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56-583: Their greatest achievements were at the Boyacá (1819), Carabobo (1821), Pichincha (1822) and Battle of Ayacucho (1824) which secured independence for Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru from Spanish rule respectively. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars the British Empire no longer required a large standing army. In April 1817, The Times calculated that there were 500,000 ex-soldiers in

112-546: A British population of 25 million. After a quarter-century of Continental wars—both the wars against Revolutionary France and the Napoleonic Wars —these men had no other employment history or trade and, therefore, often found themselves in poverty. South America's wars of independence from Spain provided many of them with an opportunity to continue their military careers and escape from the prospect of inactivity and poverty at home. Many Britons were still concerned by

168-403: A charge across the bridge by force, using bayonets. The Spanish forces fled, leaving on the bridge their leader, Colonel Juan Tolrá who was killed. As the assembly of enemy prisoners began, the battle was over shortly after 4:30 p.m have only lasted a little more than 2 hours. The Patriots only suffered 66 casualties in total with some 13 dead and 53 wounded, meanwhile Barreiro's III Division

224-618: A combined patriot army of Neogranadines and Venezuelans that defeated in two hours the Spanish Royalist forces led by Spanish Colonels José María Barreiro and Francisco Jiménez who would both be captured in battle. The effective destruction of the Royalist Army led to the collapse of the Royalist Government in the capital of Santa Fe with Viceroy Juan de Samano along with other government officials fleeing

280-564: A large military ceremony at the site of the battle to commemorate its anniversary. This was established officially in 1978 under the administration of President Alfonso López Michelsen . John Blossett Colonel John Blossett was an Irish soldier who led the second British Legion to aid Simon Bolivar in the wars of independence against Spain . Born in Ireland , the great-grandson of Huguenot Brigadier-General Salomon Blosset de Loche who had assisted William of Orange in

336-516: A laurel wreath given to him by a group of 20 women of the most prestigious families of the city who were all dressed in white. Along with this crown, Bolivar, Santander, and Anzoategui were all awarded the Cruz de Boyaca medal which had been created for the occasion This victory ceremony was accompanied by a large number of dances and balls held in honor of the victors with many of the officers along with Bolivar himself attending these festivities. On

392-513: A militia regiment near London and who had sailed with Hippisley's expedition, returned to London to recruit. Amongst his recruits were some 110 Hanoverians, who were commanded by John Uslar who saw action at Waterloo with the King's German Legion . In June 1819 Elsom arrived at the mouth of the Orinoco with the first wave of British troops. They numbered some 2,200 men equipped and uniformed, under

448-658: A pivotal role however in the Battle of Vargas Swamp on July 25. During this action Bolivar found himself in a difficult position; the left flank of the Patriot army was outflanked and withdrew in disorder. Rooke then led the 2nd Rifles against the Spanish positions on the hills. A ferocious bayonet charge regained the positions for the Patriots. Rooke fell mortally wounded while Sandes was also wounded twice. Despite heavy casualties

504-605: A place where they would be able to continue to earn a living. About 7,000 British men had volunteered and only about one third of these men had previous military experience. The others were restless, idealistic young men who were too young to participate in the Napoleonic wars and saw joining as a "culture of adventure." From May 1817, the British volunteers were mainly recruited in London by Bolivar's agent, Luis Lopez Mendez with

560-593: The Battle of Junin in August and the Battle of Ayacucho in December which marked the end of Spanish rule in South America. The British Legions fought until the end of the wars, their number much depleted. Many of the survivors settled in the new states that they helped to create. For a long time they were largely forgotten to history. In the overall strategy British pressure by use of their navy and diplomacy

616-541: The Battle of Pichincha . The battle could have turned into a rout if the British and Irish troops had not thwarted a dangerous flank attack by the veteran Spanish Aragón battalion. The victory at Pichincha for the Patriot army secured independence for Ecuador . They took part in the last major campaign of the Independence wars in Peru during 1824; British volunteers, including the 1st Rifles under Sandes, were present at

