Desert Campaign (1833–34)

Desert Campaign
Portrait of Juan Manuel de Rosas during the campaign
Location	Argentine Pampas
Planned by	Juan Manuel de Rosas
Objective	End malones and aid in territorial expansion
Date	1833–34
Executed by	Juan Manuel de Rosas, Facundo Quiroga, Félix Aldao, Ruiz Huidobro
Outcome	Argentine victory
Casualties	3,200 aboriginal people

The Desert Campaign (1833–34) was a military campaign in Argentina led by Juan Manuel de Rosas against the indigenous people of the southern Pampas and northern Patagonia. The campaign was later followed by the Conquest of the Desert, which took place in the 1870s and 1880s.

Juan Manuel de Rosas's first term as governor of Buenos Aires ended in 1832. He had defeated the Unitarian League of Argentina. With a lull in the Argentine Civil Wars, Rosas's focus shifted to securing the frontier from the indigenous population.Juan Ramón Balcarce, who succeeded Rosas as governor, allowed him to embark on the military campaign, despite receiving proposals to deny Rosas authorization for it.

Harsh terrain played a significant factor in the military campaign, as there were no European settlements on the route Rosas's army travelled, and his force had to transport all of its provisions from Buenos Aires. Because of the remoteness of the theatre, messages had to be relayed between multiple couriers back to the city of Buenos Aires. Additionally, Rosas needed a substantial number of horses, which were difficult to obtain due to the ongoing Argentine Civil Wars.

The campaign spanned from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andes, and had several sections of attack. Félix Aldao from the Mendoza Province attacked the Mapuche in the south of his province and in Neuquen. Ruiz Huidobro, under the command of Facundo Quiroga, faced the Ranqueles in San Luis and Córdoba. Rosas led the section in the Buenos Aires province. Although de Rosas organized the overall campaign, the primary commander in the field was Quiroga. It was expected Chile would contribute additional military support; however, the nation was unable to do so, due to a mutiny, and assassination attempts, against Diego Portales. De Rosas's command left Buenos Aires on March 22, 1833.