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{{Short description|1839 battle in western Peru which ended the War of the Confederation}} |
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{{Infobox military conflict |
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| conflict = Battle of Yungay |
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| partof = the [[War of the Confederation]] |
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| image = Plano de la Batalla de Yungay.jpg |
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| image_size = 300px |
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| caption = Planning map for the Battle of Yungay |
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| date = January 20, 1839 |
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| place = [[Santo Domingo de Yungay|Yungay]], [[Department of Huaylas (Peru–Bolivian Confederation)|Huaylas]], Peru |
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| result = Chilean–Peruvian restorationist victory |
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*[[Dissolution of the Peru–Bolivian Confederation]] |
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| combatant1 = '''United Restoration:''' |
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* {{flagicon image|Flag of Chile (1818-1912).svg|size=23px}} [[Chile]] |
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* {{flagicon image|Flag of Peru (1825–1884).svg|size=23px}} [[Restoration (Peru)|Gamarra government]] |
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| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation.svg|size=23px}} [[Peru–Bolivian Confederation]] |
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| commander1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Chile (1818-1912).svg|size=23px}} [[Manuel Bulnes]] |
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| commander2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation.svg|size=23px}} [[Andrés de Santa Cruz|A. de Santa Cruz]] |
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| strength1 = 5,400 men |
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| strength2 = 6,000 men |
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| casualties1 = 800 killed<ref name="Andina1">[http://www.comunidadandina.org/BDA/docs/BO-CA-0014.pdf Santa Cruz el condor indio] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325230852/http://www.comunidadandina.org/BDA/docs/BO-CA-0014.pdf |date=March 25, 2009}}</ref> |
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| casualties2 = 3,000 killed<ref name="Andina1"/> |
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}} |
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{{Campaignbox War of the Confederation}} |
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The '''Battle of Yungay''' (or '''Yungai''') was the final battle of the [[War of the Confederation]], fought on January 20, 1839, near [[Santo Domingo de Yungay|Yungay]], Peru. The [[United Restoration Army]], led by Chilean General [[Manuel Bulnes]], consisting mainly of Chileans and 600 [[Republic of North Peru|North Peruvian]] dissidents, attacked the [[Peru-Bolivian Confederation]] forces led by [[Andrés de Santa Cruz]] in northern Peru, {{convert|200|km|sp=us}} north of [[Lima]]. |
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== '''Battle of Yungay''' == |
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De Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article lacks format adapted to the conventions of style of Wikipedia. Please, edítalo to fulfill them. You do not eliminate east warning until you have done it. Table of contents [ to hide ] * 1 Antecedents * the 2 ejercitos and their 3 compared situations * the battle * 4 Antecedent Consequences [ to publish ] the second Chilean expedition envíada to Peruvian earth in the occasion of the war against the Confederation Peru-Bolivian was fought in distant after to have left Lima. To the Chilean control of troops with Peruvian reinforcements Gamarristas they were general Manuel Bulnes. Santa Cruz, who to the control of the Confederado Army tried to pursue to the invaders, and after a favorable combat in Buin, tried to finish soon with the Chilean troops thus to stabilize the internal situation in her country and to avoid new rises in his against. [ to publish ] the ejercitos and their compared situations Both armies had approximately 6000 men, with the slightly favorable numbers to the pictures of Santa Cruz because the Chilean expedition had been decimated by plagues during his estadía in Lima. Comparably apertrechadas, the main difference was in the preparation of the troops, the knowledge of the terrain and the obvious differences between invaders and defenders. While I exercise of the Confederado Protector was made up of veterans of internal battles and one was endorsed by the population, besides to count on originating suitable provisions of the neighborhoods, the Chilean Army was with the antipathy of the inhabitants and to the huída one, with part of the ill troops and little prepared. In favor of the Chileans one was the experience and ability of Bulnes like estratego and the strange combination of tino and boldness of which it made finery, whereas Santa Cruz, although a great administrator and politician, were a medium so single military man. [ to publish ] the battle After the combat in Buin (5 of January of 1839) Santa Cruz advanced on its enemies and occupied Yungay with the intention to cut the provisions