The Battle of Junin Was the Prelude to the Glory of Ayacucho
Representation of the Junin Battle by Martin Tovar.
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August 6, 2024 Hour: 2:35 pm
The bicentennial of this battle occurs in the midst of the U.S. cyber war against Latin American sovereign governments.
The liberating campaign of Peru is one of the pivotal episodes in the history of America. It began in 1823, once the Liberator Simon Bolivar had established himself in Guayaquil.
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After his meeting with Gen. Jose de San Martin, Bolivar arranged an alliance with Chile, which was to lead to the definitive defeat of the Spanish empire. But first, there was an obstacle that needed to be overcome before this advance could target one of the last royalist strongholds in South America.
Situated on a plain 4,000 meters above sea level, Junin was very cold and inhospitable 200 years ago. Planning in that terrain was not easy, as the royalist army mainly comprised fighters accustomed to the climate. In this context, the Junin Battle had to be won with an unconventional strategy.
The confrontation was between the United Liberating Army led by Gen. Simon Bolivar and the Northern Army led by the Spanish Commander Jose de Canterac. The patriots had 1,000 horsemen, while the royalists had over 1,300.
The Spanish Underestimated Bolivar
“Canterac underestimated the power and strength of the Liberator. He ventured into terrain without considering the limits for accurate observation and attack, thus falling into an inescapable trap. The royalist ordered his cavalry to retreat, and the patriots pursued, causing a massive disaster for the Spanish,” researcher Jose Sant Roz asserts.
“In that battle, not a single shot was fired because the royalist infantry was too far away, while the Liberating Army soldiers were sheltered by the relentless cold. The battle was fought with knives, lances, and swords. Additionally, there were the Venezuelan llaneros, who were formidable and invincible.”
Another factor Bolivar capitalized on was the isolation of the Royal Army of Peru from the Spanish peninsula, as most communication routes were controlled by the liberating forces. Also contributing to the victory in Junin were Olañeta’s rebellion in Upper Peru (Bolivia) and other uprisings that kept the Spanish royalist forces divided on several fronts.
On August 6, 1824, the Junin Battle was fought with the presence of Liberator Simon Bolivar, Venezuelan generals Antonio Jose de Sucre and Jacinto Lara, Peruvian generals Jose de La Mar and Jose Andres Razuri, Argentine general Mariano Necochea, Colombian general Jose Maria Cordova, the British George Miller, and the Irishman Burdett O’Connor.
Without Junin, There Would Have Been No Ayacucho
Historian Javier Escala believes that the Junin Battle served as a prelude to the battle that took place in Ayacucho in November 1824.
“This triumph delivered the central valleys of Peru to Bolivar, along with immense resources such as armaments. It also allowed him to secure his sights on El Callao and Lima, which had fallen into royalist hands in February of that year.”
This proved fatal for the royalists as their troops received news of the ferocity of the llaneros of the Liberating Army, which made the Venezuelan fighters legendary.
“Canterac retreated to Cusco, where Viceroy La Serna, loyal to Ferdinand VII, was located. Bolivar attacked these forces separately, which were already fractured in Spain,” Escala adds.
The victory at Junin was a moral blow to the royalists, as the Spanish cavalry was considered unbeatable. However, it was defeated and suffered 464 casualties.
“Junin therefore marked the moral and military downfall of an empire,” Escala emphasized, highlighting that the battle demonstrated the unity of the liberating forces.
“The United Liberating Army was a force composed of Peruvians, Gran Colombians, Argentines, Chileans, Englishmen, and Irishmen. All fought for a common cause, far from their homelands and families, exhausted by long journeys, in a 14-year war, which was fought in Venezuela, New Granada, Quito. They were seeking the freedom of an entire continent.”
The unknown men and women, who were present at Junin and later at Ayacucho, gave us redemption and the path to independence. The bicentennial of this heroic battle comes to us in the midst of another kind of war, a cognitive and cyber battle, waged by hegemonic powers.
Nowadays, the Empire’s forces will also be defeated. See you in Ayacucho!
Autor: Ricardo Romero Romero
Fuente: teleSUR
The opinions expressed in this section do not necessarily represent those of teleSUR