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The Battle of Ayohuma ("dead man's head" in
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...
) was a military action fought on 14 November 1813 during the Spanish American wars of independence. The forces of the Royal Army of
Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed fro ...
, commanded by Spaniard General Joaquín de la Pezuela defeated the
Army of the North The Army of the North ( es, link=no, Ejército del Norte), contemporaneously called Army of Peru, was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was fr ...
, led by General
Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...
in their second Upper Peru Campaign of the
Argentine War of Independence The Argentine War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Argentina, links=no) was a secessionist civil war fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín a ...
.


Background

After the rout of the United Provinces' army at Vilcapugio on 1 October 1813, Belgrano established his headquarters at
Macha Macha () was a sovereignty goddess of ancient Ireland associated with the province of Ulster, particularly the sites of Navan Fort (''Eamhain Mhacha'') and Armagh (''Ard Mhacha''), which are named after her.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A H ...
. There he reorganized his forces, obtaining help from Francisco Ocampo (then President of Charcas), and from other provinces of Upper Peru (
Cochabamba Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa; qu, Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 630 ...
,
Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; "Holy Cross of the Mountain Range"), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz department. Situated on the Pirai River in the eastern Tropical Lowlands of Bolivia ...
, and Chayanta). At the end of October 1813, the Army of the North included around 3,400 men, of which barely 1,000 were veterans, the rest being recruits or men drafted from the native population after the initial defeat. An important fraction of the patriot army, under the command of General Díaz Vélez had remained isolated at
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 aftermath of Vilcapugio, but was able to reunite with Belgrano after a small action at Tambo Nuevo relieved them from the pressure of the royalist army. Mitre, Bartolomé: ''Historia de Belgrano''. Imprenta de Mayo, Buenos Aires, 1859. V. II., page 226 Despite their recent victory, Pezuela's troops were short of horses, mules and supplies. They had sought refuge on the Condo-Condo heights, where, being surrounded by hostile populations and still recovering from the casualties suffered at Vilcapugio, they could not readily take the offensive against the Army of the North. However, on 29 October, Pezuela's army left their camp in Condo-Condo in order to attack the patriots before they could obtain further reinforcements. On 12 November, they arrived at Toquirí, a mountain dominating the small plain of Ayohuma, half a league from the village of the same name. In the meantime, at his headquarters just two leagues away from Toquirí, on 8 November, Belgrano had discussed his plans with his officials. The majority of them wanted to withdraw to Potosí, but the general convinced his officers to fight. That night the army left Macha, reaching Ayohuma on the morning of the next day.


Battle

The armies that were about to face each other exhibited a significant disproportion. While Belgrano's
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...
outnumbered the royalists' two-to-one, Pezuela had twice as much infantry and 18 pieces of
artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, ...
, against only eight short-range guns carried by Belgrano's troops. At dawn of 14 November the royalists began their descent from their high position and by mid-morning they had deployed the bulk of their forces on the plain. Belgrano's troops were meanwhile attending
Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementa ...
, even if aware of the enemy movements. An hour later, Pezuela had completed his maneuver; instead of pushing a frontal assault, the royalist army outflanked the patriots on their right, crossing a range of hills that hidden them from their enemy and forcing Belgrano to hastily redeploy his troops in that direction. In the opinion of then Lieutenant Gregorio Aráoz de Lamadrid, one of Belgrano's best officers, this move proved decisive for the outcome of the battle. Then, Pezuela's artillery opened fire, blasting holes in the patriot ranks. In a hail of enemy fire, Belgrano ordered the advance of his infantry and cavalry toward the enemy right flank, but they could not overcome both the rugged terrain and Pezuela's entrenchments. To make matters worse, Belgrano' light guns were no match for the royalist artillery. Belgrano was forced to retreat. By a trumpet call and waving the United Provinces flag on the top of a hill, he managed to gather some 500 men, leaving around 300 dead, 200 injured, 600 prisoners and almost all his guns on the battlefield. The battle lasted seven hours. Among the dead was the commander of the ''Batallón de Castas ''("Castes' Battalion"), Colonel José Superí, who was killed by the royalist artillery. His battalion was made of soldiers of African and
mulatto (, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is ...
descent.
José María Paz Brigadier General José María Paz y Haedo (September 9, 1791 – October 22, 1854) was an Argentine military figure, notable in the Argentine War of Independence and the Argentine Civil Wars. Childhood Born in Córdoba, Argentina, the son ...
, an officer who would later play a key role in the Argentine Civil Wars, had to rescue his brother, Captain Julián Paz, when the latter's horse was killed by gunfire while crossing a stream. Colonel Cornelio Zelaya, one of the best cavalry officers in the Army of the North, fought a rearguard action that allowed the orderly withdrawal of the bulk of Belgrano's forces. Three mulatto auxiliary women, María Remedios del Valle and her two daughters, became famous for their efforts to provide water to the troops and assist wounded soldiers on the battlefield in spite of the heavy royalist bombardment, and they are since remembered as the ''Niñas de Ayohuma'' ("Maidens of Ayohuma") in Argentina.Elgul de París, Marta (1996). ''Amantes, Cautivas y Guerreras''. Almagesto, p. 151.


Aftermath

Belgrano's 500 survivors retreated to
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 ...
, but the city had to be quickly evacuated on 18 November due to the approaching royalist forces. Belgrano moved back to Tucumán, where on 30 January 1814, he resigned the command of the Northern Army to
General San Martín A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...
. He would later write about the tactical superiority of the Spaniard officers as compared to his limited knowledge of warfare.


See also

* Battle of Pequereque * Battle of Vilcapugio * Action of Tambo Nuevo *
Flag of Macha The flag of Macha is the name given to a pair of flags of Argentina found at a chapel in the hamlet of Titiri, near the village of Macha, north of Potosí, Bolivia. They are considered to be the first physical flags created by Manuel Belgrano, wh ...


Notes


External links and references

* García Camba, Andrés (1846). ''Memorias para la Historia de las armas españolas en el Perú.'' Sociedad tipográfica de Hortelano y compañia, V. I. * Goman, Adolfo Mario (2007). ''Enigmas sobre las primeras banderas argentinas''. Cuatro Vientos. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayohuma, Battle of 1813 in Bolivia Battles involving Spain Battles of the Argentine War of Independence Battles of the Bolivian War of Independence Battles of the Spanish American wars of independence Conflicts in 1813 November 1813 events History of Potosí Department