The Battle of Urica took place during the War of Venezuelan Independence in the village of Urica (in modern-day

Anzoátegui ) , anthem = '' Himno del Estado Anzoátegui'' , image_map = Anzoategui in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_a ...

) on 5 December 1814, between the forces of Republican general in chief

José Félix Ribas José Félix Ribas (; Caracas, 19 September 1775 – Tucupido, 31 January 1815) was a Venezuelan independence leader and hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence. Early life Ribas was the last of eleven sons, born to a prominent Caraca ...

and Royalist

caudillo A ''caudillo'' ( , ; osp, cabdillo, from Latin , diminutive of ''caput'' "head") is a type of personalist leader wielding military and political power. There is no precise definition of ''caudillo'', which is often used interchangeably with " ...

José Tomás Boves. Although Boves died, the Royalists won the battle.

Prelude

After the defeat in the Battle of Aragua de Barcelona, Simón Bolívar and Santiago Mariño were relieved of command by General Ribas on 2 September. In

Cariaco Cariaco is a town in the state of Sucre, Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a co ...

he met with Colonel

Manuel Piar Manuel Carlos María Francisco Piar Gómez (April 28, 1774 – October 16, 1817) was General-in-Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan War of Independence. Heritage and early life The son of Fernando Alonso Piar y Lottyn, a Spani ...

, but mutual disagreements led them to divide their forces. Piar marched to Cumaná and was defeated by Boves in the on 16 October. Ribas had to march to

Maturín Maturín () is a city in Venezuela, the capital of the Venezuelan state of Monagas and a centre for instrumental exploration and development of the petroleum industry in Venezuela. The metropolitan area of Maturín has a population of 401,384 inha ...

to join up with Republican Colonel José Francisco Bermúdez. Together they decided to march to Urica to finish off Francisco Tomás Morales, Boves' second, who had previously been defeated by Bermúdez in the . However, during the march they learned of Boves' proximity. Duarte Level, Lino (1917). Cuadros de la historia militar y civil de Venezuela: desde el descubrimiento y conquista de Guayana hasta la batalla de Carabobo p.293. Madrid: Editorial América. Ribas decided to retreat but Bermúdez refused and fought Boves in the on 9 November. The colonel was defeated and his forces dispersed, weakening the Republicans. After this battle, Bermúdez and his defeated army joined Ribas in

.
In the meantime, Boves and his troops had linked up with the forces commanded by his lieutenant,

Francisco Tomás Morales Francisco Tomás Morales (Agüimes Carrizal, Canary Islands, December 20, 1781 or 1783 – Las Palmas, Canary Islands, October 5, 1845), was a Spanish military, and the last of that country to hold the post of Captain General of Venezuela, reac ...

, in Urica. Ribas for the Republicans commanded a force of 2,000, including

José Tadeo Monagas José Tadeo Monagas Burgos (28 October 1784 – 18 November 1868) was the president of Venezuela 1847–1851 and 1855–1858, and a hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence. Career Presidency In 1846, to head off the challenge from the Lib ...

, Pedro Zaraza, Manuel Cedeño, and Francisco Parejo. The Republican force deployed in three columns at dawn on December 5 on a plain near the town of Urica.

The battle

Boves led the first attack, targeting Bermúdez's column. This attack was repulsed, and heavy artillery fire inflicted casualties on the Royalist forces. Ribas ordered an attack and successfully encircled Boves' column on the Royalist right. Boves, finding his column surrounded, led an attack by 400 cavalry in an attempt to break the Republican lines, but was killed in the fighting. The remaining unengaged Royalist columns encircled the Republicans, sealing a Royalist victory, although with heavy casualties on both sides.

Aftermath

Boves' death had far-reaching consequences. He was succeeded by Morales, but in the long run the llaneros he had led joined the Republican cause under the leadership of

José Antonio Páez José Antonio Páez Herrera (; 13 June 1790 – 6 May 1873) was a Venezuelan leader who fought against the Spanish Crown for Simón Bolívar during the Venezuelan War of Independence. He later led Venezuela's independence from Gran Colombia. ...

following efforts by the Republican

criollo Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to: People * Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish race-based colonial caste system (the European descendants) Animals * Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South Ameri ...

elite to attract mixed-race and lower class Venezuelans to the cause of independence.Cipriano Heredia S.
El "Taita" Chávez
.

References

Bibliography

* Antonio Núñez Jiménez (1994). A World Aside: Approximation to the History of Latin America and the Caribbean. Madrid: Editions of the Tower. {{ISBN, 84-7960-043-8.

External links