THE LIBERATING CURRENT OF THE NORTH AND THE MAIN BATTLES - HISTORY - 2025

The Northern Current Liberation (1810-1826) was a military-war campaign led by Venezuelan Simón Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios, better known as Simón Bolívar, liberator of the Americas. The conflict began in what was known as Nueva Granada (Colombia-Venezuela-Ecuador) and culminated in the independence of Peru and Bolivia.

This campaign includes numerous stratagems from the hand of Simón Bolívar, in which the famous Battle of Boyacá in Colombia, the Battle of Carabobo in Venezuela and the Battle of Pichincha in Ecuador were fought, to later lead to the Independence of Peru and with it the end of the yoke of the Spanish crown.

Background of the Northern Liberation Current

In 1810, after the removal of Spanish viceroy Vicente Emparan, Venezuela was going through several revolts that endangered Spanish supremacy.

By those times, Bolívar was already taking action to start the independence movement that would lead him to recruit Francisco de Miranda in London, who had just led part of the campaigns of the French Revolution in Europe.

In March 1811, a national congress met in Caracas. Although not a delegate, Bolívar gave his first public speech: “Let us lay the cornerstone of American freedom without fear. To waver is to perish.

The First Republic was declared on July 5 in Venezuela, becoming the first colony to try to free itself from the Spanish empire.

Although he had no formal military training and no battlefield experience, Bolívar was named Lieutenant Colonel under Miranda. He participated in his first engagement on July 19, carrying out an assault on the Spanish stronghold of Valencia. However, the rebel forces were repelled and subsequently a siege forced the capitulation on August 19, after heavy losses on both sides.

As a result of this, Miranda and Bolívar begin to have differences regarding the treatment of the counterrevolutionary conspirators. Meanwhile, on the political front, Republicans suffered from the government's lack of experience and in a few months the royal treasure, obtained under fights, was spent on a Spanish blockade that led to a worsening economic situation in the area.

Bolívar was left in charge of the most important republican port, Puerto Cabello in Venezuela, where a large number of prisoners were kept in the main fort, as well as a large stock of arms and artillery.

The combination proved fatal: a traitor freed the prisoners who were arming themselves and began to bomb Bolívar's position. He and his men barely escaped with their lives.

Bolívar was embarrassed by the loss and furious that Miranda did not respond to calls for help. Soon after, he and other officers turned Miranda over to the Spanish. When the Spanish completed their reconquest of the country, Bolívar escaped to Cartagena in New Granada, which was embroiled in a bloody civil war.

Battle of Boyacá (Colombia)

The Battle of Boyacá occurred on August 7, 1819 near Bogotá, with the South American insurgents victorious over the Spanish forces. This battle would liberate Nueva Granada, today Colombia.

An army of about 3,000 men, under the command of Generals Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander, surprised and defeated the Spanish in the preliminary clashes in Gámeza (July 12), Pantano de Vargas (July 25) and captured Tunja. on August 5th.

At Boyacá, Santander cut off the Spanish advance near a bridge over the Boyacá River, while Bolívar's troops attacked the main force half a mile away, taking some 1,800 prisoners and the Spanish commander.

Bolívar conquered Bogotá on August 10 and was hailed as the liberator of New Granada. He constituted a provisional government leaving Santander as vice president and interim chief and set out for Angostura in Venezuela, where he announced his plan to establish the Republic of Gran Colombia.

Battle of Carabobo (Venezuela)

One of the crucial victories for the liberation of South American territory was the so-called Battle of Carabobo (June 24, 1821), which made Venezuela independent from Spanish control.

Under the indications of the liberal government recently installed in Spain, General Pablo Morillo had signed an armistice with Simón Bolívar, commander of the revolutionary forces in northern South America, in November 1820. Later, the patriots broke the terms of the agreement by moving against the realistic garrison on Lake Maracaibo.

At Carabobo, Bolívar led his numerically superior army of about 6,500, including volunteers from the British Isles, until victory over the Spanish, commanded by General La Torre. General José Antonio Páez and his llaneros and the British and Irish volunteers defeated the Spanish army while the patriotic cavalry crushed its center.

The resulting patriotic victory secured Venezuela's independence, as the Spanish decided that they would never attempt to control the region.

With the Spanish expelled, Venezuela would begin to reform itself after years of wars, and in turn, Bolívar would found the Republic of Gran Colombia, which would then include Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Panama. Later, this republic was dissolved.

Pichincha battle

The capitulation of the battle of Pichincha

On May 24, 1822, the rebel army under the command of General Antonio José de Sucre and the Spanish forces led by Melchor Aymerich clashed on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, within sight of the city of Quito, Ecuador.

To the north, Simón Bolívar had liberated the Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada in 1819, and to the south, José de San Martín had liberated Argentina and Chile and was moving towards Peru. The last main strongholds for royalist forces on the continent were in Peru and around Quito.

On the night of May 23, Sucre ordered his men to move to Quito. He wanted them to take the high terrain of the Pichincha volcano that overlooks the city, and there wait for the first rays of daylight to face off on the steep muddy slopes of the volcano.

Sucre's forces had spread out during their march, and the Spanish were able to decimate their main battalions before the rear reached. When the rebellious Scottish-Irish Albion battalion annihilated an elite Spanish force, the royalists were forced to retreat.

On May 25, Sucre entered Quito and formally accepted the surrender of all Spanish forces. Bolívar arrived in mid-June to happy crowds.

The Battle of Pichincha would be the final warm-up for the rebel forces before tackling the strongest royalist stronghold on the continent: Peru. The Battle of Pichincha consolidated Sucre as one of the main rebel officers of the Campaign led by Bolívar.

Independence of Peru: Battle of Junín and Ayacucho

Battle of Ayacucho

On August 6, 1824, Simón Bolívar and Antonio José de Sucre defeated the Spanish army at Lake Junín, high in the Peruvian mountains. This victory set the stage for the Battle of Ayacucho, where another impressive patriot triumph secured freedom for Peru and all of South America.

In Junín, Bolívar took advantage of the fact that his enemies were divided to take an attack, moving about 9000 men.

Bolívar's Argentine cavalry reached the finish first, prompting British General William Miller, whose cavalry intended to retreat before firing up and attacking the royalist cavalry. The patriots advanced at nightfall and De Canterac, General-in-chief of the Spanish forces, fell back fearful of confronting the patriot army on the plains.

The Battle of Ayacucho would occur on December 9, 1824, being a victory over the royalists in the highlands near Ayacucho, Peru. He liberated Peru and secured the independence of the nascent South American republics from Spain.

The forces of some 6,000 men, including Venezuelans, Colombians, Argentines, and Chileans, as well as Peruvians, were again under the leadership of Bolívar and Sucre.

Sucre opened the attack with a brilliant cavalry charge led by the daring Colombian José María Córdoba, and in a short time the royalist army had been defeated, with some 2,000 men killed.

The Spanish viceroy and his generals were taken prisoner. The terms of surrender stipulated that all Spanish forces be withdrawn from Peru and Charcas (Bolivia).

References

1. Battle of Ayacucho. Recovered from Britannica.com.
2. Battle of Ayacucho, 1824 - The Art of Battle.
3. The Battle of Boyaca. Recovered from Thoughtco.com.
4. Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin. Recovered from Thoughtco.com.
5. Battle of Carabobo - Oxford Reference. Recovered from Oxfordrefernce.com.
6. Battle of Carabobo (1821) - Fast and Easy Rules for Students. Recovered from Juniorgeneral.org.
7. Biography of Simon Bolivar. Recovered from militaryheritage.com.