Battle of San Cala

Battle of San Cala or Sancala

Batalla de San Cala, óleo de Juan Manuel Blanes, 1875

Date	9 January 1841
Location	San Carlos Minas, Córdoba Province, Argentina
Result	Federalist victory

Belligerents

Federalists

Unitarians (Central Government)

Commanders and leaders

Ángel Pacheco

José María Vilela

Strength

~1.100

~1.500

Casualties and losses

400-600

The Battle of San Cala (or of Sancala or San Calá), fought in the present-day Minas Department, Córdoba, Argentina, on January 9, 1842, between Unitarian forces and Federalists, who under the command of General Ángel Pacheco, prevented the expansion of the Unitarian Coalition of the North into the provinces of the Cuyo.

After the failure of Juan Lavalle's campaign to invade the province of Buenos Aires, this Unitarian general moved to the province of Santa Fe and, from there, retreated toward the province of Córdoba. But a misunderstanding with the forces under the command of General Gregorio Aráoz de Lamadrid caused Lavalle to suffer a terrible defeat at the Battle of Quebracho Herrado.

Not considering themselves to be sufficiently strong in Córdoba, both generals agreed to retire toward the northern Argentine provinces, which were securely in the Unitarian camp. At the same time, they sent two secondary columns to seize other provinces. One of these, under the command of Mariano Acha, was defeated in its attempt to take the province of Santiago del Estero.

The second column was placed under the command of Colonel José María Vilela. The best of Lavalle's troops composed this column, and their mission was to support the Unitarian revolutionaries who were, it was thought, ready to rise in the provinces of San Luis and Mendoza.

As this second column headed to the Valley of Traslasierra, and near the Indian village of Sancala (near present-day San Carlos Minas, Córdoba), a division of Federalist cavalry sent under the command of General Ángel Pacheco in pursuit of the Unitarian column were rapidly closing in on it.

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Wikipedia