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The Battle of San Félix was an engagement in the of the
War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...
of
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, that occurred on 11 April 1817, on the mesa of Chirica in Province of Guayana, over the course of just half an hour.


Background

The Republican forces had been campaigning against Guayana from late 1816, though hindered by the lack of a navy. Their goal was to occupy the towns of Angostura and Old Guayana, which would allow them to dominate traffic along the river
Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers approximately 1 million km2, with 65% of it in Venezuela and 35% in Colombia. It is the List of rivers by discharge, f ...
.
Manuel Piar Manuel Carlos María Francisco Piar Gómez (April 28, 1774 – October 16, 1817) was General-in-Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan War of Independence. Heritage and early life The son of Fernando Alonso Piar y Lottyn, a Spani ...
had taken the missions of Caroni in early 1817, which had served as an important supply base for the Royalist Spanish forces; it would thereafter fill the same role for the Revolutionaries. With the loss of the missions, the places held by the Royalists had largely fallen without a source to supply their armies & were at risk of starvation. Brigadier La Torre left Angostura for the missions in order to reconquer the area and its resources. He had about 1,600 infantry, 200 cavalry and 2 guns with him, and marched to the missions through the fortifications of old Guayana.


Battle

On 11 April the Spaniards met Piar, who led a force of 500 riflemen, 800 lancers, 500 Indian archers and 400 horsemen. The Patriots, which infantry were surpassed in number and experience by the Royalists', won in a short battle thanks to the superiority of the Republican cavalry. Piar fought in this battle "all alone" (that is, with newly formed officers, mostly unknown before and after the battle).


Consequences

The destruction of the Royalist forces in San Felix accelerated the capitulation of Angostura. The town would be abandoned by the Spaniards on the 17th of that month. Thanks to the Battle of San Félix, the Venezuelan Patriots won not only the rich territory of Guayana, but also the critical tool of transportation and commerce, the
Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers approximately 1 million km2, with 65% of it in Venezuela and 35% in Colombia. It is the List of rivers by discharge, f ...
. César Zumeta, referring to Piar and San Felix, later said:
iarformed an army, triumphed by foresight and courage, and became the first to build an indestructible foundation for the homeland and make possible the organization of the Republic. All that came after San Felix. The campaign was the most momentous in Guiana and one of the most beautiful of our historical cycle.


References

* Mejias, Alejandro (2000)
997 Year 997 ( CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first child of the emperor, but because of the power stru ...
''Diccionario de Historia de Venezuela: Campañas terrestres de la Independencia''. Fundación Polar (2da. edición). Caracas. . {{DEFAULTSORT:San Felix,Battle of Battles of the Venezuelan War of Independence 1817 in Venezuela April 1817 Battles in 1817 Battles involving Spain