ORDER OF BATTLE // June 15, 1814
Second Battle of La Puerta
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 10,500 estimated
United Provinces of Venezuela
3,000
Medium-confidence figure
Spanish Empire
7,500
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Second Battle of La Puerta was a crushing defeat for the Republican forces of the Second Republic of Venezuela, who fielded roughly 3,000 troops against a Royalist force of 7,500 under José Tomás Boves and Francisco Tomás Morales. Republican casualties reached 1,000, and the engagement directly precipitated the collapse of the Second Republic of Venezuela. Commanders Simón Bolívar, Santiago Mariño, Manuel Cedeño, and José Tadeo Monagas were unable to reverse the outcome against the numerically superior Royalist army. The battle stands as a decisive turning point in the Spanish American wars of independence, halting the Republican consolidation of Venezuela and restoring Royalist control over the territory.
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