Battle of Mecapaca (1841)

Battle of Mecapaca (1841)
Part of Peruvian-Boliivan War
The Second occupation of La Paz by Peruvian Army
Date 21 October, 1841 Location Mecapaca, La Paz, Bolivia Result Peruvian Forces victory
Belligerents
Peru	Bolivia
Commanders and leaders
Miguel de San Román	Basilio Herrera
Strength
400 troops	4 companies of the 5th bataillon half squadron of Cuirassiers
Casualties and losses
70 casualties	100 casualties

The Battle of Mecapaca took place on October 21, 1841, in the town of Mecapaca, province of Ingavi, Bolivia. There Peruvian troops met Bolivian troops.

This confrontation was part of the War between Peru and Bolivia in 1841 and 1842.

Background

After sending the Supreme Protector Andrés de Santa Cruz into exile and dissolving the Peruvian-Bolivian Confederation, the then President of Peru, Agustín Gamarra, made the decision to unify Peru with Bolivia, taking advantage of the political chaos that had been generated in Bolivia. Gamarra, from the beginning, was not alien to Santa Cruz's idea of creating a great Andean nation, but in his plan this idea could not be realized through a Confederation dominated by Bolivia.

After the dissolution of the Confederation, José Ballivián gathered all the rebel groups and managed to have himself proclaimed President of the Republic. In 1841 there were three governments; a legitimate one in the city of Sucre, presided by José Mariano Serrano, who replaced José Miguel de Velasco (1839–1840), captured by the followers of Santa Cruz; that of the Regeneration in Cochabamba, and that of Ballivián in La Paz .

Peruvian troops led by President Gamarra began their march towards Bolivia on October 1, 1841, through the Department of La Paz, crossing the border the following day. After advancing without encountering resistance, they entered La Paz on October 15.

Gamarra took advantage of the fact that the Republic of Bolivia was in a state of great political and economic instability, since after the dissolution of the confederation, Bolivia fell into caudillismo. But Ballivián's manifesto to oppose the invaders was soon accepted.

Previous movements

The Bolivian prefect Manuel H. Guerra and the other authorities fled to Mecapaca after the advance of the Peruvian Army, a village located six leagues downriver from La Paz, where they established the headquarters of the departmental government.

Upon learning of this, Agustín Gamarra sent the Peruvian Legion battalion, composed of 400 men, and a cavalry squadron to Mecapaca, forces that he placed under the orders of General Miguel de San Román, who occupied Mecapaca on the 21st and also put the Bolivian authorities to flight, who fled to Cebollullo.

The commander-in-chief of the Bolivian army, José Ballivián, who was in Ayo Ayo, as soon as he learned that Peruvian forces had penetrated as far as Mecapaca, decided to enlist four companies of the 5th battalion and half of the Coraceros squadron. He chose Colonel Basilio Herrera (alias Zepita) as the leader of this detachment, whom he expressly and strictly ordered to take the enemy's rearguard, cut off their retreat and beat them as soon as possible, and if necessary, disperse their forces.

Basilio Herrera and his forces left Ayo Ayo and in Amachuma he learned that the Peruvians were much more numerous than the men he had with him. He then decided to surprise the enemy.

However, without being warned, he reached the outskirts of Mecapaca, descending from the heights to the south, and instead of immediately undertaking the assault, he ordered the troops to stop until his famous war horse, Choco, arrived, which had been left far behind due to the negligence of the assistant.

The town of Mecapaca is located on the left bank of the river of the same name, on whose banks rise hills covered with low but dense forest. The floods and floods of the river have formed high ravines on both banks, cut almost vertically. Above one of these ravines there is a plain called “Aguircato”, on which rise steep cliffs covered with weeds, which prevent the view from the boxed-in beach of Mecapaca.

At this point, San Román moved his infantry forces and placed them in convenient and strategic locations. The cavalry remained in the town square.

The battle

On October 29, Bolivian forces spotted the enemy entrenched on that summit.

Herrera gave the order to attack, although other versions claim that the Bolivian soldiers launched an assault on their own as soon as they saw the Peruvians.

In any case, the Bolivian troops began their ascent under deadly rifle fire, climbing the cliffs and boulders and brush, stopping as best they could to fire at the height and continue ascending; but the barrier was high, steep and therefore inaccessible. Herrera should have overcome the height by making a detour until he found a lower rise and reached the summit, where the battle would have been even; but this long operation exposed him to the enemy retreating and without any chance of being able to catch up. The Bolivian commander decided to fight in unfavorable conditions.

The fight was uneven. The Peruvians were hidden behind trees and bushes, firing on the Bolivians who were fighting with their bodies uncovered, and the latter were barely able to get away from their enemies.

After two and a quarter hours of intense combat, Herrera realized that it was impossible to take the height and ordered a retreat. The Bolivians ran out of ammunition and retreated in dispersion, some along the beach, others along the heights and the rest along narrow paths and ravines, managing to reunite in Amachuma, where Herrera was already. It was evident that Herrera did not achieve his objective of dislodging and annihilating the Peruvian troops.

After the battle, a crowd from La Paz attacked the hospital to kill the Peruvian soldiers and officers wounded there.

Consequences

Herrera did not achieve his objective of dislodging and annihilating the Peruvian troops.

The Bolivians, between dead and wounded, had three officers and 68 soldiers.

Most of the Peruvian casualties occurred outside the battlefield and during the La Paz mob's assault on the hospital.

After the battle, the Peruvian Army continued its advance into Bolivian territory.