The First Battle of Angostura took place during the

Venezuelan War of Independence The Venezuelan War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Venezuela, links=no, 1810–1823) was one of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early nineteenth century, when independence movements in Latin America fought agai ...

. The battle saw Patriot forces attempt to capture the city of

Angostura Angostura may refer to: Places Mexico * Angostura, Sinaloa, a city in north-west Mexico ** Angostura Municipality, Sinaloa, a municipality in Sinaloa, Mexico * Puerto de la Angostura, Coahuila, site of the 1847 Battle of Buena Vista between Ame ...

, but retreat after being unable to penetrate Spanish defenses.

Background

A previous attempt in the Venezuelan War of Independence to capture Angostura happened in 1812, when revolutionary González Moreno and 400 soldiers attempted to negotiate with the local authorities. Negotiations broke down and fighting ensued, which failed to yield any gains for the rebels. Manuel Piar had gathered many Patriot revolutionaries to fight two battles: one to fight for the purpose of cutting communication, and the other to capture Angostura.

Battle

Arriving at Angostura on 18 January 1817, Manuel Piar's force, 2,000 strong, were unable to defeat the entrenched Royalist forces, which numbered at about 3,200. He turned the command over to

Manuel Cedeño Manuel Cedeño (Cardonal, Aragua state, Venezuela, 6 May 1780 - Battle of Carabobo, Venezuela, 24 June 1821) was an officer of the Venezuelan Patriot army who reached the position of Division General, who distinguished himself in the Venezuelan War ...

and left along with the rest of the army on 24 January.

Aftermath

After the initial defeat, many officers left Piar to join

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...

who would take Angostura in the Second Battle of Angostura.

References

Battles of the Venezuelan War of Independence Battles in 1817 1817 in Venezuela {{southAm-battle-stub