and to strangle to Chilean the Restauradora Expedition. It is here in where the boldness of Bulnes is observed, that instead of retiring and looking for one more a more suitable position becomes against ready Santa Cruz to attack. At those moments the Navy of Chile maintained the sea supremacy and for the expedition it would have been easy to find an exit. In addition, Santa Cruz indeed did not look for to present/display battle, but to force La Paz taking into account her advantageous situation. Bulnes was decided by the opposite, trusting the push of its soldiers, symbolized in heróicas actions on the part of soldiers of indigenous origin. On the other hand Bulnes knew that the return with the empty hands (it entiendase ' single with La Paz ') was inconceivable taking into account the experience from the previous expedition led by Encalada Target. The Batallade Yungay was developed day 20 of January of 1839. The Confederados removed from their positions in the base of the hill Sugar Bread was forced upwards. In spite of the vantage points, a massive attack and with hand-to-hand combat please decided the battle in the Chileans, who evacuated the hill and fled the Confederado Army. One hour before the aim of the battle Santa Cruz had given it by lost, which apparently influenced in the spirits. While to the control of the Chilean forces she went a race general (formed with fighting with the montoneras indiadas ones and to the south of Chile), sent by a congress, the confederadas troops worked under caudillaje. The lack of the last one is clearly pernicious for its behavior. [ to publish ] Consequences the Battle of Yungay brought like consequence the aim of the Confederation Peru-Bolivian, the cease of the influence of Santa Cruz in Bolivia - although they separately counted up to 6 rises to its name in Bolivia with posteriority and the restoration of both nations, like was the intention of the Restauradora Expedition. In the monetary thing, Peru finally recognized and began to pay the capital as much as the interests of a debt contracted with Chile as a result of the war of independence. Such debt, that yes Bolivar against the Spaniards had recognized itself Colombia like result of the expeditions of Simón, in as much had been ignored in the case of Chile. |
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After six hours of fighting, the Restorers destroyed the Confederate Army, bringing the War of the Confederation to its end. Santa Cruz exiled himself in [[Guayaquil]], Ecuador. The new Peruvian government paid its debt with Chile from the liberation expedition from a decade ago, and gave awards to Chilean and Peruvian officials.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.congreso.gob.pe/ntley/Imagenes/LeyesXIX/1839085.pdf |title=Peruvian decorations awarded to Chilean Army |access-date=November 8, 2008 |archive-date=September 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140901130800/http://www.congreso.gob.pe/ntley/Imagenes/LeyesXIX/1839085.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Peruvian officers who served under the Confederation, including [[William Miller (Peruvian general)|Guillermo Miller]], [[Mariano Necochea]], [[Luis José Orbegoso]], and [[Domingo Nieto]], were banned from the [[Peruvian Army]]. |
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==Prologue== |
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{{More citations needed|date=November 2010}} |
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Chile declared war on the Peru Bolivian Confederacy on 1837, and sent an expedition to Peru under Admiral [[Manuel Blanco Encalada]]. Santa Cruz avoided an engagement, and skillfully surrounded Blanco Encalada at Paucarpata. Blanco Encalada was forced to sign a [[Treaty of Paucarpata|treaty]] on November 17. By this pact, Chile agreed to resume commercial trade and the Confederation would recognize and pay the Chilean efforts in the Peruvian independence war. |
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The Chilean Congress and the public opinion considered the outcome of the expedition humiliating and rejected the treaty. Also, it was believed that Santa Cruz was behind the assassination of Diego Portales. All this invigorated an anti-confederacy sentiment, and the Chileans organized a second expedition. This time, the command was given to General Manuel Bulnes. The expedition had 5,400 Chileans and 600 expatriate Peruvians under General [[Agustín Gamarra|Agustin Gamarra]]. Andres de Santa Cruz, responded immediately reinstating the hostilities. |
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The second Chilean campaign had far more success than the first one. Bulnes defeated General Orbegoso at [[Battle of Portada de Guías|Portada de Guias]] on August 21, 1838, and entered into Lima. Also, the Chilean Fleet secured sea domination in the [[Battle of Casma]].<ref>{{cite book |title= Historia de la Marina de Chile |author= Carlos López Urrutia |publisher= El Ciprés Editores|year= 2007}}</ref> Despite the victory, Bulnes left the city by November, and marched to Huacho in the North Peruvian territory, forced by local animosity, lack of supplies and diseases. Also, news had arrived indicating that Santa Cruz was closing in with an outnumbering army. Afterwards, Santa Cruz entered into Lima under popular ovation, then proceeded to follow Bulnes. |
