Battle of Junín
Plain of Junín, near Lake Junín, Junín Region, Peru
What happened
Patriot cavalry under Simón Bolívar, with General Necochea and Lieutenant Colonel Isidoro Suárez, fought Spanish royalist cavalry under José de Canterac. High in the Andes, at about 4,100 metres, the horsemen of the two armies met on the plain of Junín. The fight lasted about 45 minutes and was fought only with lances and swords, with no guns fired. The Spanish horsemen at first drove back the patriots, but Suárez's squadron struck them from the side and turned the battle.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The Spanish royalist cavalry was destroyed, and royalist morale collapsed. It opened the way for the final Spanish defeat in South America.
What came next
On 9 December 1824 the patriots won the Battle of Ayacucho, the final Spanish defeat.
Did you know?
Bolívar renamed the Peruvian cavalry unit that turned the battle the 'Hussars of Junín'.
Timeline
- 6 August 1824The patriots win at Junín.
- 1824Bolívar renames the Hussars of Peru the Hussars of Junín.
- 9 December 1824The patriots win the Battle of Ayacucho.