The Decisive Battles of World History

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x Bolivar and his chief lieutenant, Sucre, began to plan their campaign
against Peru. The time was ripe for an attack: Internal turmoil in
Spain ensured that the royalist forces in South America would not
be receiving reinforcements.


x In May 1824, the revolutionary army embarked on an epic march
through the mountains. The soldiers suffered severely from altitude
sickness and from nighttime temperatures well below freezing. By
August, Bolivar had made his way onto the high Peruvian plateau
with an army of nearly 9,000 men.


x On August 6, there was a sharp clash between Bolivar’s cavalry
and that of the royalists at Lake Junin, at an altitude of 12,000 feet.
The royalist cavalry initially had success, but Bolivar’s horsemen
rallied and drove them off. From a military perspective, this battle
was unusual because it was fought solely by the mounted forces
using only swords and lances. Although a relatively minor victory,
the Battle of Junin greatly elevated the morale of the revolutionary
army, and it cleared the way for Bolivar to march into Peru proper,
setting the stage for the decisive Battle of Ayacucho.


x Bolivar departed to deal with some urgent political issues, leaving
Sucre in charge of the army. The commander of the royalist army
opposing Sucre was Jose de la Serna. For several months, Sucre
and La Serna shadowed each other. Finally, the two forces drew
together on December 8 near the plain of Ayacucho and encamped
for the night.


x That evening, Sucre cleverly ordered his musicians forward toward
the Spanish, together with some skirmishers. Throughout the night,
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awake, ensuring that they would be ill-rested for the coming battle.


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only 1,300 by 800 yards. Sucre’s army of about 6,000 men and one

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