Battle of Araure

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Araure
colour_scheme=background:#eeddbb


caption= "The Battle of Araure" by Tito Salas.
partof=the Venezuelan War of Independence
(Bolivar's War)
campaign=
date=December 5, 1813
place=Araure, Venezuela
result=Patriot victory
combatant1=Patriots
combatant2=flagicon|Spain|1785 Royalists
commander1=Simón Bolívar
commander2=flagicon|Spain|1785 Juan Domingo Monteverde
strength1=3,000 infantry
n/a cavalry
strength2=3,500-5,000 infantry
500 cavalry
casualties1=n/a dead
casualties2=n/a dead or wounded|

The Battle of Araure was a battle fought during the short-lived reign of the Second Republic of Venezuela on December 5, 1813 in the city of Araure in Portuguesa State, Venezuela. Simon Bolivar's force defeated General Juan Domingo Monteverde to whom he was forced to surrender to the year before in July at the Siege of Puerto Cabello.

The Battle

The actual battle began early in the morning on the 5th of December and lasted for around six hours. It was clear that the royalist Spanish troops were numerically superior to the Venezuelan patriots. The Spanish had a total of 3,500-5,000 (depending upon the source) soldiers under the command of José Ceballos while the Venezuelans had an unknown number of troops under the command of Simon Bolivar. Despite the superiority of the Spanish, the Venezuelans would go on to win the battle, and Bolivar would later tell his troops:

Your valor has earned yesterday a name for your corps, and through the midst of the fighting, when I saw you succeed, I named you the Victorious Battalion of Araure. You removed the enemy's flags in the moment of your victory; you have earned the famous, invincible call of Numantia.

References

Bolivar's words after the Battle ("in Spanish") [http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batalla_de_Araure]
Commanders and Event Date [http://www.datesofhistory.com/Battle-of-Araure-Venezuela.event.html]
Size of the Spanish Force (1) [http://www.gobiernoenlinea.ve/misc-view/ver_efemerides.pag?id=5595]
Size of the Venezuelan and Spanish Force (2) [http://www.militaryheritage.com/bolivar.htm]