Battle Of Yaguachi
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The Battle of Yaguachi or Battle of Cone was a military confrontation that occurred on 19 August 1821 between Guayaquil independence troops and Grancolombian reinforcements, led by Antonio José de Sucre, against Royalist troops led by Colonel Francisco González. The battle was fought near the city of Yaguachi, current
Province of Guayas Guayas () is a coastal province in Ecuador. It is bordered to the west by Manabí, Santa Elena, and the Pacific Ocean (as the Gulf of Guayaquil); to the east by Los Ríos, Bolívar, Chimborazo, Cañar, and Azuay; to the north by Los ...
in Ecuador, and was a victory for the Patriots which ensured the definitive independence of the Free Province of Guayaquil.


Prelude

In 1820, Patriots in Guayaquil had established of the Free Province of Guayaquil and raised an army that marched to the capital
Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...
. But after winning the
Battle of Camino Real A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and fo ...
, the Guayaquil army was defeated three times and forced to retreat to Guayaquil.
The Junta de Guayaquil now requested help from General Simón Bolívar, president of Gran Colombia, who sent General Antonio José de Sucre with an army and a large supply of weapons. In July 1821, Sucre was deploying his army in
Babahoyo Babahoyo (), founded May 27, 1948, by legislative decree, is the capital of the Los Ríos province of Ecuador. Its population is cited around 153,000. It is bordered by two rivers, the San Pablo and the Caracol, which join to form the Babahoyo ...
, ready to advance on the highlands as soon as the weather allowed. Meanwhile, Spanish General
Melchor Aymerich Melchior Aymerich (1754 in Ceuta – 1836 in Cuba) was a Spanish general and provincial administrator, serving as the last president of the Royal Audience of Quito from April until May 1822. One of the last Spanish colonial provinces to be ov ...
had reached Riobamba with 2,000 soldiers and established his headquarters in that city. He decided to divide his forces and attack on two fronts to execute a pincer movement: he would led his army from Guaranda down to Babahoyo, while Colonel González would come from the southern highlands down to Yaguachi to attack Sucre's flank.


The battle

Upon discovering the Royalist intentions thanks to a well-developed espionage network, Sucre prepared a battle plan and on 19 August, he sent General José Mires to confront and stop Colonel González' army in the foothills of the mountain range. But when Mires found the Spanish at a short distance from Yaguachi, he noticed they were in a vulnerable situation. They were marching in a forest on a narrow path, that allowed only four men in a row. Mires concluded that he had to attack the Spanish column immediately, before they could take up a better position. He therefore engaged in combat at 11 a.m.José Manuel Restrepo.- History of the Revolution of the Republic of Colombia Putting himself at the head of the Guayaquileño second battalion and the Santander battalion of the Colombian auxiliaries, Mires gave such rapid and accurate volleys that he forced the enemy to retreat to try to reorganize. All the efforts that the Royalists made to sustain Mires' attacks were useless, as the Patriot battalions fought with true courage and heroism, forcing the Spanish – who also defended their positions with extreme courage – to retreat slowly. Finally the Royalists could not resist and were defeated.


Consequences

Colonel González was able to escape with only 120 men, leaving on the battlefield 400 dead and wounded, more than 500 prisoners and a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and war supplies, which were later used by the Patriot army. Among the Patriots there were only 20 dead and 25 wounded.
Upon receiving word of the defeat, Aymerich headed back to the highlands.


References


Sources

*Landázuri Camacho, Carlos. «La independencia del Ecuador (1808-1822)». A: Ayala Mora, Enrique. Nueva historia del Ecuador. Vol. 6. Quito: Corporación Editora Nacional, 1989. * Destruge, Camilo. Historia de la Revolución de Octubre y campaña libertadora de 1820–22. 2a ed. Guayaquil: Banco Central del Ecuador, 1982. * Chacón Izurieta, Galo
Historia militar del Ecuador (1820-1823)
Quito: ENA, 1978. {{DEFAULTSORT:Yaguachi, Battle of Viceroyalty of New Granada Conflicts in 1821 History of Ecuador Independence of Ecuador Spanish American wars of independence Military history of Ecuador Battles involving Spain 1821 in Ecuador