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672-571: The Battle of Vargas Swamp on July 25. After Bolívar secured a narrow victory at the Battle of Vargas Swamp on July 25th, the Patriot Army camped near the vicinity of the battlefield, while Spanish Forces camped in the nearby town of Paipa . Both armies still had the same goal of reaching the capital Santa Fe , which was only defended by some 400 Spanish troops. On August 3, still camped in Paipa

728-568: The Plains of Apure towards the end of 1818 but saw no serious action until March 19, 1819, in a skirmish in the woods of Gamarra. They would soon become an important part of Bolívar's army to liberate the Viceroyalty of New Granada . They had to endure the secretive and brutal crossing of the Andes from May to June during which the Patriot army suffered greatly including the British. They played

784-471: The 400 troops who were stationed in the city bound for Popayan . Royalist sympathizers and other government officials also fled the capital. Bolivar arrived on the 10th August with a group of cavalry in advance of his army where he received a jubilant welcome from the inhabitants of the city. On 18 September, a victory ceremony was held for the patriot army in the Plaza Mayor, Bolivar was crowned with

840-402: The British troops distinguished themselves. At the Battle of Boyacá on August 7, 1819, Sandes' Rifles Battalion led a bayonet charge on the royalist artillery which turned the tide of the battle. After the triumphal entry into Santa Fe de Bogota Bolivar credited them with the victory saying "those soldier-liberators are the men who deserve these laurels" They were awarded with the ' Order of

896-649: The Casa de Teja, from where they could observe the bridge. Jiménez observing that there was no presence of patriot forces in the vicinity allowed his troops to rest and ordered that lunch rations be served. Shortly before 2:00 p.m., patriot Captain Andres Ibarra and his forces spotted the Casa de Teja and the vanguard of the Spanish Army. The Spaniards spotted him too and the two exchanged fire, with Jimenez ordering his men to follow and engage what he believed

952-566: The King's 1st infantry battalion to the left and the King's 2nd infantry battalion on the right, and on the wings, the Mounted Grenadiers and Dragoon cavalry units. Arthur Sandes commander of Rifles Battalion charged the royalist artillery. This charge disrupted the arming of the 3 artillery pieces the Spanish possessed (they had transported them unassembled) only one of them was able to be assembled which allowed it to fire 3 shots before

1008-469: The Liberator ' one of the rare occasions during the war when this decoration was bestowed onto an entire unit. At the victory of Carabobo the legion troops were led by Colonel Thomas Ilderton Ferrier. They fought in the battle as part of the 1st Division, led by General Jose Antonio Paez . They defended strategically important hills while being greatly outnumbered and low on supplies; their heroic stand

1064-470: The Patriot Army which considerably augmented its size allowing Bolivar to dispatch these new units from the battlefield to other areas of New Granada that had not been liberated yet. Through a messenger, who rode nonstop for 30 hours over the 100 km of bad roads that separated the battlefield from the capital, Viceroy Juan de Samano was informed of Barreiro's defeat around 10 pm on August 8th. Not wishing to take any chances Samano hastily prepared to abandon

1120-501: The Patriot army had been assembled in the central plaza of Tunja ready to move out at a moments notice, the bridge lay some 16km from Tunja, the Patriot army completed this in around 4 hours of marching. Between the hours of 12 to 1pm a fraction of the Royalist vanguard which was composed of the 2nd and 3rd Numancia infantry battalions along with some dragoons under the command of Colonel Francisco Jiménez arrived and took up position near

1176-643: The Samaca road with the intention of rejoining the main Camino Real (Royal Road to Santa Fe) at the Casa de Teja or Casa de Postas where the road formed a Y shape as both the Samaca road and Camino Real converged and became a single road that crossed the Boyacá Bridge. The Boyacá Bridge was an important bridge that was part of the Camino Real de Santa Fe, where it crossed the Teatinos River which

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1232-562: The Spanish observed Bolivar's forces cross the Chicamocha River near Paipa and then at night observed him by candlelight retreat to his original positions across the river. The Spanish then rested unaware of Bolivar's feint, as he ordered a nocturnal countermarch crossing the river again and taking the alternate route to the city of Tunja through the Toca Road. This allowed Bolivar to outmaneuver his Spanish counterpart and gain

