Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 4: A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History
History
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 4: A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History
Biography
Subsequent events, however, gave strong reasons to believe that the
armistice was a mere ruse to gain time while Morillo could be recalled
and General Torre placed in command. Bolivar, no doubt incensed by this
apparent trick, determined, upon the expiration of the armistice, to
strike a blow that would not soon be forgotten; which he did at
Carabolo, by attacking and completely routing General Torre's command,
compelling the fleeing fragments to seek shelter in Puerto Cabello,
where two years after they surrendered to Paez. This practically closed
the war in Venezuela. On August 30, 1821, the constitution of Colombia
was adopted amid great rejoicing, with Bolivar as president and
Santander as vice-president. But there was more work to do, and no one
could do it so well as Bolivar. He determined that nowhere should the
Royalists have a foothold in the whole country. He attacked them at
Pichincha, in Ecuador, and after a desperate struggle they were forced
to retreat in disorder, while victorious Bolivar with his enthusiastic
followers triumphantly entered Quito, June 22, 1822. Next Lima was
taken, but owing to the dissensions among the Republican factions in
Peru, Bolivar was compelled to abandon the city, which was again
occupied by the Royalists, while he withdrew to Truxillo.
Having thoroughly reorganized his forces, and gotten everything in good
condition for an aggressive warfare, he again assaulted the Royalists
with unrelenting vigor, driving them before him, and finally
administering a crushing defeat on the plains of Junin, August 6th;
after which he returned to Lima, leaving Sucre, who had already
displayed great military skill and bravery, to complete the work. This
he did, by gaining a great victory at Ayacucho, which completely
dispersed the Royalists, reducing their possessions in Peru to the
Castles of Callao, which Rodil, after a little over a year's successful
resistance, was compelled to surrender.
Upper Peru having detached itself from Buenos Ayres, was organized as a
separate state under the name of Bolivia, in honor of the man who had
accomplished so much for its freedom, and who by the first Congress of
the new republic, which convened in August, 1825, was made perpetual
Protector, and requested to prepare for it a constitution.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account