Battle of Membrillar
The battle of Membrillar | |||||||
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Part of the Chilean War of Independence | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Chilean patriots | Royalists | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Juan Mackenna | Gabino Gaínza | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
unknown | unknown |
- v
- t
- e
- Patria Vieja (1812–1814)
- 1st Talcahuano
- Linares
- Yerbas Buenas
- Valparaíso
- 1st San Carlos
- 1st La Frontera
- 2nd Talcahuano
- Thomas
- 2nd San Carlos
- 1st Chillán
- Aconcagua
- 1st Quirihue
- Cauquenes
- 2nd La Frontera
- Huilquilemu
- Quilacoya
- Florida
- El Roble
- Trancoyan
- Cucha-Cucha
- Penco
- Gomero
- 1st Talca
- El Quilo
- Membrillar
- Maule River north march
- 1st Cancha Rayada
- 1st Quechereguas
- 1st Concepción
- Rancagua
- Los Papeles
- Reconquista (1815–1817)
- Central Chile insurgency
- Juncalito
- Crossing of the Andes
- Picheuta
- Potrerillos
- Guardia Vieja
- Achupallas
- Las Coimas
- Cumpeo
- Salala
- Chacabuco
- 2nd Valparaíso
- Patria Nueva (1817–1819)
- Juan Fernández Islands
- First southern campaign
- 1st Parral
- Curapalihue
- 3rd La Frontera
- Gavilán Hill
- 3rd Talcahuano
- 1st Carampangue
- 2nd Carampangue
- 2nd Chillán
- Bustamante
- 3rd Valparaíso
- Curaumilla
- 2nd Quechereguas
- Illapel
- 2nd Talca
- 2nd Cancha Rayada
- Maipú
- Second southern campaign
- 2nd Parral
- 2nd Quirihue
- 3rd Chillán
- Biobío River
- Spanish South Sea expedition
- Guerra a muerte (1819–c.1824/7/32)
- Fort Santa Juana
- Mesamávida
- Los Ángeles
- 4th Chillán
- Curalí
- Posillas
- Dolores
- 1st Quilmo
- Curanilahue
- Trilaleo
- Hualqui
- Talcamávida
- Pileo
- 1st Yumbel
- El Avellano
- Fort San Pedro
- 3rd San Carlos
- Monte Blanco
- 1st Araucanía
- 5th Talcahuano
- 2nd Quilmo
- 2nd Yumbel
- Pangal
- Tarpellanca
- 6th Talcahuano
- Cocharcas
- 2nd Concepción
- Chillán River
- 2nd Araucanía
- 3rd Araucanía
- Arauco Bay
- Vegas de Saldías
- 4th Araucanía
- 5th Araucanía
- Coast of Arauco
- Boroa
- Alico
- Laraquete
- Panguilemu
- Bureo
- Pincheira brothers brigandage
- Neuquén
- Valdivia, Osorno and Chiloé (1820–1826)
- Relevant civil conflicts
- Carrera uprising of 1814
- Prieto brothers uprising of 1819
- Osorno mutiny of 1821
- Abdication of O'Higgins in 1823
- Chiloé uprising in 1826
- Campino uprising of 1827
- External fronts
- Aid expeditions to the Río de la Plata
- Brown's privateer expedition to the Pacific
- Chile privateers campaign
- Cochrane campaign
- Liberating Expedition of Peru
- Benavente expedition to Peru
- Coast of Cobija
- Callao
The battle of Membrillar occurred on 20 March 1814, during the War of Chilean Independence.[1]
Background
Prior to the fall of Talca in early March, Juan Mackenna had been positioned along the rata Itata river with a small division of patriot troops, whilst Bernardo O'Higgins had remained with the main body of the army in Concepción. After Talca fell to Royalist forces, however, Mackenna realised his lines of communication with O'Higgins were now cut and that he was isolated. Mackenna, the colonel of engineers on the patriot General Staff, formed a solid defensive position, building three mutually supporting bastions on local hills on the north bank of the north side of the Itata river near Membrillar. The Royalist commander, Gabino Gaínza, had sent a vanguard of 400 men into the hills of Quilo, south of the Itata river, to prevent the two patriot commanders from reuniting. This force had been defeated in the Battle of El Quilo on the 19 March, forcing Gaínza to attempt a different plan. Gaínza instead decided to attack Mackenna's forces immediately, before then turning on O'Higgins. Chillán sent additional reinforcements, and Gaínza then crossed the Itata to attack.
The battle
The battle began on 20 March in chaos. A misinterpreted order resulted in confused skirmishes breaking out between the forward units of both armies. The Royalist forces made a disorganised assault on the Patriot trenches surrounding the field by the village of Membrillar; this attack was repelled and immediately the Royalist officer Manuel Barañao led a second attack, this time on the central positions held by Mackenna. Mackenna's forces held and he sent a counter-attack against the Royalists, comprising units led by Santiago Bueras, Hilario Vidal, Agustín Almanza and Balcarce Marks, driving Barañao's forces back. The Royalists continued their waves of attacks for several hours, but all were repulsed. When night fell, the driving rain and the dark encouraged the Royalists to retreat from the field.
Aftermath
In the morning, Mackenna did not realise how much damage he had inflicted on the Royalists and instead focused on repairing the damage to his fortifications, expecting another attack. As a result, Gabino Gaínza was able to regroup and reorganise his forces.
Notes
- ^ "Dictionary of Irish Latin American Biography > "Mackenna, John [Juan] (1771-1814)"". www.irlandeses.org. Retrieved 2022-05-11.