The battle of San Carlos occurred on 15 May 1813, during the War of Chilean Independence.

Background

In May 1813, the Royalist forces, under the command of

Juan Francisco Sánchez ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

were retreating to their stronghold of

Chillán Chillán () is the capital city of the Ñuble Region in the Diguillín Province of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of the new Ñuble Region since 6 Sept ...

. The Royalist army's situation during the retreat was desperate; their baggage train had advanced significantly ahead of the main force to avoid being attacked, and the rearguard were almost without supplies. In these circumstances, the patriot commander,

Jose Miguel Carrera Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean ...

could potentially have just avoided battle by instead advancing along the left bank of the

Ñuble river The Ñuble River or Rio Ñuble is a river in Ñuble Region, located in the southern portion of central Chile. Its main tributaries are Chillán and Claro River. The Ñuble River discharges into the Itata River. Nuble River Level It is a Class IV ...

and have occupied

without a fight. Instead he chose to intercept the Royalist army directly on the outskirts of San Carlos, Chile.

The battle

Carrera placed his infantry in the centre of his force, using his cavalry to flank the enemy positions, avoiding the Royalist artillery. Unfortunately, the patriot infantry appear to have been ordered to mount a sudden bayonet charge; they received a full volley from the Royalist guns, broke formation and fled from the field. Unsupported, the cavalry attacks also dispersed. Juan Mackenna brought up a fresh division later in the day, but could not make much impact on the Royalist infantry. By nightfall, the patriots had dispersed completely, and on the following morning neither Carrera nor Mackenna had any units left to continue the attack.

Aftermath

Carrera's failure to achieve a decisive victory at San Carlos, Chile resulted in the Siege of Chillan later that year; the siege, held in mid-winter, was a disaster both for the patriots and for Carrera personally, ultimately leading to his dismissal from office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Carlos, battle of Conflicts in 1813 Battles involving Chile Battles involving Spain Battles of the Spanish American wars of independence Battles of the Chilean War of Independence Battles of the Patria Vieja Campaign Battle of San Carlos May 1813 events Battle of San Carlos