Battle of El Toro
Encyclopedia
The Battle of El Toro (March 6, 1820) was a battle fought near Maullín
, Chile
between Chilean patriots and Spanish royalists, during the Chilean War of Independence.
, Lord Cochrane
departed, leaving Colonel Jorge Beauchef
as commander and governor of Valdivia
. Beauchef decided to head south in order to secure Osorno
, to expel the remains of the royalist forces from the Chilean mainland and to take possession of the area south to the Maullín River
, so that the Spanish would not be able to reoccupy Valdivia by land. His main worry was a possible regrouping of the Royalist forces in the area, since they far outnumbered his own.
Previous to this battle, all the royalists garrisons that had managed to escape from the cities of Valdivia and Osorno gathered at the Carelmapu Fort. The governor of Chiloé
Brigadier Antonio Quintanilla
was disgusted with the poor performance of the old colonel Manuel Montoya and replaced him with Gaspar Fernández de Bobadilla and captain Miguel de Senosiain, and ordered them to return north and combat the patriots. Bobadilla and Senosiain re-crossed the Maullín River at the head of 300 soldiers.
The royalist came out of their shelters and started to closely pursue the patriots, who by then were in full retreat. When Beauchef heard the shots, he decided to intervene with the 90 soldiers under his command, while allowing Labe's troop to move to his rear, in order for them to rest and recharge his ammunition. The Royalist were then left to face the fresh and entrenched patriot forces, who faced them with increased fire power. As they didn't know how big were Beauchef's forces, they became discouraged and demoralized, and halted their attack.
Beauchef immediately seized the opportunity and ordered a frontal bayonet counter-charge with all the forces under his command, causing the Royalists to flee. The patriots, using the horses captured to the enemy began an implacable persecution. The Spanish royalists left the field, leaving behind 40 dead, 106 prisoners and 140 guns and most of their ammunition. Beauchef lost 11 soldiers and had 29 injured.
Maullín
Maullín is Chilean town and commune in Llanquihue Province which is part of Los Lagos Region. The commune is located in at the outflow of Maullín River.-History:In 1674, there was a group of soldiers Basques in the present position of the commune...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
between Chilean patriots and Spanish royalists, during the Chilean War of Independence.
Background
After the capture of ValdiviaCapture of Valdivia
The Capture of Valdivia was a battle in the Chilean War of Independence between Spanish forces commanded by Colonel Manuel Montoya and the Chilean forces under the command of Lord Cochrane, held on 3 and 4 February of 1820.-Background:...
, Lord Cochrane
Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald
Admiral Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, 1st Marquess of Maranhão, GCB, ODM , styled Lord Cochrane between 1778 and 1831, was a senior British naval flag officer and radical politician....
departed, leaving Colonel Jorge Beauchef
Jorge Beauchef
Jorge Beuchef was a French military who participated in the Napoleonic Wars and later on in the Chilean Independence War....
as commander and governor of Valdivia
Valdivia, Chile
Valdivia is a city and commune in southern Chile administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia and Cau-Cau Rivers, approximately east of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla...
. Beauchef decided to head south in order to secure Osorno
Osorno, Chile
Osorno is a city and commune in southern Chile and capital of Osorno Province in the Los Lagos Region. It had a population of 145,475, as of the 2002 census...
, to expel the remains of the royalist forces from the Chilean mainland and to take possession of the area south to the Maullín River
Maullín River
Maullín River is a river of Chile located in the Los Lagos Region. The river originates as the outflow of Llanquihue Lake, and flows generally southwestward, over a number of small waterfalls, emptying into the Gulf of Coronados...
, so that the Spanish would not be able to reoccupy Valdivia by land. His main worry was a possible regrouping of the Royalist forces in the area, since they far outnumbered his own.
Previous to this battle, all the royalists garrisons that had managed to escape from the cities of Valdivia and Osorno gathered at the Carelmapu Fort. The governor of Chiloé
Chiloé Archipelago
Chiloé Archipelago consists of several islands lying off the coast of Chile. It is separated from mainland Chile by Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and Gulf of Corcovado to the southeast. All of the archipelago except Desertores Islands, which are part of Palena...
Brigadier Antonio Quintanilla
Antonio Quintanilla
Antonio Quintanilla was a Spanish brigadier and Governor of Chiloé from 1820-1826....
was disgusted with the poor performance of the old colonel Manuel Montoya and replaced him with Gaspar Fernández de Bobadilla and captain Miguel de Senosiain, and ordered them to return north and combat the patriots. Bobadilla and Senosiain re-crossed the Maullín River at the head of 300 soldiers.
The battle
On March 6th, Colonel Beauchef sent an advanced scouting group of 50 soldiers under the command of captain José María Labé. As the scouting party was advancing south, they were attacked by the royalists, who ambushed them from a forest near the Hacienda El Toro. Labé managed to maintain his ground for about an hour answering the fire, but finally started to retreat overwhelmed by the numerically superior enemy.The royalist came out of their shelters and started to closely pursue the patriots, who by then were in full retreat. When Beauchef heard the shots, he decided to intervene with the 90 soldiers under his command, while allowing Labe's troop to move to his rear, in order for them to rest and recharge his ammunition. The Royalist were then left to face the fresh and entrenched patriot forces, who faced them with increased fire power. As they didn't know how big were Beauchef's forces, they became discouraged and demoralized, and halted their attack.
Beauchef immediately seized the opportunity and ordered a frontal bayonet counter-charge with all the forces under his command, causing the Royalists to flee. The patriots, using the horses captured to the enemy began an implacable persecution. The Spanish royalists left the field, leaving behind 40 dead, 106 prisoners and 140 guns and most of their ammunition. Beauchef lost 11 soldiers and had 29 injured.