The Admirable Campaign () was a military action led by Simón Bolívar in which the provinces of Mérida, Barinas, Trujillo and Caracas were conquered by the Patriots.Arana, M., 2013, Bolivar, New York: Simon & Schuster, Its objective was to free

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 continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

from Spanish control, which was accomplished in conjunction with Santiago Mariño's simultaneous campaign in the east.

Overview

After the loss of the

First Republic of Venezuela The First Republic of Venezuela ( es, Primera República de Venezuela) was the first independent government of Venezuela, lasting from 5 July 1811, to 25 July 1812. The period of the First Republic began with the overthrow of the Spanish colonial ...

, Bolívar had gone to New Granada where he joined the army of the United Provinces, which was in the process of fighting with cities that did not recognize its authority. On January 28, 1813 Bolívar captured Ocaña, a city which was on the main roads to Venezuela. The expedition was formed by two divisions, a vanguard led by Colonel Atanasio Girardot and a rear under Colonel José Félix Ribas. At the same time Domingo de Monteverde was moving troops to western Venezuela in preparation for an invasion of New Granada, threatening the newly independent states there. From Ocaña Bolívar moved against royalist areas of New Granada, taking the border city of Cúcuta in the

Battle of Cúcuta The Battle of Cúcuta was a military conflict in the Spanish American wars of independence fought on February 28, 1813 between the pro-independence forces led by Simón Bolívar and Spanish royalist troops under General Ramón Correa at the town o ...

on February 28. Here Bolivar asked United Provinces for aid and permission to enter Venezuela through a document named the "

Cartagena Manifesto The Cartagena Manifesto was written by Simón Bolívar during the Colombia#Independence from Spain, Colombian and Venezuelan War of Independence, after the fall of the First Republic of Venezuela, First Republic, explaining what he believed to be t ...

" (). The United Provinces regarded his petition favourably taking into consideration the numerous actions that he executed for the Neogranadan government. As soon as government authorization was given, the campaign started its march into Venezuela on February 16. The expedition marched through San Cristóbal, La Grita, Mérida and Trujillo. It is from this city that Bolívar issued his "

Decree of War to the Death The Decree of War to the Death, in Spanish ''Decreto de Guerra a Muerte'', was a decree issued by the South American leader Simón Bolívar which permitted murder and any atrocities whatsoever to be committed against civilians born in Spain, other ...

." In the Decree Bolivar announced that the patriot army will treat

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both in ...

and

Criollos In Hispanic America, criollo () is a term used originally to describe people of Spanish descent born in the colonies. In different Latin American countries the word has come to have different meanings, sometimes referring to the local-born majo ...

differently: "Spaniards and

Canarians Canary Islanders, or Canarians ( es, canarios), are a Romance people and ethnic group. They reside on the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of northwest Africa, and descend from a mixture of European settlers and ab ...

, you can expect death, even if uninvolved, if you do not actively work in favor of the independence of America. Americans, count on life, even if guilty." The Decree would remain in force, technically, until the treaty signed with Pablo Morillo at Santa Ana de Trujillo on November 26, 1820, regularized the rules of engagement. The last major engagement of the campaign was the Battle of Los Horcones on July 22. After that the expedition occupied the cities of

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

and La Victoria in early August. Losing on two fronts, the royalist government surrendered on August 4. Bolívar's forces had a triumphal entrance into the city of Caracas on August 6, bringing an end to the campaign and reestablishing the Venezuelan republic.

References

External links

Simón-Bolívar.org - Admirable Campaign (1813)

{{Gran Colombia independence, state=collapsed Campaigns of the Venezuelan War of Independence Simón Bolívar 1813 in Venezuela 1813 in the Viceroyalty of New Granada June 1813 events

Overview

See also

References

External links