The Battle of Niquitao was a part of the
Venezuelan War of Independence
The Venezuelan War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Venezuela, links=no, 1810–1823) was one of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early nineteenth century, when independence movements in Latin America fought agai ...
which took place on 2 July 1813 in
Boconó
Boconó is a city in the Venezuelan Andean state of Trujillo. Founded in 1560, this city is the shire town of the Boconó Municipality and, according to the 2001 Venezuelan census, the municipality has a population of 79,710. .
Prelude
After the destruction of the
First Venezuelan Republic by
Domingo de Monteverde
Juan Domingo de Monteverde y Rivas (born Juan Domingo de Monteverde; 2 April 1773 15 September 1832), commonly known as Domingo de Monteverde, was a Spanish soldier, governor and Captain General of Venezuela from June 1812 to 8 August 1813. Mont ...
, most pro-independence politicians and soldiers, among them
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...
, went into exile in
New Granada New Granada may refer to various former national denominations for the present-day country of Colombia.
*New Kingdom of Granada, from 1538 to 1717
*Viceroyalty of New Granada, from 1717 to 1810, re-established from 1816 to 1819
*United Provinces of ...
. From here, Bolivar prepared a new invasion of Venezuela, which was called the
Admirable Campaign
The Admirable Campaign () was a military action led by Simón Bolívar in which the provinces of Mérida, Barinas, Trujillo and Caracas were conquered by the Patriots.Arana, M., 2013, Bolivar, New York: Simon & Schuster, Its objective was to fr ...
.
The 800 Patriot soldiers, organized into two divisions, fought a series of battles that made them advance into the
State of Trujillo:
Battle of Cúcuta
The Battle of Cúcuta was a military conflict in the Spanish American wars of independence fought on February 28, 1813 between the pro-independence forces led by Simón Bolívar and Spanish royalist troops under General Ramón Correa at the town o ...
(8 January 1813), Battle of Angostura de La Grita (13 april 1813) and Battle of Agua Obispo (14 May 1813).
[
]
The Battle
Organized into two divisions under the command of José María Ortega and Rafael Urdaneta
Rafael José Urdaneta y Farías (October 24, 1788 – August 23, 1845) was a Venezuelan General and hero of the Spanish American wars of independence. He served as President of Gran Colombia from 1830 until 1831. He was an ardent supporter ...
, the Patriot army clashed with the Royalist army on 2 July at dawn. The first division began the attack towards the center of the enemy ranks and later, the second division joined in, attacking the right wing. After four long hours, the Patriot cavalry also attacked, turning the battle in their favor, by overrunning the Royalist rearguard.
This intervention caused the Royalist army to become disorganized and forced them to retreat from their positions. The victory was complete, and followed by active pursuit. The surviving Royalists managed to retreat to Nutrias and San Fernando de Apure
San Fernando de Apure () is a city in Apure State in Venezuela. The population of the municipality area is 165,135 (2011 census). The 18th century exports included heron feathers (for pens) and animal hides.
The “Maria Nieves” bridge across ...
. Some 400 Royalists were taken prisoner, many of them defected to the patriots, and also abundant weapons and ammunition fell into the hands of the Patriots.
On 6 August 1813, the Admirable Campaign ended, when Brigadier Simón Bolívar was able to make his triumphant entry into Caracas.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niquitao, Battle of
Niquitao
Trujillo (state)
July 1813 events
1813 in Venezuela