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Both armies engaged at [[Battle of Buin|Buin]], on January 6, 1839, in the confluence of Buin and Santa rivers, with indecisive results. Bulnes continued marching north and Santa Cruz resumed the persecution seeking to deliver a final blow to cement Confederation's dominance in the region. |
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Santa Cruz occupied [[Santo Domingo de Yungay|Yungay]], trying to cut Bulnes' supply lines and strangle the Restorers. His intention wasn't to obliterate the Restorer Army, but rather to force Bulnes to surrender to a superior Confederate force. Bulnes had other plans however, realizing that returning empty-handed was not an option after Blanco Encalada's failure. |
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Both armies had about 6,000 men, although the numbers favored slightly the Confederates. The Chilean expedition, on the other hand, suffered the decimation of some battalions by plagues during Lima occupation. Comparably equipped, the main difference was in the preparation of the troops, the knowledge of the terrain, and the obvious differences between invaders and defenders. |
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==Contenders== |
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{{unreferenced section|date=January 2019}} |
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[[File:06 - Andrés de Santa Cruz (CROPPED).png|thumb|267x267px|Marshall Andrés de Santa Cruz]] |
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===Opposing Forces=== |
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{{Main|Order of battle for the Battle of Yungay}} |
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====Confederate Army==== |
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The [[Confederate Army (Peru–Bolivian Confederation)|Confederate Army]] was made up of veterans of internal battles from both [[Peru]] and [[Bolivia]]. It was generally supported by the population of Peru and possessed strong supply lines thanks to the site of the battle. Its commanding officer, General [[Andrés de Santa Cruz]]; was regarded as a resourceful tactician and a capable leader. His army had about 6,000 men divided into three divisions, adding up nine infantry battalions and two cavalry regiments. |
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====Chilean Army==== |
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The Restorer Army had the experience of Gen. Manuel Bulnes. On the other hand, it was not popular with the locals and was hampered due to disease, bad morale, and some less experienced units. This army of 5,400 soldiers was conformed by nine infantry battalions and three cavalry regiments grouped into four divisions. |
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===Preliminary moves=== |
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Both armies marched under the rain and set themselves up near Tarar, and subsequently marched on towards San Miguel. Santa Cruz, after stopping in Tarhuaz, then occupied the town of Yungay on 13 January. |
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On the night of 19 January, Santa Cruz sent Colonel Rodriguez Margariños to observe the Chilean positions. He also ordered the Bolivian Colonel Anselmo Quiroz, with 600 soldiers, to take up positions on the Pan de Azúcar Hill, while Colonel Fructuoso de la Peña advanced towards the Punyán Hill with another 200 soldiers. |
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At dawn on 20 January, Gen Bulnes marched with his four divisions to Yungay, whilst Santa Cruz deployed his army along the Ancash River, with Herrera's division on the right flank. The artillery was set up in the middle and, behind it, the cavalry, led by General Perez de Urdinea. Finally, Moran's division was stationed on the left flank. |
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===Battlefield=== |
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Both forces were separated by a short valley formed by the Santa River and the mountains, with the Punyán, Ancash and Pan de Azúcar hills at the far end of this site. Behind these heights lay the deep Ancash Valley, followed by the Confederate trenches. |
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==The battle== |
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[[Image:ManuelBulnes.JPG|thumb|466x466px|General Manuel Bulnes Prieto, commander of the Chilean Expeditionary Force and the Restorer Army.]] |
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===Confrontation on the Punyán and Pan de Azúcar hills=== |
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Bulnes decided to attack the Confederates at Punyán Hill first. Under Elespuru, Silva's Aconcagua Battalion was dispatched to clear out the hill. Silva succeeded and forced out de la Peña's, but Elespuru was mortally wounded. After them, Bulnes sent the Portales, Valdivia and Huaylas battalions. |
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At 9 am, a column of 400 soldiers under Jerónimo Valenzuela and formed by companies from the Carampangue, Santiago, Valparaíso and Cazadores de Perú battalions, was sent to the Pan de Azúcar Hill to assail Col. Quiroz' position. The Restorers began the slowly climbing of the hill slope under heavy fire. |
