Battle of Cerrito
Encyclopedia
Battle of Cerrito was a battle for the War of Independence of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
, between the royalist
forces who had control of the city of Montevideo and the rebel forces of the government of Buenos Aires
.
of Buenos Aires and the gaucho
forces led by José Artigas had started a siege to the city of Montevideo, which had refused to obey the directives of the new authorities after the May Revolution
. The siege had been lifted at the end of that year, when the military situation started to deteriorate in the Upper Peru
.
The change of power in Buenos Aires to the Second Triumvirate
, pushed by the change in the situation in the North front allowed them to restart the siege by October 1812 by the rebel forces, commanded by José Rondeau
. There was a second army force by the Uruguay River
under the command of Domingo French
, besides Artigas's militias, who had not yet joined the siege due to disagreements with the political leader of the rebels, Manuel de Sarratea
. The siege army took over the city of Colonia del Sacramento
the last step to complete the siege of Montevideo.
The royalist forces were numerically superior to the siege army, but their fidelity to the cause they were defending was doubtful. The siege army was also low in munitions and armament and lacked reinforcements. Knowing that fact, Spanish general Gaspar de Vigodet
decided to effect a massive breakout to confront the enemy, but he had bad timing as just the night before the attack, Rondeau received reinforcements and supplies.
Soler hgathered his soldier, composed almost exclusively of freed slaves, and counter attacked uphill. This surprise attack paralized the royalists, and brigadier Muesas was shot to death, it caused great confusion among his men. The royalists were dislodged from the hill and while running downhill, they were attacked by the rebel cavalry under Rafael Hortiguera, completing the rout and the enemy's retreat.
The victory at Cerrito was a defining point for the future operations on land. The city of Montevideo, still held strong, supplied via the Río de la Plata
with food and reinforcements. This situation lasted until 17 May 1814, with the naval victories of Admiral William Brown
, which forced Vigodet to surrender to an army marginally bigger than the one Rondeau had.
Rondeau was promoted to general, and later given command of the Army of the North
, and two times the post of Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata
. Soler was promoted to colonel and later would reach the rank of general. Vázquez was promoted to colonel, and commander Hortiguera to lieutenant colonel, reaching the rank of colonel later.
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, , was the last and most short-lived Viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire in America.The Viceroyalty was established in 1776 out of several former Viceroyalty of Perú dependencies that mainly extended over the Río de la Plata basin, roughly the present day...
, between the royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
forces who had control of the city of Montevideo and the rebel forces of the government of 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...
.
Previous Situation
In the year 1811, the forces deployed by the Junta GrandeJunta Grande
Junta Grande is the most common name for the executive government of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata , that followed the incorporation of provincial representatives into the Primera Junta .- Origin :...
of Buenos Aires and the gaucho
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
forces led by José Artigas had started a siege to the city of Montevideo, which had refused to obey the directives of the new authorities after the May Revolution
May Revolution
The May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay...
. The siege had been lifted at the end of that year, when the military situation started to deteriorate in the 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...
.
The change of power in Buenos Aires to the Second Triumvirate
Second Triumvirate (Argentina)
The Second Triumvirate was the governing body of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata that followed the First Triumvirate in 1812, shortly after the May Revolution, and lasted 2 years....
, pushed by the change in the situation in the North front allowed them to restart the siege by October 1812 by the rebel forces, commanded by José Rondeau
José Rondeau
José Casimiro Rondeau Pereyra was a general and politician in Argentina and Uruguay in the early 19th century.-Biography:...
. There was a second army force by the Uruguay River
Uruguay River
The Uruguay River is a river in South America. It flows from north to south and makes boundary with Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of the Mesopotamia from the other two countries...
under the command of Domingo French
Domingo French
Domingo French was an Argentine revolutionary who took part in the May Revolution and the Argentine War of Independence.- Biography :...
, besides Artigas's militias, who had not yet joined the siege due to disagreements with the political leader of the rebels, Manuel de Sarratea
Manuel de Sarratea
Manuel de Sarratea, , was an Argentine diplomat, politician and soldier. He is the son of Martin de Sarratea , of the richest merchant of Buenos-Aires and Tomasa Josefa de Altolaguirre...
. The siege army took over the city of Colonia del Sacramento
Colonia del Sacramento
Colonia del Sacramento is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the oldest town in Uruguay and capital of the departamento of Colonia. It has a population of around 22,000.It is renowned for its historic quarter, a World Heritage Site...
the last step to complete the siege of Montevideo.
The royalist forces were numerically superior to the siege army, but their fidelity to the cause they were defending was doubtful. The siege army was also low in munitions and armament and lacked reinforcements. Knowing that fact, Spanish general Gaspar de Vigodet
Gaspar de Vigodet
Gaspar de Vigodet was a Spanish military with French roots and last Royalist Governor of Montevideo....
decided to effect a massive breakout to confront the enemy, but he had bad timing as just the night before the attack, Rondeau received reinforcements and supplies.
The battle
On the morning of 31 December, Vigodet and brigadier Vicente Muesas attacked with 2,300 men and 8 cannon. Rondeau, who only had 1,000 men and 2 cannon had taken a high position on the hill known as Cerrito (low hill in Spanish). Muesas attacked there, displacing regiment number 6, under lieutenant coronel Miguel Estanislao Soler, dislodging the rebels from the hill. Next another infantry corps, regiment number 4, under the command of Ventura Vázquez, established a precarious hold on the position.Soler hgathered his soldier, composed almost exclusively of freed slaves, and counter attacked uphill. This surprise attack paralized the royalists, and brigadier Muesas was shot to death, it caused great confusion among his men. The royalists were dislodged from the hill and while running downhill, they were attacked by the rebel cavalry under Rafael Hortiguera, completing the rout and the enemy's retreat.
Consequences
The royalists lost 100 men, 146 wounded and 30 prisoners, to the rebel 90 dead, 40 prisoners and one cannon lost but they were left demoralized by the defeat at the battle, and they did not attempt any other breakout from the city walls, not even a year later when Artigas abandoned the siege for a serious political disagreement with the government of Buenos Aires, leaving part of the site undefended, they dared attack Rondeau again.The victory at Cerrito was a defining point for the future operations on land. The city of Montevideo, still held strong, supplied via the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
with food and reinforcements. This situation lasted until 17 May 1814, with the naval victories of Admiral William Brown
William Brown (admiral)
Admiral William Brown was an Irish-born Argentine Admiral. Brown's victories in the Independence War, the Argentina-Brazil War, and the Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata earned the respect and appreciation of the Argentine people, and today he is regarded as one of Argentina's national...
, which forced Vigodet to surrender to an army marginally bigger than the one Rondeau had.
Rondeau was promoted to general, and later given command 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 two times the post of Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata
Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata
The Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata , was a title given to the executive officers of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, according to the form of government established in 1814 by the Asamblea del Año XIII...
. Soler was promoted to colonel and later would reach the rank of general. Vázquez was promoted to colonel, and commander Hortiguera to lieutenant colonel, reaching the rank of colonel later.