Battle of Cúcuta

Overview

The Battle of Cúcuta was a military conflict in the Spanish American wars of independence fought on 28 February 1813 between the pro-independence forces led by Simón Bolívar and Spanish royalist troops under General Ramón Correa at the town of Cúcuta, in present-day Colombia, close to the border with Venezuela. Bolivar was victorious. The battle gained him much support and immediately preceded his march into Venezuela, later dubbed the Admirable Campaign.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Cúcuta pitted roughly 400 pro-independence troops under Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander against an 800-strong royalist force commanded by Ramón Correa at the town of Cúcuta, near the present-day Colombia–Venezuela border. Bolívar's victory secured him considerable political and military support and cleared the path for his subsequent advance into Venezuela. The engagement directly preceded what became known as the Admirable Campaign, placing Cúcuta at the operational hinge between the struggle for New Granada and the broader effort to carry independence into Venezuela. By defeating a force roughly twice his size, Bolívar demonstrated the viability of offensive operations across the Andean frontier, lending momentum to the independence cause at a critical juncture of the war.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)