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Chapter Xii the Battle of Carabobo and the Constitution of 1821

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Chapter Xii the Battle of Carabobo and the Constitution of 1821 CHAPTER XII THE BATTLE OF CARABOBO AND THE CONSTITUTION OF 1821 OLIVAR now, thinking a fresh outbreak of war in Venezuela unlikely for the present, urged Valdés, commander of the army of B the south, to advance on Quito, and sent Sucre, the best of the republican generals, to command that army. Valdés had met with some reverses, and, by his arbitrary conduct, had made himself very unpopular in the south. Quito had not been included in the armistice, for it had its own independent President, Aymerich.' As for Guayaquil, if also was excluded, as Aymerich claimed that it belonged to Peru. Sucre's orders required him to go to Guayaquil, in order to get into touch there with the new revolutionary Government, which had already been approached by San Martin, who was anxious 'to unite it to Peru. Sucre's movements will be more conveniently recounted later. Bolivar reached Bogota on the 5th January 1821, whence, a few days later, he startd for the south. But he had only got to La Mesa, the first march out of the capital towards the Magdalena, when he received notice from La Torre of MoriIl's departure and his own accession to the chief command. The letter also I The Viceroy of Peru had practically taken over the administration of Quito and Guayaquil after the outbreak, which was suppressed in 1812. Aymerich is sometimes called Captain-General of Quito. 254 BREACH OF THE ARMISTICE 255 mentioned the arrival of commissioners from Spain, to treat for peace. The commissioners themselves sent a letter to Bolivar. The latter, supposing the com- missioners to be invested with full powers, decided to return to Bogota, whence he wrote, on the 25th January, to La Torre, to the commissioners, and to Ferdinand VII. himself. The letter to La Tone mainly consisted of congratulations, and expressions of pleasure at having to deal with him as a friend, or, if it should unfortunately so happen, to have him as an honourable enemy. To Sartorio and Espelius, the Spanish commissioners, he expressed the desire of Colombia for peace, and stated that he had appointed, as plenipotentiaries to Spain, for the conclusion of a definite treaty, Jose Rafael Revenga and Tiburcio Echeverria. The letter to Ferdinand VII., after congratulating him on his accession, ended by requesting him to listen favourably to the cry of Colombia for political existence.' Bolivar then started again for Cücuta. On the way he received a letter from Francisco Delgado, governor of Maracaibo, stating that that city had proclaimed its independence of Spain and its adhesion to the republic. Urdaneta had, it appeared, sent troops to support the Maracaibo revolutionaries, thereby, as it seems clear, committing a distinct breach of the terms of the armistice. La Torre, naturally enough, wrote to pro- test, and to demand the withdrawal of Urdaneta's troops. On the 19th February, Bolivar, writing from San José de Cücuta, in a private letter to La Torre,2 shows that he felt a mistake had been made. If," he writes, "the possession of Maracaibo was at any time an object of desire to us, to-day it is a matter of regret, on account of the equivocal position in which it places us. No doubt you will do me the justice of O'Leary, Docts., iS, p. 44. 2 Ibid., iS, p. Sr. 256 SIMON BOLIVAR believing that I did not take the slightest part in the insurrection of that city." He went on to deprecate a breach on account of this occurrence. His official reply' frankly admits that Heras, who had taken the troops to Maracaibo, was wrong, and promises to put him on his trial for exceeding his orders. He pleads with justice that Heras' act must be separated from the revolt of Maracaibo, and that the latter was no breach of the armistice, seeing that it was spontaneous on the part of the citizens and the governor. Then, with extraordinary perversity, he proceeds to argue, on grounds worthy of the most petifogging lawyer, that he was bound to support Heras' action. He evidently does not believe his wretched arguments will be accepted; for, after suggesting arbitration, he inquires whether, if no settlement is came to regarding Maracaibo, hostilities are to recommence without the forty days' notice prescribed if the notice is required, from what date will it count—that of despatch or of receipt by the opposite side? Must notice be given to all commanders, or only to the commander-in-chief? Probably Bolivar felt that he dared not throw over his own commanders at the request of a Spaniard, even when they had acted wrongly. That seems to be the real view of Larrazabal,2 though he pretends to be very indignant with Baralt and Restrepo, who censure Bolivar's action, and characterise his arguments as specious. On the loth March Bolivar, from Boconó de Trujillo, sent notice of resumption of hostilities on the 28th April.8 Bolivar's action has met with considerable criticism in this matter. La Torre himself characterised the notice as "unexpected and inconceivable," whilst Restrepo says the Liberator's action may justly be stigmatised as in- Laryazabal (ii. 70) gives it in full. Those who are interested in the argument of Bolivar can read it there, or in O'Leary, Docts., IS, P. 77. 