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Ayacucho December 9, 1824
Strategic Context
After the Spanish Royalist defeat at the Battle of Junin, Simon Bolívar organizes a Revolutionary government in Lima while Antonio José de Sucre pursues José de la Serna’s Royalist army. La Serna halts and marches north of Sucre to do battle in the “Corner of the Dead” in the hopes of cutting him off from any new army raised by Bolívar. La Serna tries to encircle Sucre’s force but Sucre maneuvers out of the encirclement to establish a defensive position in a rugged area filled with ravines and hills.
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Stakes
+ A Royalist victory would separate Sucre and Bolívar’s forces and destabilize the new regime based in Lima.
+ A Revolutionary victory would terminate Spanish control over Peru.
By Jonathan Webb, 2009

2. Ayacucho, 1824 Strength Loyalists Revolutionaries
Well
Revolutionaries
Well
José de la Serna
Antonio José de Sucre
9,310
5,780
By Jonathan Webb, 2009

3. South America c. 1821

4. Heights of Candorcanqui
The battlefield consists of an area known as the Corner of the Dead enclosed by the Pampas River to the north and the Heights of Candorcanqui to the east. The surrounding area consists of rough terrain, river valleys, and deep ditches with the elevation higher in the north and east. The ground is flatter and more open to the southwest in the Quinua Plain.
Royalists
(La Serna)
Pampas River
Quinua Plain
Heights of Candorcanqui
Revolutionaries
(Sucre)

5. Revolutionaries Royalists
La Serna divides his army into three parts, his left wing the relatively weakest. He plans to draw Sucre’s attention and reserves by attacking his left wing and then smash his center. Sucre fully expects La Serna to open the battle with an offensive and prepares for just such a thing: he deploys heavy cavalry at his center and infantry on the flanks while more infantry is kept in reserve. His deployment is flexible and is intended to halt any Royalist attack before it can break out of the rugged terrain into the plains.
La Serna now sends his center forward to attack but it is met by an aggressive stance by Sucre’s heavy cavalry and reserve. La Serna funnels more troops into this attack and begins to push forward while Sucre’s right wing suddenly surges forward and utterly defeats its opposition.
With La Serna’s left wing collapsed, Sucre feels confident enough to launch a full-scale assault; the Revolutionaries charge ahead feverously and chase the Royalists back into the hills. Sucre’s right wing is able to assist in encircling and capturing fourteen Royalist generals.
La Serna opens the battle by attacking Sucre’s left wing and succeeds in driving it back. However, Sucre promptly reinforces his left wing with his reserve and La Serna’s drive becomes bogged down in the ravines and hills before his forces can sweep into the plains.
Landmarks
Royalists
(La Serna)
Revolutionaries Royalists
Infantry Infantry
Cavalry Cavalry
Pampas River
Quinua Plain
Heights of Candorcanqui
Revolutionaries
(Antonio José de Sucre)
5,780
Royalists
(José de la Serna)
9,310
Symbol guide
Revolutionaries
(Sucre)

6. Ayacucho, 1824 Casualties & Aftermath
Royalists:
Revolutionaries:
4,600 or
49%
979 Or
17%
By the terms of the surrender, La Serna withdrew all forces from Peru and allowed Sucre to establish the Republic of Bolivia the following year. While Spain’s dominance over South America was shattered by this battle and preceding engagements, the last Spanish troops were not neutralized until 1826 at Callao.
By Jonathan Webb, 2009

7. The Art of Battle: Animated Battle Maps
By Jonathan Webb, 2009