_Piar's Death. Victory of Calabozo. Second Defeat at La Puerta. Submission
of Páez_
(1817-1818)
Morillo, who had lost a great part of his army and his prestige trying to
conquer the Island of Margarita, was obliged to withdraw when he discovered
that Bolívar had become master of Guayana. The two leaders were soon again
confronting each other on the mainland.
Bolívar, who had always been conciliatory towards his personal enemies and
who had tried to make friends with all the chieftains, had been constantly
preaching union among all the elements fighting for independence. He had,
however, met with slight success, and a moment came when he realized that
he must use strong measures in order to have discipline in his army. Piar
tried to induce certain officers to establish a council for the purpose of
curtailing the authority of Bolívar. The Liberator tried persuasion, but
failed. Piar decided to leave the army. He pretended to be sick and,
offering to go to one of the islands of the Caribbean, requested leave of
absence, which was granted.
Once having obtained his leave of absence, he became Bolívar's open foe; he
remained in Venezuela and came back to Angostura, where he intrigued with
other chieftains, and tried to get the support of Bermúdez to deprive
Bolívar of his command. Peaceful means failing again to win over Piar,
Bolívar ordered his apprehension. Piar fled to Mariño, and began enlisting
soldiers to resist. He enjoyed great prestige; he had been a distinguished
general and in bravery, daring, skill and personal magnetism, no one
surpassed him. Bolívar referred with his officers and, after being assured
of the support of all, he ordered the apprehension of Piar, who was
abandoned by his own followers and fell into the hands of Bolívar's agents.
Piar was court-martialed and was sentenced to death. Bolívar confirmed the
sentence and Piar died with the same bravery and serenity he had shown on
the field of battle. Bolívar deplored the fate of the valiant general, but
with this action succeeded in obtaining a greater measure of respect and
obedience from the army than he had been able to secure with his former
leniency.
As a measure of justice and wisdom, Bolívar, on the 3rd of September, 1817,
decreed the distribution of national wealth among the officers and soldiers
of the Republic as a reward for their services. A council of state was
established, and the General rendered to it an account of his work and
presented an exposition of the state of the national affairs. In his
address he explained the division of the powers of the state, and freely
praised all the generals of the insurgent army, mentioning General Páez,
the chieftain of the _llaneros_ (plainsmen), who was the terror of the
royalists and whose support was becoming of paramount importance to the
Liberator. He declared that Angostura was to be the provisional capital of
Venezuela until the city of Caracas could be retaken from the royalists.
Then he divided the administration into three sections,--state and finance,
war and navy, and interior and justice, putting in each the man best
prepared for the position.
In order to carry out his decision to advance against Caracas, he first
made sure that he could count on the assistance of Páez. The latter
agreed to fight in combination with Bolívar on condition that he would
be absolutely independent and have full power in the territory under his
command. Páez was one of the most remarkable characters of the revolution
of independence and the early years of Venezuela. He was a young man when
he came in touch with Bolívar,--strong, attractive, every inch a warrior,
who lived with his plainsmen just as they lived, living with, and caring
for, his horse as the others did, eating the same food as they did, and
fighting whenever a chance presented itself. He was ignorant. He was
opposed to discipline and his men knew none,--they followed him because of
his prestige and because he was one of them, but better than any of them.
His men were the same kind Boves had commanded, and as Boves was terrible
with his horsemen, so was Páez, with the exception that Páez fought for the
cause of liberty and did not stain his life with the monstrosities of the
Spanish chieftain. His name was respected in the southwestern part of
Venezuela, and he was ready to fight against the army of Morillo when he
received the message of Bolívar.
Morillo concentrated his army in Calabozo, the center of the plains,
intending to attack Páez in Apure, and other patriots who operated to the
south under Zaraza. Bolívar sent General Pedro León Torres to support the
latter, but they were defeated in the bloody battle of La Hogaza.
Bolívar began his movement to join Páez, full of confidence in spite of the
check at La Hogaza. It was now 1818. He was wont to say "This year will see
the end of the Spanish power in Venezuela." His faith had more foundation
than during his exile and the earlier expeditions, when, with a handful
of men, he had started to fight against the great armies organized by the
Spanish government. Public opinion was now beginning to swing towards him;
he had Páez and his plainsmen on his side and he counted on the great
resources of Guayana.
His activity was astonishing. In a month and a half, he and his men
traveled 900 miles to join Páez. As they advanced, his forces were being
disciplined, organized, strengthened and made ready to fight. Owing to his
personal prestige, and his unbelievable daring, Páez was of inestimable
value. On one occasion he promised Bolívar to have boats at a certain place
so that the army could cross the Apure River. When Bolívar arrived at the
point in question with the army, he found that there were no boats ready.
When Páez was questioned by the Libertador, he replied:
"Oh, yes, Sir, I am counting on the boats."
"But where are they?" Bolívar asked.
"The enemy has them," said Páez, indicating some royalists' launches and
canoes across the river.
While Bolívar was wondering what Páez meant by that, the latter called
fifty of his men and with them jumped into the river with their unsaddled
horses, swam through it, defeated the enemy, and brought the boats across.
Bolívar's forces were then able to pass. Immediately the armies of
independence advanced to Calabozo, with such swiftness that Morillo knew
of their advance only when they had arrived. The Spaniards were utterly
defeated and Morillo himself barely escaped falling prisoner. Bolívar could
have advanced and finished the destruction of the royalist army, but Páez
and other officers were opposed to this course, and the commander-in-chief
had to yield.
