The Battle of Tumusla was the last battle between regular forces during the

Bolivian War of Independence Bolivian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Bolivia ** Bolivian people ** Demographics of Bolivia ** Culture of Bolivia * SS ''Bolivian'', a British-built standard cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries ...

and one of the last encounters of the

Spanish American wars of independence The Spanish American wars of independence (25 September 1808 – 29 September 1833; es, Guerras de independencia hispanoamericanas) were numerous wars in Spanish America with the aim of political independence from Spanish rule during the early ...

. This battle was fought on 1 April 1825, near the village of Tumusla (

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 ...

), in the current territory of

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 ...

. It was a defeat for the Royalist forces under command of

Pedro Antonio Olañeta Pedro Antonio de Olañeta y Marquiegui (1774 in Elgueta, Gipuzkoa, Spain – April 2, 1825 in Tumusla, Potosí Department, Bolivia) was a Royalist commander in the army of the Spanish Empire who fought against the South American insurgency led ...

, who was killed.

The Battle

After the decisive defeat of the main royalist armies in the

Battle of Ayacucho The Battle of Ayacucho ( es, Batalla de Ayacucho, ) was a decisive military encounter during the Peruvian War of Independence. This battle secured the independence of Peru and ensured independence for the rest of South America. In Peru it is co ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, on 9 December 1824, and the capture of Spanish Viceroy

José de la Serna e Hinojosa José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

, the only remain Royalist army on the continent was that of

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 ...

(today's Bolivia). Hopelessly outnumbered and low on moral, this army was unable to oppose the 1825 advance of the Patriot army under command of

Antonio José de Sucre Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá (; 3 February 1795 – 4 June 1830), known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" ( en, "Grand Marshal of Ayacucho"), was a Venezuelan independence leader who served as the president of Peru and as the second pr ...

. When his second in command, Carlos Medinaceli Lizarazu, defected with half the troops to the Patriots, the furious Pedro Antonio Olañeta ordered an attack on his own ex-troops led by Colonel Medinaceli Lizarazu. On 2 April 1825, the two forces met at the village of Tumusla, south of Potosi. Olañeta was mortally wounded and died the following day. All remaining Royalist soldiers surrendered or defected. Controversies remain today over the development of this battle. In some versions, there was no real battle and Olañeta was killed by his own men or committed suicide. Other versions claim that the importance of the battle was later diminished by Sucre, because he actually failed to defeat and capture Olañeta.El Potosi.net
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Consequences

This battle of the war of independence was the last engagement in an open field by regular armies in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. After the battle

, who had reached Potosi, called a congress of Upper Peru and saw the creation of

as a new independent nation on 6 August 1825 .

References

{{reflist Battles of the Bolivian War of Independence Battles of the Spanish American wars of independence 1825 in Bolivia Conflicts in 1825