The Voltigeurs of the Guard Battalion (Spanish: Batallón Voltígeros de la Guardia), originally formed as the Numancia Battalion (Spanish: Batallón Numancia), was a battalion of the Spanish American troops of the Spanish Army formed by Pablo Morillo[1] that joined the Patriot governments during the Spanish American wars of independence by crossing the Huaura River on December 2, 1820.
| Voltigeurs of the Guard | |
|---|---|
| Voltígeros de la Guardia | |
 Painting by Bernardo O’Higgins of the Battalion switching sides under José de San Martín | |
| Active | 1813–1831 |
| Countries | Spanish Empire (1813–20) Liberating Expedition of Peru (1820–21) Republic of Colombia (1821–31) |
| Part of | Spanish Army (1813–20) Army of the Andes (from 1820) |
| Engagements | Spanish American wars of independence |
Once the army was formally incorporated in Huaura, it changed its name and went on to fight in the Peruvian War of Independence, most notably in the decisive Battle of Ayacucho, which consolidated the country's independence that was first declared in 1821.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Boletín de la Academia Nacional de Historia antes Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Estudios Históricos Americanos (in Spanish). Vol. 32–33. Academia Nacional de Historia (Ecuador), La Prensa Católica. 1952. p. 60.
- ^ Núñez, Estuardo (1974). Bolívar, Ayacucho y los tradicionistas peruanos (in Spanish). Comisión Nacional del Sesquicentenario de la Independencia del Perú. p. 33.