1288-457: The Spanish out of Peru and Ecuador. They marched over the mountains again this time to a land of high volcanoes where they managed to force the Spanish to withdraw at the Battle of Bomboná on April 7, 1822. The following month the Legions assisted Sucre's army and marched higher still to Quito standing at 9,300 feet in the mountains. There on 24 May 1822, they fought on the flanks of a volcano at

1344-405: The Spanish vanguard from the rear. The Spanish rearguard was still several kilometers behind, so General Anzoátegui ordered to block the way between the vanguard and the rearguard of the Spanish forces. The rearguard, outnumbered, retreated to a small hill close to Casa de Teja. Anzoátegui then ordered a flank attack on the Spanish rearguard: battalions Barcelona and Bravos de Paez were to attack on

1400-624: The Teatinos River and 3 roads heading to Samaca, Motavita and Tunja , an area which is now part of the Boyacá Department . The site of the battlefield today is dotted with various monuments and statues that commemorate the battle. General Simon Bolivar's Patriot Army surprised the Spanish by strategically crossing the Andes Mountain Range through the Paramo de Pisba into the Boyacá region in early July of 1819, however

1456-556: The battle. The Foreign Enlistment Act 1819 was passed to uphold British neutrality in the Spanish American wars of independence and made it a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment for British subjects to serve in foreign militaries. The 1819 act was almost never enforced. With the independence of Colombia and Venezuela secured, Bolivar and his patriot army along with the British Legions moved South to drive

1512-549: The campaign of the Venezuelan Llanos in 1818 and fought at the battles of El Sombrero, La Puerta, Ortiz , Rincón de los Toros and Calabozo . These first recruits from Britain made a good impression on Bolivar who was anxious to secure the services of more British volunteers. In March 1819, Bolivar combined most of his foreign volunteers into a brigade of 250 men named the British Legions, with James Rooke as commander. George Elsom, who had formerly been an ensign with

1568-464: The capital and did so at 9:00 am on August 9 bound for Cartagena by way of Honda disguised as a peasant. So hasty was the Viceroy's departure that he failed to destroy important government documents and archives and left behind some 900,000 pesos in gold, silver, and currency. Earlier that same day at 7:00 am Colonel Sebastian de La Calzada blew up the gunpowder supply in the arsenal and left with

1624-519: The capital shortly after news had reached of the battle. The battle led to the liberation of much of central New Granada and would lead to the union between New Granada and Venezuela creating the Republic of Colombia (Gran Colombia) in December of that same year. The battle occurred 150 km from Bogotá in the Andes Mountains , in a place known as Casa de Teja , close to a bridge over

1680-400: The city and seeing that his line of communication with the capital was cut, he ordered his army march around Tunja through the mountains northwest of the city at night through roads deemed impassable during the rainy season to avoid detection and gain the lead once gain. This march began in the town of Combita at 1 am August 6 and then proceeded to Motavita through a heavy downpour reaching

1736-525: The command of Captain George Gibson and twenty officers. This Second British Legion' as it became known consisted of the 1st British Legion led by Colonel James Towers English , the 2nd British Legion led by Colonel John Blossett , and the Irish Legion, led by Colonel William Aylmer (1772–1820). The Legion adopted the motto Morir o vencer (Die or Conquer), as well as an anthem, composed to

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1792-474: The gun carriage that supported it broke rendering it useless. Outnumbered, the Spanish rear guard began to retreat without any clear direction. Therefore, Bolívar ordered lancers units to attack the center of the Royalist infantry, the 3rd and 5th companies of the Granadan Dragoons charged the Patriot cavalry however the patriot cavalry conducted a turn face maneuver causing the dragoons to retreat as

1848-693: The history of South America forever. August 7 is a national holiday in Colombia. On this date every 4 years the elected President of Colombia is inaugurated as president by taking the presidential oath of office while also receiving the Presidential sash in the Plaza de Bolivar in Bogota . August 7 is also Army Day ( Spanish : Día del Ejército Nacional ) in Colombia, the Colombian Army holds

1904-494: The lead for the race to Santa Fe, a reversal of the previous situation with Bolivar now trying to prevent Barreiro from reaching the capital. On August 4 at 9:00 am the Patriot Army reached the village of Chivata and 2 hours later entered and occupied the city of Tunja. The city had been lightly defended as a small garrison and the Governor Juan Lono had left the city in the direction of Paipa to give Colonel Barreiro