Soon after this, Bolívar was again in La Victoria, between Valencia and
Caracas, having occupied the rich valley of Aragua, in which he had lived
as a young man of wealth, and had passed years of suffering. He immediately
sent proclamations ordering all men able to fight to present themselves
with arms and horses for the service of the Republic. He called on those
who had been slaves to defend their own freedom, and urged the manufacture
and repair of arms. His position was by no means secure. Morillo was in
Valencia, and don Miguel de Latorre, the victor of La Hogaza, was in
Caracas. A triumph of Morillo over some patriots near Valencia forced the
Liberator to retreat in haste from La Victoria. When Morillo learned of his
retreat, he immediately went on with his persecution and at last met the
independent army in a place called La Puerta, where, on March 15, 1818, he
inflicted on Bolívar perhaps the greatest of his defeats, although at great
loss to himself, and suffering severe wounds. The Spanish authorities
thought that Bolívar would never recover from this disaster, but soon the
undaunted Liberator was again fighting the royal forces.
The defeat of La Puerta was so costly to the royalists that they did not
dare to occupy the position. It was considered so important, however, for
the cause of Spain that Morillo was rewarded with the title of Marquis
of La Puerta. Morillo waited for reinforcements to be sent to him by the
Spanish commander of Caracas, Latorre; and Bolívar, who never despaired,
immediately got ready for new struggles. He summoned Páez to his aid and
prepared for the defense of Calabozo, so that when Latorre arrived he found
a well organized army under command of the Liberator. He withdrew, and
Bolívar followed him, fighting an indecisive battle.
Convinced that he could not at that time occupy Caracas, Bolívar decided to
consolidate his position in the West, and sent his troops towards the city
of San Carlos, while he worked actively in Calabozo, and elsewhere through
his lieutenants, to increase his army. Then he went to join Páez, was
surprised and defeated on his way, being in imminent danger himself.
Furthermore, through a partial defeat of Páez and disasters of other
officers, by the end of May the insurgent forces were almost totally
destroyed. Morales, of bloody reputation, had taken Calabozo; and, in the
East, fate was against the independents, where the weakness of Mariño had
caused the loss of Cumaná. In other sections, the troops had rebelled
against the authority of Bolívar, and had begun to fight in the same
desultory way as before. All this was not sufficient to shake the constancy
and faith of Bolívar. He addressed a letter to Pueyrredón, Supreme Director
of the Provinces of the River Plata, using these lofty words:
"Venezuela is now in mourning, but tomorrow, covered with laurels, she
will have extinguished the last of the tyrants who now desecrate her
soil. Then she will invite you to a single association, so that our
motto may be 'Unity in South America.' All Americans should have one
country."
Back in Angostura, with his unflinching courage, he went on reviving his
army and reorganizing the supreme government, which had been in the hands
of the Council of State during his absence. He appointed secretaries of the
cabinet and established a weekly paper to spread the new principles of the
government. He again entrusted Mariño with the command of the province of
Cumaná, took the necessary steps to suppress the symptoms of indiscipline
in the army, and initiated several military operations. Again, when his
means were more limited, his thoughts covered a greater field. He seemed
unable to assure the liberty of Venezuela, yet he was thinking of giving
freedom to Nueva Granada. He sent a proclamation to its inhabitants and
directed one of his generals to invade it. He said:
"The day of America has arrived, and no human power can stop the course
of nature, guided by the hand of Providence. Join your efforts to those
of your brethren. Venezuela goes with me to free you, as you in the
past with me gave freedom to Venezuela.... The sun will not end the
course of its present period without seeing altars dedicated to liberty
throughout your territory."
This promise came true.
Before undertaking this great task, he convoked a national assembly for
January 1, 1819. In his long proclamation summoning the representatives of
the people he again made a summary of the work already done, and asked the
people to select the best citizens for the places, without regard to the
fact that they might or might not have been in the army of freedom.
"For my part," he stated, "I renounce forever the authority you have
conferred upon me, and, while the fearful Venezuelan war lasts, I shall
accept none save that of a simple soldier. The first day of peace will
be the last of my command."
Venezuela had lost the best of her blood; she was nothing better than a
heap of ruins, and yet, she was preparing for new and greater undertakings.
After publishing the proclamation, he started for Cumaná. Learning that
Mariño had been defeated, he sent him to Barcelona, and returned to
Angostura to organize new armies. Spain, he knew, was trying to obtain the
help of the other nations of Europe to regain possession of her American
colonies. He felt it expedient, therefore, once more to manifest to the
world the attitude of Venezuela regarding her new relations with the mother
country. He published a decree on November 20, 1818, reaffirming the
principles of independence proclaimed on July 5, 1811. This decree was
published and translated into three languages, to be distributed all over
the world. After stating the reasons for its publication, he emphatically
declared that Venezuela was free and did not contemplate further dealings
with Spain, nor was she willing ever to deal with Spain except as her
equal, in peace and in war, as is done reciprocally by all countries. He
concluded with the following words, which represent clearly his character
and that of his followers:
"The Republic of Venezuela declares that from April 19, 1810, she has
been fighting for her rights; that she has shed most of her sons'
blood, that she has sacrificed her youth, all her pleasures, and all
that is dear and sacred to men, in order to regain her sovereign rights
and in order to keep them in their integrity, as Divine Providence
granted them to her; the Venezuelan people have decided to bury
themselves in the ruins of their country if Spain, Europe and the world
insist on subjecting them to the Spanish yoke."
Immediately afterwards, Bolívar had to go to the West, where Páez had been
proclaimed supreme director of the republic by some dissenters. Bolívar
talked with Páez in private, induced him to return to obedience and
submission, and promoted him to major general in command of the independent
cavalry. The Liberator then returned to install the national congress and
to make preparations for the liberation of Nueva Granada.