The Battle of Lircay was a military encounter that occurred on April 17, 1830. This battle was the one that put the end to the civil war in Chile that had begun the previous year. After the battle, the Conservative Party came to power.
The previous year, tired of the political problems and instability in the country, several conservative leaders elected General Joaquín Prieto Vial to carry out a coup.
Pro-government forces, led by Ramón Freire Serrano, advanced from Santiago de Chile, but were defeated on the Lircay River.
The victory of the Conservatives, despite giving way to a very hard time for the country, ended the political instability that had been present since 1823.
After the Lircay government, Chile preserved economic and political stability, although the country lost some basic rights that it had to regain later.
Historic context
In 1829 Francisco Antonio Pinto was elected president of Chile. Because their government was made up mostly of liberals, the conservatives try to intervene in the government. After the abdication of the president, a revolt broke out in the south of the country.
The government organized its army and placed it in the hands of Francisco de la Lastra and Benjamín Viel, who faced Prieto's troops in the battle of Ochagavía.
This battle did not have a clear winner, and the Liberals decided to grant power to Ramón Freire.
However, later Prieto assumed the leadership of the country's army, which caused Freire to flee to Coquimbo to form a counterrevolution in early 1830.
Development of the battle of Lircay
On April 14, the army of the Liberals (also known as pipiolos), led by Ramón Freire, crossed the Maule River and occupied the city of Maula. The conservative army, led by Prieto, camped nearby, on the Baeza hill.
Because they wanted to avoid a siege, Freire's forces left the city the next day. However, Prieto's army was waiting for them, blocking their way.
The Liberals moved their army to the banks of the Lircay River. They decided to survey the terrain and try to attack the Conservatives from the flank using cannons and light infantry. In this way, Freire tried to escape to the south.
However, Prieto had ambushed them; he had faked his escape previously and was now facing them near the river.
The battle was fierce for the time. Prieto used his superior numbers to dominate the battlefield: he had 2,000 more men than Freire, and his cavalry was twice as large. The conservative army won the battle by ending the civil war.
Historical reports say that there were approximately 600 dead and more than 1,000 prisoners, making this battle the bloodiest of Chile's civil war.
After the end of the war, Prieto was elected president of the Republic of Chile. His conservative government promoted the stability of the country and created the Constitution of 1833.
His years in office managed to grant Chile a period of economic abundance and political security.
References
- "Battle of Lircay" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: December 21, 2017 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
- "The civil war of 1829 and 1830" in: Memoria Chilena. Retrieved on: December 21, 2017 from Memoria Chilena: memoriachilena.cl
- "Battle of Lircay" in: The Guide. Retrieved on: December 21, 2017 from La Guía: laguia200.com
- "Battle of Lircay" in: Memoria Chilena. Retrieved on: December 21, 2017 from Memoria Chilena: memoriachilena.cl
- "April 17, 1830" in: Icarito. Retrieved on: December 21, 2017 from Icarito: icarito.cl