1960-609: The march had weakened his army. To prevent this threat from growing stronger, Viceroy Juan de Samano ordered the commander of the Spanish forces in New Granada –which were the III Division of the Expeditionary Army of Costa Firme, led by artillery Colonel Jose Maria Barreiro to intercept and defeat Bolivar's army to prevent him from reaching the capital of Santa Fe . This would lead to the two forces clashing at

2016-743: The north of South America , and is considered important because it led to the victories of the battle of Carabobo in Venezuela, Pichincha in Ecuador, and Junín and Ayacucho in Peru. New Granada acquired its definitive independence from the Spanish Monarchy , although fighting with royalist forces would continue for years. Under the overall command of General Simon Bolivar, the Brigadier Generals Francisco de Paula Santander and José Antonio Anzoátegui led

2072-557: The orders of Santander, Colonel Barreiro and 38 more were executed in Bogotá on October 11, 1819, because of the Decree of War to the Death . The bridge in question, el Puente de Boyacá , is no longer in use but it has been maintained as a symbol of the Independence of South America. The consequences of Bolivar's victory at Boyaca bridge lead to large chain of events that would end up changing

2128-460: The panic and confusion. Barreiro and his officers tried in vain to contain the rout of their soldiers and dismounted from their horses which condemned them to easily be captured by their enemy. Meanwhile, one kilometer and a half behind Casa de Teja, Bejar's Patriot vanguard managed to ford the river and was approaching the rear of the Royalist vanguard force. Once it reached them, the vanguard forces engaged in battle, while this occurred Santander led

2184-403: The patriot lancers had longer lances than they did. The other Spanish cavalry squadron the Mounted Grenadiers, ran away from the battle via the road towards Samaca. The charge of two patriot army cavalry squadrons caused panic amongst the Spanish troops, who were formed up in a column to resist the attack, although they were given the order to perform a bayonet charge this was not carried out due to

2240-648: The probable approval of the Duke of Wellington . The recruits were encouraged by promises of pay equivalent to the British army and by promotion to one rank above that which they had held in the army. Pay was to commence upon arrival in Venezuela and when the call was heard on the streets of London thousands began to volunteer for the expedition and soon the first five detachments were formed as follows: The soldiers used Margarita Island as their base. Conditions there were poor and some died of disease. To replace losses they recruited 100 locals into their ranks. They took part in

2296-555: The right side while the Legion Britanica and Rifles Battalion attacked on the left. The British Legion was a special forces squad composed of British and Irish people, which aided the revolutionary army in certain key battles for independence in South American countries. Unable to cross the river the Spanish assumed battle positions by the Casa de Teja: in the center they positioned three artillery pieces surrounded by

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2352-455: The same month which saw Bolivar reorganise his forces. The Rifles, reinforced by another 350 British troops who had recently arrived in South America, were then formed into two battalions. The first was to be commanded by Colonel Arthur Sandes and the second by Major John Mackintosh who would later become a military aide-de-camp to Simon Bolivar and Antonio Jose de Sucre . The British Legions after months of inactivity joined Bolivar's army on

2408-440: The supplies and reinforcements he had begged the Viceroy for, in the city Bolivar was able to obtain 600 rifles for his army. Barreiro would eventually find out about this on August 5 and quickly marched his army southwest, midday he rendezvoused with Governor Juan Lono who provided him with 12,000 cartridges and 3 artillery pieces (2 howitzers and 1 cannon ) that had been sent by the Viceroy. Upon learning that Bolivar had taken

2464-550: The taking of the British Crown in 1688, Blossett entered the British Army in 1798, serving in the 10th Foot and rising to the level of captain in 1814 and major at the time of his discharge from the army in 1817. In 1819 Blossett was awarded the rank of colonel by Simon Bolivar as leader of the British expedition to assist him in the war of independence, taking over from General James Towers English . Having fought

2520-564: The threat that Spain, as a restored world power, potentially posed to Britain. Despite Spain and Britain having been allies in the Peninsular War just a few years before, many Britons' image of the Spanish in the Americas was influenced by the now-disputed Black Legend . The motivations of volunteers for the British Legions varied. Volunteers were also motivated by the liberal propaganda of Simon Bolívar 's supporters that portrayed

