CHAPTER VII

The Heroic Death of R.icaurte. Victorj of Carabobo and Defeat of La Puerta (1814)

Boyes had retreated from La Victoria, but after reorganizing bis arrny he was again ready to attack. Bolívar had very few men, for the country was nearly exhausted. With thern he waited the dreaded royalist in a place called San Mateo, where he was attacked by an arrny at least four times as large as bis. He had but one advantage, having selected a hilly ground where tite cavalry of tite enerny could not easily maneuver. The batile began on the 28th of February. It lasted all that day, and at the end of ten and one-half hours of constant fighting, Bolívar was master of tite situation, not without having lost sorne of bis best men, among them the valiant Campo-Ellas, who died a few days later. Boyes, wounded also, withdrew and waited for reinforcements, which arrived in great numbers from the plains; while Bolívar had to reduce the defenders of San Mateo in order to send sorne rnen to protect , which was being threatened on the southeast by Rosete. Boyes attacked again on the 20th of March and was once more repulsed. Being informed that Rosete had been defeated at Ocumare by the independents and that Mariño was approacbing to the reief of Bolívar, he decided to make a desperate effort to take San Mateo. Qn the 25th of March he rnade a third atternpt, and that day marks the occurrence of one of the heroic deeds of the ages.

64 The supplies and te hospital of te insurgents were at a house built on a hill, while the fight developed down below on te farm of San Mateo, owned by Bolívar. Antonio Ricaurte, a native of Santa Fe (Nueva Granada) was in command of the house. Bo yes decided to take this position and, in te middle of te combat, te independents on te plain discovered that a large colunm of royalists had stolen towards te a.mrnunition depot from te opposite side of te hill. All felt that te war material was lost. Ricaurte was known as a brave man, but he could do little with te very few men in bis command. The young man had te wounded men taken down to te plain, then he ordered bis own soldiers to follow, and he remained alone. The enemies continued to advance, and finaily entered te house. Suddenly tere was heard a terrific explosion, and, when te smoke had cleared, it could be seen that te house had been partially destroyed. Ricaurte had blown up te amrnunition, and with it himself and te enemy. Thus Bolívars army was saved. Boyes, who had attacked thirty times, retreated imrnediately, leaving nearly 1,000 men dead on te fleid of battle. The loss of te patriots had been as big, or bigger, tan tat of Boyes, but success remained with them. Ricaurte took bis place among men who, hice Leonidas, deemed life of little value as compared wit te salvadon of teir country. Furter to te west, Ceballos, te former governor of Coro, had obliged te patriots to retreat towards Valencia, where tey were besieged by him wit reinforcements brought by Bo yes, who, after bis defeat at San Mateo, had fought Mariño, meeting again wit disaster. In spite of te reinforcements, te royalists were forced to retreat when te garrison of Valencia was reduced to less tan half of lis former size. Mariño and Bolívar met in La Victoria. The former, wit an army made up of bis men and sorne given by Bolívar, proceeded to te west to fight against Ceballos, while Bolívar went to Puerto Cabello, intending to take te city by storrn. By an imprudent move on bis own part, Mariño was forced to meet an army superior to bis own, and he was defeated. File ten witdrew to Valencia, where Bolívar hastened to rneet bini, once

65 more leaving te city of Puerto Cabello. There he learned that Ceballos liad received reinforcements, and went to Caracas to recruit mote men from a city which by now was bled wbite. Nevertheless, he did obtain a few more men, and diese he sent to Valencia under Ribas, following shortly lii order to take personal command of te army in te battle. The contending armies met on a plain called Carabobo, the royalists with many more men than there were patriots. Desertions from te forces of te Repúblicans were frequent. This caused Bolívar much concern, as did te news that Boyes was advancing from te south with a great body of cavalry. With Marino and Ribas to help Hm, and with his most trusted officers at the head of te different secfions, he advanced against te enemy, commanded at tat lime by te Spanish field-marshal, D. Juan Manuel Cagigal. This first , fought on te 28th of May, was one of te swiftest and most complete victories of te Liberator. Three hours were enough to destroy te royalist army and to force its commander to flee to te southwest with sorne of his men. Many offícers were killed, great masses of infantrymen surrendered, 4,000 horses were seized, as well as a great quanhty of ammunition, provisions, documents and money. But te batile of Carabobo was not decisive. Boyes was coming to avenge Cagigal. The Liberator distributed bis officers with such soldiers as he could gather at different points. Marino advanced against Boyes. Bolívar and Ribas returned to Caracas, sdll on te endless quest for mote resources with which to fight. When complimented upon his victory at Carabobo, Bolívar remarked:

"Let us not be dazzled by te victories Fate gives us; let us prepare ourselves for greater struggles; let us employ all te resource our good or bad condition, based on te principle that nothing is accomplished when there is someting more to do; and we have much still to do."