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The Restorer columns sustained severe losses. Valenzuela and all the officers were killed. The Carampangue's company alone was led in the end by Sergeant [[Candelaria Pérez|Candelaria Perez]]. The rest of the companies were severely decimated too. Nevertheless, the Restorers finally reached the summit and bayoneted the Confederates out of Pan de Azúcar Hill. All of the defenders were killed, including Quiroz himself.<ref name= "Capitan">{{cite web |url= http://www.elgrancapitan.org/portal/index.php/articulos/historia-militar/903-la-batalla-de-yungay |title= La Batalla de Yungay |author= El Gran Capitan }}</ref> The Valparaíso Battalion Sergeant Jose Alegría raised the Chilean flag on the Pan de Azúcar Hill summit.<ref name="Ejército">{{cite web |url=http://www.ejercito.cl/historia/combates_yungay.php |title=Batalla de Yungay |author=Ejército de Chile |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213155054/http://www.ejercito.cl/historia/combates_yungay.php |archivedate=February 13, 2010 }}</ref> |
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===Maneuvers on the Ancash Glen=== |
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Marshall Santa Cruz sent Col. Deheza's battalion to reinforce Quiroz at Punyán Hill, marching through the Ancash Valley, but en route encountered and engaged with the Colchagua Battalion led by Col. Urriola, forcing the Chileans to respond with a bayonet charge. Bulnes ordered the Portales Battalion to aid Urriola, a maneuver that obliged the Bolivians to pull out of the valley and withdraw to Herrera's positions with the loss our a third of its initial strength. |
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With the Pan de Azúcar and Punyán hills conquered, Bulnes then planned a frontal attack on Santa Cruz army, which was arranged in a line of trenches on the opposite bank of the Ancash River. So, with the Chilean forces converging on the river bank, the Colchagua and Valdivia battalions were dispatched to engage the Confederate right flank, guarded by Herrera's division, while the Portales, Cazadores de Perú and the Huaylas battalions were ordered to attack Col. Moran's division. The five cannon battery of Col. Marcos Maturana set up on the Punyán heights began to shell and slowly dismantle the Confederate trenches.<ref name="Ejército"/> As the bridge over the Ancash had been destroyed, the Chileans had to go down to the river shore and march across it. |
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Once Bulnes' troops crossed the river, then the battle covered the entire front line, with the Restorer soldiers out in the open and the Confederates firing at them from their trenches. From this protected position, the Confederates were able to thwart the attack.<ref name="Capitan"/> |
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At 14:30 hrs, Gen. Pedro Bermúdez led his 3rd of Bolivia Battalion in a bayonet charge on Portales' Battalion and broke its lines. Soon after, the cavalry was sent in to cut off the Chilean retreat while the infantry advance from their protected positions to attack the Restorers troops in the open field. |
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===Decisive blow=== |
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Witnessing the Chilean retreat, Gen. Bulnes crossed the Ancash with a battalion and reinforced Garcia, followed by the Santiago and half of Huaylas Battalion. The Chileans rallied and resumed the attack. A few Confederate battalions managed to get back to their trenches. |
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Perez de Urdinea's cavalry crossed the river and clashed with Baquedano's Cazadores a Caballo Cavalry Regiment. In fighting so near to the Confederate lines, Baquedano was wounded and was forced to retreat. However, the Chilean cavalry attacked again with full force, obliging Perez de Urdinea to regroup with the Confederate infantry trying to retreat to their trenches. In a massive third charge, Baquedano broke Santa Cruz's left flank and the entire Confederate front collapsed. |
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With both armies now engaged in the gap between the trenches and the river, the Confederates tried to resist but were surrounded and completely vanquished. The disbanded troops were pursued by the Chilean cavalry and killed. According to Gonzalo Bulnes, 277 Confederates were found dead on the road between Manco and Yungay. Santa Cruz, followed by his generals Riva Agüero, Cerdeña and Miller, left the battlefield around 15:00 hrs. |
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==Aftermath== |
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This was a decisive defeat for the Peru-Bolivian Confederacy. Santa Cruz had around 3,000 dead, including two generals, 9 colonels, 100 officers and 2,500 soldiers, around half of its effective force. The Restorer Army lost one general, 39 officers and 622 soldiers. |
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The Battle of Yungay brought the Peru-Bolivian Confederacy to an end. The Chilean Expeditionary Force reoccupied [[Lima]] on April. On 25 August 1839. General [[Agustín Gamarra]] assumed the Presidency of Peru, and officially declared the dissolution of the Confederation and the reunification of Peru. Santa Cruz was exiled, first to [[Guayaquil]], [[Ecuador]], then to Chile and finally to Europe,<ref>[http://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/s/santa_cruz.htm Biografía de Andrés de Santa Cruz en Biografías y Vidas]</ref> where he died in [[Beauvoir, Manche|Beauvoir]], France, on 25 September 1865. He was 72. |
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Manuel Bulnes returned to Chile. He was elected President of Chile for two consecutive periods, from 1841 to 1851. |
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==See also== |
