The action of Tambo Nuevo, also known as ''Hazaña de los Tres Sargentos'' was a successful cavalry raid carried out between 23 and 25 October 1813, during the second
Upper Peru
Upper Peru (; ) is a name for the land that was governed by the Real Audiencia of Charcas. The name originated in Buenos Aires towards the end of the 18th century after the Audiencia of Charcas was transferred from the Viceroyalty of Peru to th ...
campaign of the
Argentine War of Independence
The Argentine War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Argentina, links=no) was a secessionist civil war fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín a ...
, by a small detachment of
dragoons
Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat ...
of the
Army of the North
The Army of the North ( es, link=no, Ejército del Norte), 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 fre ...
. The targets were the headquarters of royalist Colonel Saturnino Castro at
Yocalla, and later a forward outpost on Tambo Nuevo.
Background
After the defeat of General
Manuel Belgrano
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...
in the
battle of Vilcapugio
The Battle of Vilcapugio ( qu, Sacred Well) was a major battle fought on October 1, 1813, during the second Campaign of Upper Peru in the Argentine War of Independence, where the United Provinces forces led by General Manuel Belgrano were defeat ...
, on 1 October 1813, the bulk of the republican Army of the North withdrawn to the east, establishing its headquarters in the town of
Macha
Macha () was a sovereignty goddess of ancient Ireland associated with the province of Ulster, particularly the sites of Navan Fort (''Eamhain Mhacha'') and Armagh (''Ard Mhacha''), which are named after her.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A His ...
. Belgrano hoped to reinforce his exhausted and demoralized troops with local draft and supplies. The royalist situation was no better, despite their recent victory. General
Joaquin de la Pezuela lost more than 200 men in Vilcapugio, along with a good number of mules and horses, the main way of carrying artillery and other provisions through the rugged soil.
[Mitre, p. 216.] A smaller fraction of Belgrano's army retreated to the city
Potosí
Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...
, under the command of
General Díaz Vélez.
By mid-October, Potosí was threaten from the north by a royalist squadron, led by Colonel Saturnino Castro, who seized the town of Yocalla.
First raid
While honing his forces at Macha, Belgrano ordered several reconnaissance missions on the enemy. He chose one of his best officers, Lieutenant
La Madrid, to collect intelligence about the royalist headquarters at Yocalla. La Madrid departed the republican camp with four dragoons and a native guide. After an icy-cold night, which ended in a heavy snowfall, the small detachment was just 400 metres away from the enemy stronghold. Not only their recce mission went unnoticed, but they also surprised a royalist patrol marching on the snow and took five prisoners. Only a troop of local natives, loyal to Pezuela, harassed La Madrid's group during their retreat along the
defile of
Tinguipaya, and informed Castro about his path through the mountains. When the captives were presented to Belgrano, he recognized two of them - a corporal and a soldier - as members of the royalist army defeated in
Salta
Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...
. These men had sworn not to turn their arms on the republicans again. To make an example, Belgrano had them executed by a shooting squad. Their bodies were later beheaded, and their heads, along with a reinforcement of eight Dragoons, were sent to La Madrid, still close to the enemy.
Tambo Nuevo
![Aráoz de Lamadrid Gregorio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Ar%C3%A1oz_de_Lamadrid_Gregorio.jpg)
La Madrid learned that Castro, aware of the route and movements of the Dragoons due to his local informers, had ordered a company to mount an ambush on the outpost of Tambo Nuevo, a mountain pass 25 km north of Yocalla. On the night of the 24th, La Madrid and his men climbed a hill behind the outpost. Three soldiers, acting as scouts, were the first to reach the enemy position. They found a stable of
adobe
Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...
sheltering at least 50 horses, and another building guarded by a sentry. After overpowering the surprised soldier, they broke into the building where they found another ten men sleeping. All of them were initially taken prisoners, but later a royalist sergeant managed to escape and gave the alarm. The rest of the company, suspecting that the republican forces outnumbered them, remained inside another building until dawn. There was a sporadic exchange of fire. At first light, La Madrid fell back to Macha with the ten captives. The three soldiers were promoted to sergeants by Belgrano, with the title of ''Sargentos de Tambo Nuevo''.
Aftermath
The small action had the unexpected effect of relieving Potosí. Indeed, Castro believed that his squadron was shadowed by a combined force of 200 men and withdrew to Condo, the headquarters of General Pezuela. This movement allowed General Díaz Vélez and his troops to join Belgrano's army in Macha. La Madrid cavalry reached the site of the battle of Vilcapugio, where he buried the corpses of several of his camarades fallen there. He chose this place to fix the severed heads of the prisoners executed by Belgrano in pikes. A banner was put on each pike with the writing ''por perjuros'' (for perjurers).
[Mitre, pp. 226-227]
See also
*
Battle of Pequereque
The Battle of Pequereque was a clash which took place on 19 June 1813, during the second Upper Peru campaign of the Argentine War of Independence, between scouting forces of the United Provinces Army of the North and the royalist Army of Peru. Th ...
*
Battle of Vilcapugio
The Battle of Vilcapugio ( qu, Sacred Well) was a major battle fought on October 1, 1813, during the second Campaign of Upper Peru in the Argentine War of Independence, where the United Provinces forces led by General Manuel Belgrano were defeat ...
*
Battle of Ayohuma
The Battle of Ayohuma ("dead man's head" in Quechua) was a military action fought on 14 November 1813 during the Spanish American wars of independence. The forces of the Royal Army of Viceroyalty of Peru, commanded by Spaniard General Joaquín de ...
*
Tres Sargentos
Tres Sargentos is a village in Carmen de Areco Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.
History
The General Manuel Belgrano railway was laid through the area in 1906, the station was established in 1907.
Name
The name of the settlement was ins ...
Notes
References
*
Mitre, Bartolomé: ''Historia de Belgrano''. Imprenta de Mayo, Buenos Aires, 1859. V. II.
* Araóz de la Madrid, Gregorio: ''Obsebvaciones
icsobre las Memorias póstumas del brigadier general d. Josè M. Paz, por G. Araoz de Lamadrid y otros gefes contemporaneos.'' Imprenta de la Revista, Buenos Aires, 1855.
* García Camba, Andrés: ''Memorias para la Historia de las armas españolas en el Perú.'' Sociedad tipográfica de Hortelano y compañia, 1846. V. II.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tambo Nuevo, Action of
Battles of the Spanish American wars of independence
Battles of the Argentine War of Independence
Conflicts in 1813
Cavalry raids
Battles of the Bolivian War of Independence
1813 in Bolivia
Mountain warfare
October 1813 events
History of Potosí Department