Battle of Clarines

Battle of Clarines
Part of the Venezuelan War of Independence
Date9 January 1817
Location
Clarines
9°56′36″N 65°09′58″W / 9.94333°N 65.16611°W / 9.94333; -65.16611
Result Royalist victory
Belligerents
Third Republic of Venezuela Spanish Empire
Commanders and leaders
Simón Bolívar
Juan Bautista Arismendi		 Francisco Jiménez
José María Chaurán
Chief Chauràn
Strength
800–1,600 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.

Background

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]

Battle

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]

Aftermath

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]

References

  1. ^ Esteves González, Edgardo (2004). Batallas de Venezuela, 1810-1824. Caracas: El Nacional. ISBN 9789803880743. p.100
  2. ^ a b c d Díaz, José Domingo (1829). Recuerdos sobre la rebelion de Caracas (in Spanish). L. Amarita.
  3. ^ Restrepo, José Manuel (1858). Historia de la revolución de la República de Colombia en la América Meridional. Tomo II. Bogotá: Imprenta de José Jacquin. p.374
  4. ^ a b "09 DE ENERO 1817 BATALLA DE CLARINES". CAVIM (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  5. ^ Gerdler, Yesimar (9 January 2020). "09 de enero: 203 años de la Batalla de Clarines". Televen (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  6. ^ Petre, Francis Loraine (1910). Simon Bolivar "El Libertador": A Life of the Chief Leader in the Revolt Against Spain in Venezuela, New Granada & Peru. J. Lane.