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*[[Yungay, Peru|Yungay]] |
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==Notes== |
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{{Reflist|2}} |
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==Sources== |
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*{{in lang|es}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20060905052841/http://www.educared.edu.pe/estudiantes/historia6/confederacion1.htm The Birth of the Confederation] |
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*{{in lang|es}} [http://www.ejercito.cl Chilean Army] |
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*{{in lang|es}} [http://sisbib.unmsm.edu.pe/BibVirtualData/libros/Historia/Iniciacion_Repub/tomo2/segunda_camp_yungay.pdf Basadre, Jorge; La segunda campaña restauradora de Guía a Yungay] |
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*{{cite book| author= Bulnes, Gonzalo| title= Historia de la Campaña del Perú en 1838 |year= 1878| publisher = Impr. Los Tiempos|language=es}} |
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*{{in lang|es}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20090325230852/http://www.comunidadandina.org/BDA/docs/BO-CA-0014.pdf Santa Cruz: El Cóndor indio] |
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*{{cite book|author1=Reyno, Manuel |author2=González, Edmundo |title= Historia del Ejército de Chile, Vol III |year= 1985 |publisher= Estado Mayor del Ejército de Chile|language=es}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{Coord missing|Peru}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Yungay, Battle Of}} |
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[[Category:Conflicts in 1839]] |
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[[Category:Battles involving Bolivia]] |
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[[Category:Battles involving Chile]] |
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[[Category:Battles involving Peru]] |
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[[Category:Battles of the War of the Confederation]] |
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[[Category:1839 in Peru]] |
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[[Category:1839 in Chile]] |
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[[Category:1839 in Bolivia]] |
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[[Category:January 1839 events]] |
Latest revision as of 14:56, 11 December 2024
Battle of Yungay | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the War of the Confederation | |||||||
Planning map for the Battle of Yungay | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
United Restoration: | Peru–Bolivian Confederation | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Manuel Bulnes | A. de Santa Cruz | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
5,400 men | 6,000 men | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
800 killed[1] | 3,000 killed[1] |
The Battle of Yungay (or Yungai) was the final battle of the War of the Confederation, fought on January 20, 1839, near Yungay, Peru. The United Restoration Army, led by Chilean General Manuel Bulnes, consisting mainly of Chileans and 600 North Peruvian dissidents, attacked the Peru-Bolivian Confederation forces led by Andrés de Santa Cruz in northern Peru, 200 kilometers (120 mi) north of Lima.
After six hours of fighting, the Restorers destroyed the Confederate Army, bringing the War of the Confederation to its end. Santa Cruz exiled himself in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The new Peruvian government paid its debt with Chile from the liberation expedition from a decade ago, and gave awards to Chilean and Peruvian officials.[2] Peruvian officers who served under the Confederation, including Guillermo Miller, Mariano Necochea, Luis José Orbegoso, and Domingo Nieto, were banned from the Peruvian Army.
Prologue
[edit]This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2010) |
Chile declared war on the Peru Bolivian Confederacy on 1837, and sent an expedition to Peru under Admiral Manuel Blanco Encalada. Santa Cruz avoided an engagement, and skillfully surrounded Blanco Encalada at Paucarpata. Blanco Encalada was forced to sign a treaty on November 17. By this pact, Chile agreed to resume commercial trade and the Confederation would recognize and pay the Chilean efforts in the Peruvian independence war.
The Chilean Congress and the public opinion considered the outcome of the expedition humiliating and rejected the treaty. Also, it was believed that Santa Cruz was behind the assassination of Diego Portales. All this invigorated an anti-confederacy sentiment, and the Chileans organized a second expedition. This time, the command was given to General Manuel Bulnes. The expedition had 5,400 Chileans and 600 expatriate Peruvians under General Agustin Gamarra. Andres de Santa Cruz, responded immediately reinstating the hostilities.
The second Chilean campaign had far more success than the first one. Bulnes defeated General Orbegoso at Portada de Guias on August 21, 1838, and entered into Lima. Also, the Chilean Fleet secured sea domination in the Battle of Casma.[3] Despite the victory, Bulnes left the city by November, and marched to Huacho in the North Peruvian territory, forced by local animosity, lack of supplies and diseases. Also, news had arrived indicating that Santa Cruz was closing in with an outnumbering army. Afterwards, Santa Cruz entered into Lima under popular ovation, then proceeded to follow Bulnes.
