Chapter 4 Colombian War of Independence.

The fight for freedom continues.

After the success of the Glorious Campaign, Miranda decided to target Quito, the last part of his conceived Colombian Republic. Even when he dreamed of a state from California to Patagonia, he was not foolish enough to think it would be possible, and settled for a Colombia that directly controlled New Granada and had the rest of Latin America under its leadership. influence of him. . This mentality would dominate Colombian actions on the international stage in the coming years, like a kind of Manifest Destiny.

Bolívar was appointed as Governor of the Venezuela Area, which was divided into three states, Venezuela, Zulia and Guyana. However, he could not fulfill his civil duties as Miranda appointed him to the new theater of operations, the Admirable Campaign. A new Army, the Army of Quito, was formed to liberate the Royal Court, with Generals Bolívar, Sucre and Flores leading the advance.

At the same time, Miranda decided to attack and finally take over the loyalist areas of northern Colombia, in the Heroic Campaign led by Nariño and Santander. Preparations were being made when a successful revolution occurred in Panama and the Junta installed there asked for annexation to Colombia, so a new objective for Santander was to connect Panama with the rest of the continent.

Bolívar's advance southward was rapid. La Plata's actions in the south forced Lima into a two-front war and, without support from the Motherland, Peruvian troops were becoming severely overstretched. They also made the mistake of underestimating Colombia, thinking that La Plata was the biggest threat because it was larger, had more allies (there were uprisings in Chile and Upper Peru) and had a supposedly superior army. However, Peru did not take into account that while Colombia had managed to work together to achieve independence, La Plata was divided and had several fronts, so it was in a much worse situation.

The Army of Quito managed to occupy the coast as far as Esmeraldas after several difficult battles, including that of Cali, cutting off the supply of troops within the Andes, except for the land supply, much more difficult due to the terrain and long distances. Bolívar then began to attack cities, using his "high hill" strategy - By putting his troops on top of the mountains and hills, he forced the loyalists to climb, thus exhausting themselves, and aiming for the top, much more difficult thanks to strength. and well-held positions, while the patriots only had to aim down and wait for the next wave of attacks. The last royalist stronghold before Quito, Pasto, fell in mid-1814.

Then Bolívar decided to undertake his offensive towards the Light of America. After taking several towns and cities, which welcomed him as a hero and even called him "The Liberator", Bolívar was able to attack from the Pichincha Volcano.

Almost at the same time, a Revolution occurred in Guayaquil, on October 9. José Joaquín de Olmedo, a prominent Creole inspired by Miranda's ideals and the success of the Army of Quito, declared independence from Spain taking advantage of the movement of troops in the province. To Quito. After Guayaquil declared independence, all the provinces from Esmeraldas to Tumbes swore allegiance to them. An army was created, the Quito Liberation Corps, based on the Liberation Army. Miranda immediately traveled there and met with Olmedo, and after several negotiations, managed to convince him to annex Guayaquil to Colombia, under the condition that it would be his own state rather than part of Quito. Miranda agreed and the Liberation Corps joined the Colombian Army and Navy,

With the entire coast under Colombian control, supplying Quito became virtually impossible as Bolívar could go to Santafé and return before support reached the city. Furthermore, the situation was getting out of control with several rebellions and the establishment of "Republiquetas", states that only controlled one province at most but were still detrimental to logistics and the recruitment of new troops. Several arose in Peru and the Andes of Quito, one of them being successful, the Republiqueta of Cuenca, the third most important city of the Royal Court, which shortly after requested annexation to Colombia. This effectively trapped Quito, with Colombia to the North, East and South and only the disease filled, impossible to pass through Amazonas in the West.

Deciding that a Battle in Quito would probably kill much of the population and level the city, which was not in the best interest of a Colombia that managed to capture Santafé and Caracas almost intact thanks to the revolution that was starting there, Miranda ordered a siege. instead. Bolívar moved to Guayaquil to attack the Peruvian troops and the Siege of Quito was entrusted to Sucre.

There the Royalist Troops wanted to resist until the end, even attempting several assaults that failed miserably thanks to the high hills. Finally, when July 1815 arrived, Quito's troops surrendered and the city was taken. The Territory of the Royal Court was divided into three states, Quito, Guayaquil and Azuay, with Sucre as governor by a wartime measure. The Admirable Campaign had ended and Quito's resources and manpower had fallen under patriotic control.

Meanwhile, Santander had considerable success in the north, taking Barranquilla and connecting Panama with the mainland in May 1815. Sporadic Spanish attacks continued and the Spanish fleet even attempted to bombard Caracas and Cartagena without success. Colombia won its first naval victory at the Battle of Barranquilla, a great morale boost for the young republic. It also allowed a safe route for American and British ships, which often traded and supplied Colombia. The United States especially became a great trading partner of Colombia, thanks to Miranda's connections with people in high society and his friendship with the president. The Heroic Campaign had also ended, and even though the gains in manpower and resources were not as great as those in Quito, it was a great success. The area was divided into several states, Cundinamarca, Pasto, Cartagena,

Colombia was finally complete, all its states organized, but the fighting was not over. Peru was still there, full of problems thanks to the continuous revolts, the Republiquetas and the attacks of La Plata, but it was still enduring the war. Capturing Lima and finally unifying Latin America under Colombian leadership was the final step in the destiny of the Republic. The Army mobilized for its last battle, and under the command of the four great Liberators, Bolívar, Santander, Sucre and Nariño, the Liberating Campaign towards Lima began in August 1815, and the Colombian Army occupied northern Peru afterwards. to defeat the few armies there. . Peru moved all its troops to their final position, and the March on Lima began.

But when the first shots rang out, San Martín traveled to Guayaquil and there he met Miranda.