Battle of Vargas Swamp

1819 CE.

Shown on the map at 5.737°, -73.075°.

The Battle of Vargas Swamp (Spanish: Batalla del Pantano de Vargas) fought on July 25, 1819, was an engagement of Bolívar's campaign to liberate New Granada. The battle involved a joint Venezuelan and Neogranadine army commanded by General Simón Bolívar against the III Division of the Spanish Royalist Army commanded by Colonel José María Barreiro. The Battle of Vargas Swamp is considered one of the most important battles of the Colombian War of Independence, as it cleared the path for the Patriot army to advance towards Santafé de Bogotá, while also demoralizing the Royalist troops. Vargas Swamp was also the bloodiest battle of the 1819 New Granadan liberation campaign. The battle came as a result of Bolívar trying to outflank Spanish forces by capturing the provincial capital of Tunja through the Toca road, doing this would enable the Patriots to cut off the Spanish army's supply and communication lines to Santafe de Bogotá, while also allowing the Patriots to gain the lead in the race to capture the lightly defended viceregal capital.

Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of Vargas Swamp, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Everything else in 1819 CE

HistoryLayer draws the world as it was in any year from 123,000 BCE to 2026. Move the slider and the borders redraw for that year; the map carries 23,890 events, 12,790 people, 837 wars and 13,183 cities, each one readable in place. Signing in is optional and lets you keep what you find.

HistoryLayer
1914CE
World Wars
123,000 BCE2026 CE
54 stops — one per surviving map on file, evenly spaced drag the pin · ←→ steps one stop the same 54 stops by true elapsed time ↑
Map & filters
Show on the map
Filter
Colour by
Polity Empire