BATTLE // April 2, 1813

Battle of Las Queseras del Medio

Name: Battle of Las Queseras del Medio
Start: 1813-04-02
End: 1813-04-02
Location: Battle of Las Queseras del Medio

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Overview

The Battle of Las Queseras del Medio was an important battle of the Venezuelan War of Independence. It took place on April 2, 1819. The forces of José Antonio Páez consisted of 153 mounted llanero lancers. They were pitted against more than 1,000 Spanish cavalry. The battle is noted for a phrase of Páez's that became famous: ¡Vuelvan caras! –although some sources state that he actually said ¡Vuelvan, carajo!.

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

Significance

The Battle of Las Queseras del Medio stands as a notable engagement of the Venezuelan War of Independence, in which a force of 153 mounted llanero lancers under José Antonio Páez confronted more than 1,000 Spanish cavalry. The engagement inflicted roughly 400 casualties on the royalist force, a result that demonstrated the combat effectiveness of Páez's irregular llanero horsemen against a substantially larger conventional opponent. The battle reinforced Páez's standing as a leading patriot commander on the plains and contributed to the broader patriot effort to contest royalist military dominance in Venezuela.

Tactics

The overview notes that Páez led 153 mounted llanero lancers against more than 1,000 Spanish cavalry, and records the command phrase ¡Vuelvan caras! — widely interpreted as an order to wheel and charge — as central to the action, though the source does not describe the specific maneuvers, terrain use, or dispositions in detail beyond this.