Battle of Clarines | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Venezuelan War of Independence | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Third Republic of Venezuela | Spanish Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Simón Bolívar Juan Bautista Arismendi |
Francisco Jiménez José María Chaurán Chief Chauràn | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
800-1600 soldiers |
~550 soldiers ~330 native archers +10 horsemen | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
~900 | Unknown |
The Battle of Clarines ( Spanish: Batalla de Clarines) took place during the Venezuelan War of Independence. Royalist forces attacked a north-bound force from the Third Republic of Venezuela near the town of Clarines. The outnumbered and poorly armed Royalists secured a victory against the Patriot rebels.
After arriving from Port-au-Prince, revolutionaries Simón Bolívar and Juan Bautista Arismendi gathered a force of 700 soldiers at Margarita Island for a new campaign to take the city of Caracas. [1]
On 9 January 1817, 10 days after Bolívar's and Arismendi's arrival in mainland Venezuela, the force, which had been bolstered with 900 more soldiers, was on the way to Puerto Píritu. [2] It was there that they were attacked by a Royalist force from an entrenched position near the Unare River. The group had around 890 soldiers, including 330 native archers and 10 horsemen.
During the course of battle, a native force led by José María Charuán, Chief of Clarines tribe, [3] marched through the forest to attack the Patriots from the rear. This outflanking maneuver caused the Patriot forces to panic, scatter and be massacred. [4] Many survivors were driven into the forest, where they drowned or were later captured and executed. [5] In all, around 900 Patriot forces were killed. [4] [2] [6]
The battle was a major loss for the Patriot forces. Few survived the battle, including Bolívar, Arismendi, and five more officers. [2]
Bolívar and Arismendi fled to Barcelona on mules, with Bolívar moving into Guyana to reorganize the Patriot army and prepare for the Second Battle of Angostura. [2]
Battle of Clarines | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Venezuelan War of Independence | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Third Republic of Venezuela | Spanish Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Simón Bolívar Juan Bautista Arismendi |
Francisco Jiménez José María Chaurán Chief Chauràn | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
800-1600 soldiers |
~550 soldiers ~330 native archers +10 horsemen | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
~900 | Unknown |
The Battle of Clarines ( Spanish: Batalla de Clarines) took place during the Venezuelan War of Independence. Royalist forces attacked a north-bound force from the Third Republic of Venezuela near the town of Clarines. The outnumbered and poorly armed Royalists secured a victory against the Patriot rebels.
After arriving from Port-au-Prince, revolutionaries Simón Bolívar and Juan Bautista Arismendi gathered a force of 700 soldiers at Margarita Island for a new campaign to take the city of Caracas. [1]
On 9 January 1817, 10 days after Bolívar's and Arismendi's arrival in mainland Venezuela, the force, which had been bolstered with 900 more soldiers, was on the way to Puerto Píritu. [2] It was there that they were attacked by a Royalist force from an entrenched position near the Unare River. The group had around 890 soldiers, including 330 native archers and 10 horsemen.
During the course of battle, a native force led by José María Charuán, Chief of Clarines tribe, [3] marched through the forest to attack the Patriots from the rear. This outflanking maneuver caused the Patriot forces to panic, scatter and be massacred. [4] Many survivors were driven into the forest, where they drowned or were later captured and executed. [5] In all, around 900 Patriot forces were killed. [4] [2] [6]
The battle was a major loss for the Patriot forces. Few survived the battle, including Bolívar, Arismendi, and five more officers. [2]
Bolívar and Arismendi fled to Barcelona on mules, with Bolívar moving into Guyana to reorganize the Patriot army and prepare for the Second Battle of Angostura. [2]