2576-468: The town at 11:30am where the army camped for the night. Marching through Motavita was considered a wise move strategically for the Spanish, due to its higher elevation one is able to observe Tunja from it. However Barreiro's movement did not go undetected and patriot spies informed Bolivar of their movements At 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 7, the Royalist army departed Motavita and continued their march towards Santa Fe. From Motavita they marched down

2632-461: The tune of Ye Gentlemen of England which was continually played by the Legion's band. The uniforms were similar to those worn by the British army which had been supplied by the firm of Herring and Richardson who had also fitted out the ships. In Ireland a similar recruiting process took place. Led by John D'Evereux who enlisted 1700 men which became known as the Irish Legion. The Rifle Battalion joined

2688-566: The war as bringing freedom and rights to people under Spanish tyranny. For these reasons, particularly the former, the recruiting of British volunteers received tacit government support, even if in principle the British Crown discontinued its support to the insurgents after the Congress of Vienna in 1814. Mercenary interests also played a large part in motivating potential recruits, who were often unemployed, and perceived South America as

2744-493: Was a decisive victory by a combined army of Venezuelan and New Granadan troops along with a British Legion led by General Simon Bolivar over the III Division of the Spanish Expeditionary Army of Costa Firme commanded by Spanish Colonel José Barreiro. This victory ensured the success of Bolívar's campaign to liberate New Granada . The battle of Boyaca is considered the beginning of the independence of

2800-456: Was able to deduce the route that they were taking. A little after 10 through Colonel Manuel Manrique he ordered that Generals Santander and Anzoategui to immediately set out for Santa Fe along the Camino Real and to destroy Barreiro wherever they may find him Upon receiving this order, General Santander's Vanguard Division set out from Tunja toward Casa de Teja on the Camino Real with Anzoátegui's Rearguard Division following suit. Since 7am

2856-483: Was effectively dismantled as a result of the battle suffering 100 dead, 150 wounded, and 1,600 captured. For their actions on the battlefield, Santander and Anzoátegui were both promoted to General of Division . At least 1,600 troops and several of the Spanish commanders, including Barreiro himself, were captured at the end of the battle. Since the majority of these captured troops were composed of Venezuelan and New Granadans, these troops were immediately incorporated into

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2912-409: Was forced to fall back to river and crossed the strategic bridge over the Teatinos River and took defensive positions there. Meanwhile, the full vanguard of the Patriot army under Santander had reached Casa de Teja. The two vanguards now found themselves on opposite sides of the river, with this Santander then ordered Colonel Antonio Bejar to take some forces down the river and cross it in order to attack

2968-549: Was only a small observation force. 20 royalists chased after the Patriot force but later returned when they realized that this was a bigger force. General Santander who came marching down the Camino Real with the rest of the patriot vanguard upon seeing this unfold ordered Lieutenant Colonel Joaquín París commander of the Cazadores Battalion to attack the Royalist forces at the Casa Teja. The Spanish vanguard

3024-478: Was sufficient to prevent Spain from attempting any serious reassertion of its control over its lost colonies. At the same time British intervention between 1815 and 1819, was one of the key factors for the independence of South American states, in particular the role of the British Legions in Bolivar's campaigns. Battle of Boyac%C3%A1 The Battle of Boyacá (1819), also known as the Battle of Boyacá Bridge

3080-465: Was swollen at this time of year as a result of winter rain season. The distance to the bridge was only 25 km which the Spanish completed in 7 hours 30 minutes, at an average pace of 18 minutes per kilometer. Early morning that same day at 7 am, Bolivar left Tunja and took up an observation point at the San Lazaro heights near Tunja, from there around 9 am he spotted the Royalist Army and

3136-536: Was the decisive moment of the day. They suffered 119 casualties, of those were two officers with Ferrier among the dead. Bolívar described the Legions and all who served in them as "the saviours of my country". As a reward for their service, they were given the Carabobo battle honour by the general staff of the Patriot forces, and all its personnel rewarded with the Liberators' Star by Bolívar himself, 20 days after

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