The first battle of Cancha Rayada, sometimes termed the 'Disaster' or 'Surprise of Cancha Rayada', took place on 29 March, 1814, during the War of Chilean Independence.

Background

A patriotic force, under the control of Manuel Blanco Encalada, a

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 eas ...

an naval officer and later vice-admiral, had advanced towards the town of

Talca Talca () is a city and commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region (7th Region of Chile). As of the 2012 census, the city had a population of 201,142. The city is an importan ...

, which was being held by the guerrilla leader Ángel Calvo. Calvo was a

an landowner, a former patriot who had switched sides to the Royalists during the Siege of Chillan the previous year.

The battle

Manuel Blanco Encalada arrived in Quechereguas, where he received a note from Ángel Calvo proposing a site for the forthcoming battle. On the following day Manuel Blanco Encalada took up position and launched his attack. The battle seemed initially to be successful, but Royalist reinforcements rapidly forced him to retreat until he reached Cancha Rayada, where he finally confronted the Royalist advance. The patriot forces collapsed, and a large number of officials and several unit commanders fled back towards

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

Aftermath

Patriot commanders tried to regroup, but were taken prisoner along with many of their soldiers. In a quarter of an hour, 450 Royalists had defeated 1,400 patriotic soldiers, taking 300 prisoners, food, ammunition and guns.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cancha Rayada, Battle of Conflicts in 1814 Battles involving Chile Battles involving Spain Battles of the Spanish American wars of independence Battles of the Chilean War of Independence Battles of the Patria Vieja Campaign 1814 in the Captaincy General of Chile Battle of Cancha Rayada March 1814 events