Battle of Araure
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Araure was a battle fought during the short-lived reign of the Second Republic of Venezuela on December 5, 1813, in the city of Araure
in Portuguesa State, Venezuela
. Simon Bolivar
's force defeated General Domingo de Monteverde
to whom he was forced to surrender to the year before in July at the Siege of Puerto Cabello.
while the patriots had an unknown number of troops under Bolívar's command. Despite the superiority of the royalists, the patriots would go on to win the battle, and Bolivar would later tell his troops:
Araure
Araure is a town in the Venezuelan state of Portuguesa. This town is the shire town of the Araure Municipality and, according to the 2001 Venezuelan census, the municipality has a population of 111,908.-Demographics:...
in Portuguesa State, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Simon Bolivar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
's force defeated General Domingo de Monteverde
Juan Domingo de Monteverde
Juan Domingo de Monteverde y Rivas , commonly known as Domingo de Monteverde, was a Spanish soldier, governor and Captain General of Venezuela from June 1812 to 8 August 1813. Monteverde was the leader of Spanish forces in the Venezuelan War of Independence from 1812 to 1813...
to whom he was forced to surrender to the year before in July at the Siege of Puerto Cabello.
The battle
The actual battle began early in the morning of December 5 and lasted for around six hours. It was clear that the royalist troops were numerically superior to the Venezuelan patriots. The royalists had a total of 3,500 to 5,000 (depending upon the source) soldiers under the command of José CeballosJose Ceballos
Jose Ceballos is the Government Affairs Director for National Air Traffic Controllers Association .Ceballos graduated from Florida State University in 1991, and ran campaign operations for vice-presidential nominee John Edwards, handled all political matters and constituency relations...
while the patriots had an unknown number of troops under Bolívar's command. Despite the superiority of the royalists, the patriots would go on to win the battle, and Bolivar would later tell his troops:
Your valor has earned yesterday a name for your corps, and through the midst of the fighting, when I saw you succeed, I named you the Victorious Battalion of Araure. You removed the enemy's flags in the moment of your victory; you have earned the famous, invincible call of Numantia.