Both armies engaged at Buin, on January 6, 1839, in the confluence of Buin and Santa rivers, with indecisive results. Bulnes continued marching north and Santa Cruz resumed the persecution seeking to deliver a final blow to cement Confederation's dominance in the region.
Santa Cruz occupied Yungay, trying to cut Bulnes' supply lines and strangle the Restorers. His intention wasn't to obliterate the Restorer Army, but rather to force Bulnes to surrender to a superior Confederate force. Bulnes had other plans however, realizing that returning empty-handed was not an option after Blanco Encalada's failure.
Both armies had about 6,000 men, although the numbers favored slightly the Confederates. The Chilean expedition, on the other hand, suffered the decimation of some battalions by plagues during Lima occupation. Comparably equipped, the main difference was in the preparation of the troops, the knowledge of the terrain, and the obvious differences between invaders and defenders.
Contenders
[edit]Opposing Forces
[edit]Confederate Army
[edit]The Confederate Army was made up of veterans of internal battles from both Peru and Bolivia. It was generally supported by the population of Peru and possessed strong supply lines thanks to the site of the battle. Its commanding officer, General Andrés de Santa Cruz; was regarded as a resourceful tactician and a capable leader. His army had about 6,000 men divided into three divisions, adding up nine infantry battalions and two cavalry regiments.
Chilean Army
[edit]The Restorer Army had the experience of Gen. Manuel Bulnes. On the other hand, it was not popular with the locals and was hampered due to disease, bad morale, and some less experienced units. This army of 5,400 soldiers was conformed by nine infantry battalions and three cavalry regiments grouped into four divisions.
Preliminary moves
[edit]Both armies marched under the rain and set themselves up near Tarar, and subsequently marched on towards San Miguel. Santa Cruz, after stopping in Tarhuaz, then occupied the town of Yungay on 13 January.
On the night of 19 January, Santa Cruz sent Colonel Rodriguez Margariños to observe the Chilean positions. He also ordered the Bolivian Colonel Anselmo Quiroz, with 600 soldiers, to take up positions on the Pan de Azúcar Hill, while Colonel Fructuoso de la Peña advanced towards the Punyán Hill with another 200 soldiers.
At dawn on 20 January, Gen Bulnes marched with his four divisions to Yungay, whilst Santa Cruz deployed his army along the Ancash River, with Herrera's division on the right flank. The artillery was set up in the middle and, behind it, the cavalry, led by General Perez de Urdinea. Finally, Moran's division was stationed on the left flank.
Battlefield
[edit]Both forces were separated by a short valley formed by the Santa River and the mountains, with the Punyán, Ancash and Pan de Azúcar hills at the far end of this site. Behind these heights lay the deep Ancash Valley, followed by the Confederate trenches.
The battle
[edit]Confrontation on the Punyán and Pan de Azúcar hills
[edit]Bulnes decided to attack the Confederates at Punyán Hill first. Under Elespuru, Silva's Aconcagua Battalion was dispatched to clear out the hill. Silva succeeded and forced out de la Peña's, but Elespuru was mortally wounded. After them, Bulnes sent the Portales, Valdivia and Huaylas battalions.
At 9 am, a column of 400 soldiers under Jerónimo Valenzuela and formed by companies from the Carampangue, Santiago, Valparaíso and Cazadores de Perú battalions, was sent to the Pan de Azúcar Hill to assail Col. Quiroz' position. The Restorers began the slowly climbing of the hill slope under heavy fire.
The Restorer columns sustained severe losses. Valenzuela and all the officers were killed. The Carampangue's company alone was led in the end by Sergeant Candelaria Perez. The rest of the companies were severely decimated too. Nevertheless, the Restorers finally reached the summit and bayoneted the Confederates out of Pan de Azúcar Hill. All of the defenders were killed, including Quiroz himself.[4] The Valparaíso Battalion Sergeant Jose Alegría raised the Chilean flag on the Pan de Azúcar Hill summit.[5]
Maneuvers on the Ancash Glen
[edit]Marshall Santa Cruz sent Col. Deheza's battalion to reinforce Quiroz at Punyán Hill, marching through the Ancash Valley, but en route encountered and engaged with the Colchagua Battalion led by Col. Urriola, forcing the Chileans to respond with a bayonet charge. Bulnes ordered the Portales Battalion to aid Urriola, a maneuver that obliged the Bolivians to pull out of the valley and withdraw to Herrera's positions with the loss our a third of its initial strength.