2ii. 74. 3 O'Leary, Ducts., iS, p. 130. BREACH OF THE ARMISTICE 257 consistent.' Larrazabal 2 attributes his action to his discovery that the Spanish commissioners had no power to conclude a definite agreement. That being so, he considered that it was to his advantage to recommence hostilities at once without allowing the enthusiasm of his own men to cool, or the spirit of the Spaniards to improve. The rupture of the armistice may, therefore, be considered a somewhat unscrupulous seizure of a favourable opportunity. Larrazabal quotes a private letter of Bolivar to his friend William White, in support of his theory, and another passage in which the Liberator expresses his dread lest his envoys in Madrid, Revenga and Echeverria, should be deceived by false stories of republican defeats, and induced to accept terms which would not be approved in Colombia. On the 25th April, Bolivar, whose headquarters were at Barinas, issued three proclamations.8 The first was to the Spaniards, endeavouring to show that La Torre was the breaker of the armistice, and promising that the treaty for the conduct of the war should be faithfully observed. The second was to the Colombian people, also laying the blame on the Spaniards. The third was a short one to his soldiers, foretelling victory, and impress- ing the order that violations of the treaty regularising the war would be punished with death. Then Bolivar marched for Guanare to be ready for the opening of the campaign. At Trujillo he heard of the revolt of the" Numancia" battalion against the Spaniards in Peru.' Restrepo, iii. mg. His words are ''It is clear that there wasaviolatiori of the armistice, cloaked by a few specious arguments. The Liberator had weighty reasons for breaking the cessation of hostilities but . he adduced reasons which were not in accord with his letters and recent opera- tions ; which afforded good ground for branding his conduct with the epithet inconsistent." 2 O'Leary, Docts. • iS, P. 210. The " Numancia" battalion was raised, in 1813, by the Spanish general Yaez in Venezuela, and consisted entirely of Venezuelans. After fighting at Boyacá on the royalist side, it had gone south with Calzada to Quito, and R 258 SIMON BOLIVAR In the meanwhile there had been trouble in Cicuta with the Congress. When Zea sent to England he was succeeded, as Vice-President of the Republic, by German Roscio, as has already been mentioned. Owing to Rosario de Cücuta having been fixed as the meeting place of the Constituent Congress: summoned to pass the Constitution, Roscio had to leave Angostura for Ciicuta on the 14th November 1820. To fill his place at Angostura, Bolivar appointed Soublette to be Vice- President of Venezuela. Roscio died at Cticuta, and Bolivar nominated as his successor General Azuola, who also died very soon alter (13th April 1821). To succeed him, the veteran Antonio Nariflo was appointed. He had escaped from his imprisbnment in Spain, and was now on his way back, by Angostura and the plains, to his native Bogota. Till his arrival in Cñcuta, in the end of April, there was an interregnum following on the death of Azuola. When Azuola died there were already assembled in Ctcuta all but a few of the members of the Congress. Bolivar being away, and the Vice-Presidency of the republic vacant (for Narino's apphintment was not yet known), the deputies began squabbling as to who was to preside at the opening of Congress. Then they accused Bolivar of having made no provision for their mainten- ance at Ccuta. Some of them! had come from great distances, and were in financial difficulties. Narino's arrival settled some of these difficulties, and the Congress met on the 6th May in the sacristy of the parish church at Rosario de Cucuta. But Bolivar, furious at the behaviour of the deputies, resolved to play his usual trump card of a threatened resignation. So certain of his position did he feel that he ventured to say that, having been appointed by the onto Peru, where it had now revolted, and placed itself under the orders of San Martin, the 4d Protector of Peru." RESUMPTION OF HOSTILITIES 259 Venezuelan Congress to be President of the Republic of Colombia, he was not President of New Granada, that he was not suited to be so, and that he was weary of being dubbed tyrant by his enemies.
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