66 He was thinking of Boyes, Boyes who had a large army, all the resources of the plains, and the support of public opinion, while he had neither men flor resources, nor te invigorating approval of bis fellow cittzens. Mariño established bimself in La Puerta, a place of 111-ornen for the patriots, and bis position was disadvantageous. When Bolívar arrived to take charge of the anny, it was too late to change die place, for Boyes was to the front, with tbree times as rnany men as there were patriots. It was necessary to fight and it was impossible to conquer. All was lost. A patriot general (Antonio María Freites) killed bimself in despair; sorne officers who had been with Bolívar since the beginning of bis glorious career died on the field of batfle. Boyes killed all the wounded men and prisoners who feil jato bis hands. He invited a prisoner colonel (Jalón) to cEne with blm, and at the end of the rneal he ordered bim to be hanged and bis head sent as a present to bis friends at Calabozo. Mariño escaped in one direction, and Ribas and Bolívar went to Caracas, not without first taking áll possible steps to hinder the advance of Boyes towards the city. Bolívar was always fuil of enthusiasm. At that time bis most frequent rernark was:

"The art of conquering is learned through defeats."

This battle of La Puerta took place on June 15, 1814. Boyes entered te city of La Victoria and ten besieged Valencia, wbich resisted until every rneans of defense was gone and the defenders were dying of tbirst and hunger. Boyes proposed capitulation of te besieged and, it being accepted, entered te city on te lOth of July. The treaty provided for te inviolability of te life of all te inhabitants of te city, either military or civilian. Boyes had sworn that he would fulfil this convenfion, but as soon as he had te city in bis power he violated bis own oath and, with bis usual ferocity, put to te sword te governor, te officers, sorne hundreds

67 of the army, and about ninety of the most prominent inhabitants. His officers forced the young ladies of the faniillles of those who had died to attend a reception in honor of Boyes. Meanwhile, Bolívar was endeavoring to keep enthusiasm alive in Caracas. He even intended to resist the advance of the enemy but, being convinced that the defense of the town would mean a useless sacrifice, he decided to leave it and went east to Barcelona. The inhabitants of Caracas, realizing the monster Boyes was, decided to leave their bornes, and a painflul pilgrim2ge ensued. The emigration from Caracas is one of the saddest episodes of the War of Independence. Many emigrants met death on their way east, but they preferred it to the tortures that Boyes knew very well how to inffict upon die life and honor of the population of the cities he took. He entered the capital on the 16th of July, and the crimes started. Cagigal, who was a real soldier and a man of honor, saw bis authority ignored by Boyes. In giving an account of this fact to the government of , the only answer he obtained was that Boyes' conduct was approved by Madrid with a vote of thanks for bis important services and his great valor. Leaving bis lleutenant, Quero, in command of the city, Boyes followed Bolívar. Quero was a native American and was so bad that Boyes' rule was preferable to his. With the few men obtained in Caracas, Bolívar organi2ed a small anny with which he protected the emigrants. From Barcelona he intended to send diplomatic representatives to Europe, thus showing bis unshaken confidence in the ultimate triumph of bis cause. With no more than 3,000 men, he faced an army of from 8,000 to 10,000 at Aragua, coinmanded by Morales, and was defeated (August 18, 1814). A battalion composed of the best elements of the youth of Caracas was entirely destroyed. Bolívar retreated to Barcelona, and Morales entered the town of Aragua, where he massacred more than 3,500 men, women and children, for the sole crime of being Americans.

68 Reallzing that he could lot hoid the city of Barcelona, Bolívar went to the city of Cumaná with generais Ribas and Manuel Piar, the latter famous for bis military skill, bis daring, bis resflessness and bis ultirnate sad death, of which we shall speak later. From there Bolívar went with Marino to Catúpano, and ten sailed for Cartagena, having lost bis reputation and having been insulted by bis OWfl officers and friends, arnong thern Piar and Ribas, bimself. Before leaving , te Liberator issued a proclarnation, for he never neglected an opportunity to speak to bis fellow-countrymen and to te World in order to build up favorable public opinion, by which he hoped to win a final victory. In that document Bolívar ernphasized te fact that te Spaniards themselves had done very little harm in te helds of battle to te cause of independence, and that defeats were due rnainly to te native royalists. This assertion was intended to produce a change of mmd on the part of te naüve population.

"It seems that Heaven, to grant us at one time humiliation and pride, has permitted tat our conquerors be our own brothers, and that our brothers only may triumph over us. The army of freedom exterminated te enerny's force, but it could not and should not exterminate te men for whose happiness it fought in hundreds of battles. It is not just to destroy te men who do not want to be free, nor can freedorn be enjoyed under strength of arms against te opinion of fanaflcs whose depraved souls rnake tbern love chains as though they were social ties... Your brothers and not te Spaniards have torn your bosom, shed your blood, set your bornes on ifre and condemned you to exile."

