Battle of Vargas Swamp 1819
_-_por_Luis_Rengifo_(1969).jpg){kind=link}
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 25 July 1819 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1819 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Colombia | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | South America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Colombian War of Independence | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 5.7375, -73.0750 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Vargas Swamp (Spanish: Batalla del Pantano de Vargas) fought on July 25, 1819, was an engagement of Bolívar's campaign to liberate New Granada. The battle involved a joint Venezuelan and Neogranadine army commanded by General Simón Bolívar against the III Division of the Spanish Royalist Army commanded by Colonel José María Barreiro. The Battle of Vargas Swamp is considered one of the most important battles of the Colombian War of Independence, as it cleared the path for the Patriot army to advance towards Santafé de Bogotá, while also demoralizing the Royalist troops. Vargas Swamp was also the bloodiest battle of the 1819 New Granadan liberation campaign.
The battle came as a result of Bolívar trying to outflank Spanish forces by capturing the provincial capital of Tunja through the Toca road, doing this would enable the Patriots to cut off the Spanish army's supply and communication lines to Santafe de Bogotá, while also allowing the Patriots to gain the lead in the race to capture the lightly defended viceregal capital. The Royalists however caught wind of this plan and placed their forces on favorable ground in order to block them near a chokepoint between the towns of Tibasosa and Paipa.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Vargas Swamp (revision 1379827114), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Boyacá 1819 · 51 km
- Battle of Chocontá 1490 · 94 km
- 1980 Dominican Republic Embassy siege in Bogotá 1980 · 169 km
- Battle of Tocarema 1538 · 186 km
- Battle of Cachirí 1816 · 200 km
- Battle of Pasca 1470 · 209 km
Other battles of the Colombian War of Independence
- Siege of Cartagena (1815) 1815
- Battle of Cachirí 1816
- Battle of Boyacá 1819
- Siege of Cartagena (1820–21) 1820
All 5 battles of the Colombian War of Independence →
Browse more: battles in Colombia · South America · 19th century battles