With the Pan de Azúcar and Punyán hills conquered, Bulnes then planned a frontal attack on Santa Cruz army, which was arranged in a line of trenches on the opposite bank of the Ancash River. So, with the Chilean forces converging on the river bank, the Colchagua and Valdivia battalions were dispatched to engage the Confederate right flank, guarded by Herrera's division, while the Portales, Cazadores de Perú and the Huaylas battalions were ordered to attack Col. Moran's division. The five cannon battery of Col. Marcos Maturana set up on the Punyán heights began to shell and slowly dismantle the Confederate trenches.[5] As the bridge over the Ancash had been destroyed, the Chileans had to go down to the river shore and march across it.
Once Bulnes' troops crossed the river, then the battle covered the entire front line, with the Restorer soldiers out in the open and the Confederates firing at them from their trenches. From this protected position, the Confederates were able to thwart the attack.[4]
At 14:30 hrs, Gen. Pedro Bermúdez led his 3rd of Bolivia Battalion in a bayonet charge on Portales' Battalion and broke its lines. Soon after, the cavalry was sent in to cut off the Chilean retreat while the infantry advance from their protected positions to attack the Restorers troops in the open field.
Decisive blow
[edit]Witnessing the Chilean retreat, Gen. Bulnes crossed the Ancash with a battalion and reinforced Garcia, followed by the Santiago and half of Huaylas Battalion. The Chileans rallied and resumed the attack. A few Confederate battalions managed to get back to their trenches.
Perez de Urdinea's cavalry crossed the river and clashed with Baquedano's Cazadores a Caballo Cavalry Regiment. In fighting so near to the Confederate lines, Baquedano was wounded and was forced to retreat. However, the Chilean cavalry attacked again with full force, obliging Perez de Urdinea to regroup with the Confederate infantry trying to retreat to their trenches. In a massive third charge, Baquedano broke Santa Cruz's left flank and the entire Confederate front collapsed.
With both armies now engaged in the gap between the trenches and the river, the Confederates tried to resist but were surrounded and completely vanquished. The disbanded troops were pursued by the Chilean cavalry and killed. According to Gonzalo Bulnes, 277 Confederates were found dead on the road between Manco and Yungay. Santa Cruz, followed by his generals Riva Agüero, Cerdeña and Miller, left the battlefield around 15:00 hrs.
Aftermath
[edit]This was a decisive defeat for the Peru-Bolivian Confederacy. Santa Cruz had around 3,000 dead, including two generals, 9 colonels, 100 officers and 2,500 soldiers, around half of its effective force. The Restorer Army lost one general, 39 officers and 622 soldiers.
The Battle of Yungay brought the Peru-Bolivian Confederacy to an end. The Chilean Expeditionary Force reoccupied Lima on April. On 25 August 1839. General Agustín Gamarra assumed the Presidency of Peru, and officially declared the dissolution of the Confederation and the reunification of Peru. Santa Cruz was exiled, first to Guayaquil, Ecuador, then to Chile and finally to Europe,[6] where he died in Beauvoir, France, on 25 September 1865. He was 72.
Manuel Bulnes returned to Chile. He was elected President of Chile for two consecutive periods, from 1841 to 1851.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b Santa Cruz el condor indio Archived March 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Peruvian decorations awarded to Chilean Army" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
- ^ Carlos López Urrutia (2007). Historia de la Marina de Chile. El Ciprés Editores.
- ^ a b El Gran Capitan. "La Batalla de Yungay".
- ^ a b Ejército de Chile. "Batalla de Yungay". Archived from the original on February 13, 2010.
- ^ Biografía de Andrés de Santa Cruz en Biografías y Vidas
Sources
[edit]- (in Spanish) The Birth of the Confederation
- (in Spanish) Chilean Army
- (in Spanish) Basadre, Jorge; La segunda campaña restauradora de Guía a Yungay
- Bulnes, Gonzalo (1878). Historia de la Campaña del Perú en 1838 (in Spanish). Impr. Los Tiempos.
- (in Spanish) Santa Cruz: El Cóndor indio
- Reyno, Manuel; González, Edmundo (1985). Historia del Ejército de Chile, Vol III (in Spanish). Estado Mayor del Ejército de Chile.