Montonera

Montoneras
Martín Miguel de Güemes leading a guerrilla of gauchos
Active	Nineteenth century
Country	Argentina
Allegiance	Federal Party
Engagements	Argentine Civil Wars

The Montoneras originally were known as the armed civilian, paramilitary groups who organized in the 19th century during the wars of independence from Spain in Latin America. They played an important role in the Argentine Civil War, as well as in other Latin American countries during the 19th century, generally operating in rural areas.

In the 20th century, the term was applied to some insurgent groups in countries of Central and South America. Generally these were paramilitary groups composed of persons from a locality who provided armed support to a particular cause or leader. In the late 20th century, the leftists guerrillas Montoneros in Argentina adopted a name related to the 19th century militants.

Several philologists think the term montonera is derived from montón (crowd), because the men marched in a disorderly fashion; others think it derives from montes (mountains), as the men used the backcountry as their defensive bases. Others said the first fighters were montados (mounted) on horseback.

As Montoneras appeared spontaneously in towns that revolted, attacking isolated Royalist garrisons and quickly dispersed when confronted by a superior force to regroup later, historians have compared them to the guerrillas who fought in Spain during its war of independence, part of the Peninsular War, or guerrillas in other areas.

The Spanish historian Manuel Ovilo y Otero noted they operated similarly to those guerrillas fighting in Spain against Napoleon's troops from 1808 to 1814.

The English officer William Miller, who served in Wellington's army during his campaign in Spain and then in South America, said that the montoneras in Peru served an invaluable function as an auxiliary force. Their value was similar to that of guerillas in the Peninsular War.