Battle of Tarqui

Uniform of the grenadiers dating from the time of the Battle of Tarqui, today worn by the presidential guard of honor at the presidential palace of Quito.

Date	February 27, 1829
Location	Portete de Tarqui, near Cuenca, Ecuador.
Result	Setbacks on both sides

Belligerents

Gran Colombia

Peru

Commanders and leaders

Antonio José de Sucre

José de la Mar

Strength

5,000

Casualties and losses

360 dead and wounded; 600 desertions

400 dead, 600 wounded, 300 prisoners

The Battle of Tarqui, also known as the Battle of Portete de Tarqui, took place on February 27, 1829 at Portete de Tarqui, near Cuenca, Ecuador. It was fought between troops from Gran Colombia, commanded by Antonio José de Sucre, and Peruvian troops under José de La Mar. It was a victory for Gran Colombia in its first part, and a victory for Peru in its second part. After winning independence from Spain, the countries that are now Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela formed a single nation known as Gran Colombia. Simón Bolívar, the liberator of most of the Andean countries in South America had hoped to join what is now Peru and Bolivia to Gran Colombia, but Peru (including what is now parts of Bolivia) chose to remain a separate nation. (Bolivia had earlier declared independence in 1826.)

In 1828, José de Lamar the President of Peru, who had been born in Cuenca, was encouraged by influential citizens of Guayaquil to believe that the people of "el Austro" or the southern region of what is now Ecuador—including Cuenca, Guayaquil and Loja—would prefer to be part of Peru rather than Gran Colombia. José de Lamar, who also had the title of marshal or mariscal, occupied the city of Loja with Peruvian troops in November 1828.

The President of Gran Colombia, Simón Bolívar appointed Mariscal Sucre, then President of Bolivia, to lead the Gran Colombian troops to defend the "Department of Ecuador." Helping Sucre was the Governor of the Department of Ecuador, Juan José Flores. Together Sucre and Flores recruited an estimated 5,000 troops by January 1829 and brought them into the area near Cuenca by the middle of February. Lamar also had an estimated Peruvian 4,500 troops in the vicinity of Cuenca. The two armies were set to confront in Portete de Tarqui with the victory of the Grancolombian troops, in the first part of the battle, including a rifle battalion and a cavalry squadron under COL José María Camacaro, serving as part of the cavalry brigade under MGEN Daniel Florence O'Leary. During the second part of the battle the Colonel's death in the battle by the 1st Squadron, Junin Hussars Regiment commanding officer, then COL Luis Jose de Orbegoso y Moncada (later a Marshal), shocked the Colombian forces so much that a cavalry charge was ordered, being pushed the Colombia forces (Cedeño Squadron and two companies of hunters) away by the Peruvian Hussars.

...
Wikipedia