Battle of Palonegro
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The Battle of Palonegro was a battle in the Santander Department of Colombia, than lasted from May 11—26, 1900, in the early days of the
Thousand Days War The Thousand Days' War ( es, Guerra de los Mil Días) was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Liberal Party and the government led by the National Party, and later – after the Conser ...
. The commanding general of the Liberal armies, Gabriel Vargas Santos, ordered his troops to retire to Palonegro, near the city of
Bucaramanga Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and has the ninth-largest population in the country, with 6 ...
in the Santander Department of Colombia. After the battle, the war escalated, and became one of the most brutal conflicts in early 20th century South America.


Background

After the Liberal victory in the Battle of Peralonso on December 15, 1899, the Liberals could have chosen to march unopposed on the capital, consolidating the defeat of the Conservatives. General Vargas Santos, commander of the Liberal army, believed it was dishonorable to attack the dispersed government army, and ordered that his troops move to
Cúcuta Cúcuta (), officially San José de Cúcuta, is a Colombian municipality, capital of the department of Norte de Santander and nucleus of the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta. The city is located in the homonymous valley, at the foot of the Eastern ...
, many kilometers from the site of the battle. By the time the General decided to recommence the war in February, fighting off mosquitoes and fever, the new Conservative army was fresh and well supplied under the command of the general Próspero Pinzón, and had cut off all routes of escape.


The battle

On May 11, 1900, the Liberal advance arrived at the outposts in the Canta mountains, in between
Bucaramanga Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and has the ninth-largest population in the country, with 6 ...
and Lebrija, beginning the longest battle of the war. Fifteen days of intense combat on a front of 26 kilometers of trenches took place in the hills of Palonegro. After the battle, the doctors who took care of the wounded and dead recounted stories of the brutality of the battle. Sources put the dead at 2,500, 1,500 Liberals and 1,000 Conservatives. The battle ended on May 26 when the Liberals began to abandon their positions in order to retreat.


Aftermath

General Vargas Santos unexpectedly opted to lead his troops to safety via the jungle of Teorama. From that point on, the war began to escalate, ending with the defeat of the Liberals.


Galery

File:Vísperas de la batalla de palonegro.webp, Government troops before the battle. File:Tropa del ejercito conservador.jpg, Government troops getting ready before the battle. File:Palonegro.jpg,
Ossuary An ossuary is a chest, box, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the ...
raised to unidentified victims after the battle. File:Hospital palonegro.jpg, Current challenges of one of the makeshift hospitals during the battle. File:IMAGEN MUSEO.jpg, Weapons and tools used during the battle at the Batalla de Palonegro Military Historical Museum,
Bucaramanga Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and has the ninth-largest population in the country, with 6 ...
. File:Pintura de la Batalla de Palonegro.png, Painting by Marco Tobon Mejia that represents the heat of battle. File:Ejercito conservador.jpg, Government troops getting ready before the battle. File:Campo de Palonegro.jpg, Battle of camp palonegro.


References


External links


http://www.presidencia.gov.co (Page contains information on number of participants in battle)
{{Coord missing, Colombia Palonegro 1900 in Colombia