Royalists occupied the road leading from Valencia to
Puerto CabelloPuerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in the state of Carabobo about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast...
. 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 LegionThe British Legion or British Legions were foreign volunteer units fighting under Simón Bolívar against Spain for the independence of Gran Colombia. The Venezuelans called them the "Albion 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 CabelloPuerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in the state of Carabobo about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast...
. 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 MaracaiboThe Battle of Lake Maracaibo was fought on July 24 1823 in Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo between Admiral José Prudencio Padilla and royalist Captain Ángel Laborde....
and in November 1823
José Antonio PáezJosé Antonio Páez was General in Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan Wars of Independence, in addition to becoming the President of Venezuela once it was independent of the Gran Colombia...
occupied Puerto Cabello, the last Royalist stronghold in Venezuela.
Commemoration
June 24 is celebrated as
Battle of Carabobo Day in
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
. This day is also called "Army Day" in Venezuela.
General