Nicolás Vega was an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

soldier who fought as a General on the Unitarian side in the

Argentine Civil Wars The Argentine Civil Wars were a series of civil conflicts of varying intensity that took place through the territories of Argentina from 1814 to 1853. Initiation concurrently with the Argentine War of Independence (1810–1820), the conflict pr ...

. He is known for his defeat at the Battle of Niquivil, although later he was Governor of San Juan Province.

Origins

Nicolás Vega was a Spanish navy lieutenant from Esmeralda, Chile who joined the Unitarians. He married into the powerful Furque family and settled in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

. According to Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, who was one of Vega's aides-de-camp at Niquivil, he unfortunately lacked leadership qualities, which showed in his soft face.

San Juan

In April 1829 General

Facundo Quiroga Juan Facundo Quiroga (November 27, 1788 – February 16, 1835) was an Argentine caudillo (military strongman) who supported federalism at the time when the country was still in formation. Early years Quiroga was born in San Antonio, La Ri ...

arranged for José María de Echegaray to become acting governor of San Juan to raise troops to fight General José María Paz. Echegaray sent Quiroga a division commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Gregorio Manuel Quiroga. While not far from San Juan, on the night of 2/3 June 1829 some of his men revolted and headed for the town. The Unitarian rebels occupied San Juan the next day, and Echegaray and others fled to Mendoza Province. Juan Aguilar was elected governor and Lieutenant Colonel Nicolás Vega was made General and head of the San Juan division. Colonel

José Félix Aldao José Félix Esquivel y Aldao (11 October 1785 - 19 January 1845) was an Argentine Dominican friar and soldier who became a general and then the undisputed Federist ''caudillo'' of Mendoza Province. His ability as a warrior and his cruelty became ...

and his brother Lt. Col. Francisco Aldao moved towards San Juan from Mendoza with all available forces on 14 June 1829. General Vega, who had decided to retire with the Unitarian division to Jáchal, was forced to give battle in Niquivil. He was defeated and Echegaray was restored to San Juan. In 1830, Nicolás Vega was back in power as Governor of San Juan. The Federalist General José Benito Villafañe signed an armistice with the Unitarian general José María Paz on 5 March 1830. While some of Villafañe's troops accepted the pact, others under

Nazario Benavídez José Nazario Benavídez (27 July 1802 – 23 October 1858) was an Argentine soldier who rose to the rank of Brigadier General and played a leading role in the Argentine Civil Wars. He was Governor of San Juan Province, Argentina, for almost twe ...

split away and marched to San Juan, where Benavídez joined an unsuccessful revolt against Vega. Benavídez was taken prisoner on 18 May 1830, but escaped on 3 November 1830 along with other Federalist leaders during an uprising in the city and fled to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Later years

Later, General Vega moved back to

where he operated the La Colorada mine at

Copiapó Copiapó () is a city and commune in northern Chile, located about 65 kilometers east of the coastal town of Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region. Copiapó lies about 800 km north ...

, and was able to help Sarmiento with a job as foreman during his period of exile. At the end of December 1868, General Nicolas Vega asked to be included among the "Guerreros de la Independencia".

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vega, Nicolas Argentine generals