The Battle of Rincón de Valladares (6 July 1827) was a battle during the

Argentine Civil Wars The Argentine Civil Wars were a series of civil conflicts of varying intensity that took place through the territories of Argentina from 1814 to 1853. Initiation concurrently with the Argentine War of Independence (1810–1820), the conflict pr ...

. It was fought between

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

forces led by

Facundo Quiroga Juan Facundo Quiroga (November 27, 1788 – February 16, 1835) was an Argentine caudillo (military strongman) who supported federalism at the time when the country was still in formation. Early years Quiroga was born in San Antonio, La Ri ...

and Unitarian forces under Governor

Gregorio Aráoz de Lamadrid Comandante General Gregorio Aráoz de Lamadrid (or "de La Madrid"; 28 November 1795 in San Miguel de Tucumán – 5 January 1857 in Buenos Aires) was an Argentine military officer and briefly, governor of several provinces like Córdoba, ...

, near the city of

San Miguel de Tucumán San Miguel de Tucumán (; usually called simply Tucumán) is the capital and largest city of Tucumán Province, located in northern Argentina from Buenos Aires. It is the fifth-largest city of Argentina after Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario an ...

. Quiroga was the victor, forcing Lamadrid to resign and go into exile in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, leaving the government of

Tucumán Province Tucumán () is the most densely populated, and the second-smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the province has the capital of San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neigh ...

in the hands of the Federalists.

Background

After Facundo Quiroga's victory in the Battle of El Tala in 1826, in which he thought Lamadrid had died, the leader from La Rioja Province went to Cuyo, where he assured the triumph of the Federalist party. Meanwhile, the wounded governor of

received support from

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, where President

Bernardino Rivadavia Bernardino de la Trinidad González Rivadavia (May 20, 1780 – September 2, 1845) was the first President of Argentina, then called the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, from February 8, 1826 to June 27, 1827. He was educated at th ...

urged him to overthrow the provincial governments opposed to his rule. Lamadrid invaded

Catamarca Province Catamarca () is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. The province had a population of 334,568 as per the , and covers an area of 102,602 km2. Its literacy rate is 95.5%. Neighbouring provinces are (clockwise, fr ...

for the third time, where he restored a Unitarian government. He returned to face Facundo Quiroga, supported

Juan Felipe Ibarra Juan Felipe Ibarra (1 May 1787 - 15 July 1851) was an Argentine soldier and politician. He was one of the ''caudillos'' who dominated the Argentine interior during the formation of the national state, and ruled the province of his birth for deca ...

, Governor of

Santiago del Estero Province Santiago del Estero (), also known simply as Santiago, is a province in the north of Argentina. Neighboring provinces, clockwise from the north, are Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán. History The indigenous inhabitant ...

. He advanced to the outskirts of the capital of Tucumán and attacked Quiroga in the Rincón de Valladares on 6 July 1827.

The battle

The battle began with a Unitarian cavalry advance, which completely displaced the Federal cavalry. But the Federal infantry, commanded by Colonel Bargas, resisted the enemy onslaught and advanced to the center of Lamadrid's line. Part of Lamadrid's forces set about pursuing Santiago de Estero troops, who had left the battlefield, and Quiroga's reserve took advantage of the moment to destroy the remaining enemy lines. When the Tucumán cavalry returned from their pursuit and found the infantry had lost three quarters of its soldiers, they also retired. Casualties were very high on both sides. They increased when, days later, Quiroga had several officer prisoners shot.

Aftermath

Lamadrid fled north to

Salta Province Salta () is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy. To the north it borders Boliv ...

, where Governo José Ignacio Gorriti refused to help him. He was forced to go into exile in Bolivia. Quiroga, meanwhile, ensured the dominance of Tucumán Province by the most prestigious Federalist politician of that province, Nicolás Laguna. This battle marked the end of the first war between Unitarians and Federalists in the interior. The forces of no more than three provinces were involved in each campaign, so the scope was limited. The cycle of the Argentine civil wars would change substantially in 1828, when many provinces would be involved, dividing the country into two opposing halves. This situation would be repeated at least twice, in 1840 and 1861.

References

Notes Citations Sources * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rincon de Valladares Rincon de Valladares July 1827 events 1827 in Argentina Conflicts in 1827 History of Tucumán Province