He ten affirmed that he was going to Nueva Granada to render an account of bis conduct and to have an impardal judgrnent, and finished by asserting to the Venezuelans that te people of Nueva Granada would again help tem, and that he would always be on te side of liberty.

69 The IEast was soon subjected, and all Venezuela was once again under the yoke of Spain, mainly through the work of her own cbildren. During these campaigns Piar and Ribas and the brave General Bermúdez, of whom we shall speak later, were united for a wbile, but at last each one took his own way. The only good thing that occurred at this time was Boyes' death in a battle in December, 1814. Morales was still left as Venezuela's curse. Ribas, after a defeat, was traveling with two officers. He was sick and sad. He lay down to rest under a tree wbile his servant went to a near-by town to obtain sorne provisions. The servant betrayed bis master, and Ribas was imprisoned. In the town he was humiliated and insulted. Then he was killed. His head was sent to Caracas and placed in an ¡ron cage at the entrance of the city. Mis wife, who was Bolivar's aunt, locked herself in a room and swore not to go out until freedorn was achieved, and she remained true to her vow. Bolívar and Mariño arrived in Cartagena on September 25, 1814. The former was on bis way to Tunja to render an account of bis Venezuelan campaign, when he learned that some Venezuelan troops cotnmanded by General Urdaneta, who were in the territory of Nueva Granada, were quarreling with the native soldiers. He went direcfly to the army it try to prevent anarchy and dissensions between die Venezuelans and the natives of Nueva Granada. The news proved to be false. The army of Urdaneta, which had lefr Venezuela to await in the land of Nueva Granada new instructions from the Liberator, and had obtained die protection of that government, received him with the greatest enthusiasrn. From there Bolívar proceeded to Tunja, where he was very well received by Congress. He requested that bis conduct be examined and impartially judged. The President of the Congress answered bim with the following magnanirnous words:

"General, your country is not vanquished wbile your sword exists. With this sword you will again rescue her from the power

70 of her oppressors. The Congress of Nueva Granada will give you its protection because it is satisfied with your conduct. You have been an unfortunate general, but you are a great man."

Then the Congress ordered Hm to liberate Santa Fe (), a part of Nueva Granada, which had been separated from the Union. Bolívar with bis usual activity proceeded to Bogotá, reached the outskirts of the city and, promising immunity of properties and honor, offered a capitulation. The commander of the garrison refused to accept and an assault followed, the result of wbich was dic surrender of the city. Bolívar was rewarded with the titile of Capitán General of the Army of the Confederation, and Congress immediately transferred the capital from Tunja it Santa Fe. Congress asked Bolívar to direct dic campaign to protect Nueva Granada against the royalists. So he decided to take Santa Marta, the only place in the country which was sdJl in dic hands of the Spaniards; then he planned to fight once more for dic liberty of Venezuela. Before adjourning, it meet again in Santa Fé, die Congress atTunja conferred on Bolívar dic official iitle of Pacificador (Peacemaker), which is frequendy used with reference to hini, but not so generaily as the dde he hiniself used in preference to any otber: Libertador. Qn this occasion Bolívar could not count on certain troops of Cartagena because of the hostility of Castillo, tibe commander, who had had differences with Bolívar, and was jealous of bis glory. These dissensions hindered Bolivar's advance towards Santa Marta, and produced delays which resulted in great loss of provisions, and also of men because of an epidemic of smallpox which developed in the army. To avoid further dissension, Bolívar was wilhing it resign without using force against tibe Cartagena contingcnt. He was unwilling to permit the royalists to learn of disagreements in dic independent army. He had at last, however, to make ready it takc dic city and was going to lay siege to it when it was learncd that a great Spanish army had arrived in Venezuela. The delay

71 of the independent soldiers before Cartagena permitted sorne royallst troops to take other cities of Nueva Granada, causing great losses of men and arrns on different occasions. Bolívar lost 1,000 men; 100 artillery guns and other atmarnent were also lost, as well as the boats upon which the army counted and which would have been very useful to capture the city of Santa Marta. At last, convinced that friere was no rernedy for the situation, Bolívar deterinined to resign, and he called for an assembly of bis officers, who accepted bis resignation. He embarked for Jamaica, first issuing another warning against the disunion of the patriots.

"No tyrant," he said, "has been destroyed by your arms; they have been stained with the blood of brothers in two struggles wbich have produced in us an ecjual sorrow"

The departure of Bolívar was very soon to be deplored by the armies of the independents. Wc have rnentioned that a Spanish arrny had arrived in Venezuela, and we rnust give sorne details concerning tihat expedition. Never in the bistory of the Spanish dominaflon and struggles in America did Spain send such a numerous, well-equipped md powerful arrny as the one mentioned aboye. It was commanded by Field-Marshal D. Pablo Morillo.

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