Battle of Boyacá

Colombia, then known as New Granada, acquired its definitive independence from Spain at the Battle of Boyacá. A combined republican army of Colombians and Venezuelans was led during the campaign by the strategy of General Simón Bolívar. The tactical leaders of the army in the battlefield were Brigadier Generals Francisco de Paula Santander and José Antonio Anzoátegui. A small British Legion made up of mostly Irish voluntaries, including some veterans from the Napoleonic wars, was also presented. They were opposed by a Royalist force led by Colonels José María Barreiro and Francisco Jiménez. The battlefield is located about 150 km from Bogotá in the Andes Mountains.

After having managed to successfully turn a potential defeat into a narrow victory at the Pantano de Vargas, the vanguard of Bolivar's forces, led by Santander, eventually caught up with the Royalist army as it attempted to head towards the road leading to Bogotá, which would effectively cut off the advance of the republican army and give the strategic initiative to its opponents.

The republican vanguard forced a confrontation through a surprise attack, which divided Barreiro's army at a strategic bridge, splitting the Royalist force in half. Each half was defeated in turn by Santader's and Anzoátegui's forces, which used their cavalry squadrons to great effect, managing to strike their foes' respective rearguards.

At least 1,600 troops and several of the Spanish commanders, including Barreiro himself, were captured at the end of the battle. New Granada's liberation was assured by this victory, which left the road to Bogotá and the city itself practically undefended, as the survivors headed towards other locations. After the battle, Santander and Anzoátegui were promoted to the rank of Division General, the equivalent rank of Major General.