Battle of Cerrito
Cerrito, Montevideo, Uruguay
What happened
Forces of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata under José Rondeau fought Spanish royalists from Montevideo led by Gaspar de Vigodet. Patriot troops from Buenos Aires were besieging the royalist city of Montevideo. On the last day of 1812 the royalists broke out and seized the hill of Cerrito. Lieutenant colonel Miguel Estanislao Soler led a surprise counterattack up the hill, and the royalists were driven back.
Why it matters
Why it matters: After Cerrito, the royalists never again tried to break out of the city walls. It shaped the rest of the siege.
What came next
Montevideo held out by river supply until Admiral William Brown's naval victories cut it off in 1814. Vigodet then surrendered the city.
Did you know?
Most of Soler's soldiers were formerly enslaved men, and their surprise attack decided the battle.
Timeline
- 1812The siege of Montevideo begins.
- 31 December 1812Battle of Cerrito.
- 17 May 1814Montevideo's supply route is cut.
- June 1814Vigodet surrenders Montevideo.