The siege of Cartagena (1820–1821) () was a military confrontation fought in the context of the

Colombian War of Independence The Colombian War of Independence began on July 20, 1810 when the Junta (Spanish American Independence), Junta de Santa Fe was formed in Bogotá, Santa Fe de Bogota, the capital of the Spanish Empire, Spanish colonial Viceroyalty of New Granad ...

between Patriots and Royalists, with the victory of the former. It was the longest siege experienced by the city in its history.

Background

The

United Provinces of New Granada The United Provinces of New Granada was a country in South America from 1810 to 1816, a period known in Colombian history as '' la Patria Boba'' ("the Foolish Fatherland"). It was formed from areas of the New Kingdom of Granada, roughly corres ...

had declared its independence from Spain in 1811, and by 1815 controlled large parts of present-day Colombia. But in 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon, the restored King

Ferdinand VII of Spain Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was Monarchy of Spain, King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (t ...

had sent a large fleet under command of

Pablo Morillo Pablo Morillo y Morillo, Count of Cartagena and Marquess of La Puerta, a.k.a. ''El Pacificador'' (The Peace Maker) (5 May 1775 – 27 July 1837) was a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and in the Spanish American I ...

to restore order in the colonies and destroy the Republic. Pablo Morillo and his veteran troops besieged and starved into submission the city of

Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...

between 26 August and 6 December 1815. But in 1819, Simón Bolívar launched his campaign to liberate New Granada and inflicted a crushing defeat on the Royalists at the

Battle of Boyacá The Battle of Boyacá (1819), also known as the Battle of Boyacá Bridge was a decisive victory by a combined army of Venezuelan and New Granadan troops along with a British Legion led by General Simon Bolivar over the III Division of the Spa ...

. After the victory of Boyacá, the army of Bolívar advanced along the

Magdalena River The Magdalena River (, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, ...

from

Santafé de Bogotá Santa Fe (Spanish; 'holy faith') or Santa Fé (Portuguese; 'holy faith') may refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Fe, Argentina **Santa Fe Province Bolivia * Santa Fe de Yapacaní * Santa Fe (Oruro) Brazil * Bonito de Santa Fé *Santa Fé de Goiá ...

towards the Colombian Caribbean, seizing several strongholds until only Cartagena was left in Royalist hands, with a solidly entrenched garrison.

Siege

The siege began on 14 July 1820, when the Venezuelan colonel

Mariano Montilla Mariano Montilla (8 September 1782 in Caracas – 22 September 1851 in Caracas) was a major general of the Army of Venezuela in the Venezuelan War of Independence. Biography Youth As a young man he went to Spain where he joined the Americ ...

surrounded the city. The garrison was led by the Spanish governor and brigadier, Gabriel Ceferino de Torres y Velasco. Also present were Viceroy of New Granada

Juan de Sámano Juan José Francisco de Sámano y Uribarri de Rebollar y Mazorra (1753 in Selaya, Cantabria – July 1821 in Panama), was a Spanish military officer and the last viceroy of Viceroyalty of New Granada, New Granada from March 9, 1818 to August 9, 1 ...

and colonel Francisco de Paula Warleta y Franco. The Spanish were still connected by sea and were supported by the surrounding towns, so there were initially no problems when it came to access to supplies.Palacios, 2002: 222 The fleet of Patriot Admiral José Prudencio Padilla was required, but it was occupied conquering

Riohacha Riohacha (; Wayuu: ) is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean Sea. It is the capital city of the La Guajira Department. It has a sandy beach wa ...

and

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

. In the meantime, the divisions commanded by Córdova and Maza arrived to reinforce the pressure on the Royalists, after their victories and pacification of

Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...

and Magdalena, and with the mission of preventing the Royalists from supplying themselves with food and supplies from Corozal. Brigadier Torres y Velasco now wanted to negotiate, but Montilla rejected the request to meet with him. Torres later wrote to Bolívar, but he also refused to talk. In January 1821, Padilla's fleet arrived at Cartagena, blocking the port with 40 ships. On 24 June 1821 at night, Padilla assaulted the Royalist in Ánimas Bay, near the current Los Pegasos dock, capturing 11 enemy ships and their weapons. After this, the fate of the garrison was sealed. Viceroy Sámano managed to escape by sea to Panama, which would remain in Spanish hands until November. Torres y Velasco was forced to capitulate to General Montilla on 10 October, bringing the last Royalist fortress in the Colombian Caribbean definitively under Patriot control. Torres y Velasco and his troops were sent to Cuba, where Torres y Velasco was tried and acquitted for losing the city.

References

Sources

*Marley, David (2005). Historic Cities of the Americas: The Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. Santa Bárbara: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-027-7. *Restrepo, Juan Manuel (1858). Historia de la revolución de la República de Colombia en la América Meridional. Tomo III. Besanzon: Imprenta de José Jacquin. *Mitre, Bartolomé (2003). The Emancipation of South America. A condensed translation of History of San Martin by General Don Bartolomé Mitre. Translated to English by William Pilling. Buenos Aires: Stockcero. ISBN 978-9-87205-060-3. *Viloria de la Hoz, Joaquín (2005). "De la Patria Boba a la Gran Colombia". En Federico Tomás Adlercreutz, 1793-1852: vicisitudes militares, económicas y sociales de un conde sueco en América. Comité de Publicaciones de la Facultad de Administración de la Universidad de Los Andes. ISSN 0121-7062. *Henao, Jesús María & Gerardo Arrubla (1920). Historia de Colombia para la enseñanza secundaria. Tomo II. Bogotá: Librería Colombiana. *Galvis Madero, Luis (1970). La Gran Colombia, 1819–1830. Lerner.
Cartagena Explorer: The Siege of Cartagena – La Heroica Bravely Resists the Spanish Reconquest

Córdova : gloria y asesinato del héroe. Tomo I / Armando Barona Mesa ; prólogo del académico Antonio Cacua Prada
*Palacios, Marcos & Frank Safford (2002). Colombia: país fragmentado, sociedad dividida: su historia. Bogotá: Norma. ISBN 978-9-58046-509-6.

Links

Cartagena Explorer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cartagena, 1820-21 siege of Viceroyalty of New Granada Conflicts in 1820 Conflicts in 1821 Colonial Colombia Colombian War of Independence Spanish American wars of independence Military history of Cartagena, Colombia Battles involving Colombia Sieges involving Spain 1820 in Colombia 1821 in Colombia 19th-century sieges