Battle of Chalchuapa

The Battle of Chalchuapa (Spanish: Batalla de Chalchuapa) was a battle between the military forces of El Salvador and Guatemala from 1–2 April 1885. Guatemalan President Justo Rufino Barrios was killed during the battle.

Battle of Chalchuapa
Part of Barrios' War of Reunification

The death of Justo Rufino Barrios.
Date1–2 April 1885
Location
Chalchuapa, El Salvador
13°59′N 89°41′W
Result

Salvadoran victory

Belligerents
 El Salvador  Guatemala
Commanders and leaders
  • Adán Mora
  • Carlos Molina
  • Indalecio Miranda
  • Pedro Escalón
  • Felipe Barrientos
  • Manuel Montalvo
Strength
5,000[1] 14,500[1][2]
Casualties and losses
50–200 dead
150 injured		 1,500+ dead
Chalchuapa is located in El Salvador
Chalchuapa
Chalchuapa
Location within El Salvador

Background

Since the end of Second Central American Civil War from 1838 to 1841, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua existed as independent nations that were no longer political entities within the Federal Republic of Central America.[3][4][5] During the Liberal Revolution of 30 April 1871, Divisional General Justo Rufino Barrios helped Divisional General Miguel García Granados rise to power and become President of Guatemala, ousting President Vicente Cerna y Cerna in the process.[3][5][6][7] Barrios later became President in 1873 after García Granados retired.[3] Barrios believed in Central American reunification and wanted to recreated a Central American union with himself as President.[1] He was inspired by the unification of Germany under Prussia by Otto von Bismarck to unify Central America under Guatemalan with himself as President.[5]

On 28 February 1885, Barrios proclaimed himself President of Central America and that he had supreme authority over every nation of Central America.[3][5] The National Assembly of Guatemala approved Barrios' declaration during a meeting on 5 March.[3][7] Barrios believed the other Central American nations would join his union, but only Honduras approved of Barrios' declaration which they approved on 7 March.[1][3] Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua all denounced the declaration.[1][3] Barrios mobilized the Guatemalan Army on 10 March in preparation to form his union by force and war began on the afternoon of 29 March 1885.[1][7] Barrios thought that the threat of force would make El Salvador submit, but he was notified that Salvadoran President Rafael Zaldívar was assembling his own army to defend against the Guatemalans.[1]

Battle

1 April

The Salvadorans under Adán Mora fortified themselves in the town of Chalchuapa and awaited the Guatemalan attack.[1][8] At around 11am local time, the Guatemalans began an artillery bombardment of the town to weaken the Salvadoran fortifications.[1] The artillery attack lasted until 3pm local time.[1]

2 April

At 6am local time, Camilo Álvarez moved to capture the road connecting Chalchuapa to Santa Ana and Luis Molina covered Álvarez's flanks.[1] The town was surrounded by 9am. Barrios himself took charge of a division and attacked the entrenched Salvadoran positions.[1][3] Barrios was killed in action by Salvadoran soldiers when he was shot in the heart and fell off his horse.[1][5] Other reports claim that he was shot by a Guatemalan soldier who shot Barrios by accident.[9]

Felipe Cruz took command of the Guatemalan army after Barrios' death and continued to fight.[1] He attempted to keep news of Barrios' death from reaching the soldiers, but as morale fell when news spread of his death, Cruz ordered a retreat.[1] The Salvadorans were only made aware of Barrios' death and the Guatemalan retreat on 3 April.[1]

Aftermath

Zaldívar attempted to make peace with Cruz after the battle but he rejected the peace offer.[1] Peace was agreed upon after Zaldívar was overthrown by Francisco Menéndez on 22 June 1885.[1][10]

References
  1. Cifuentes, Ismael (2 April 2008). "Battle of Chalchuapa, 1885". Military Perspective.
  2. "Batallas famosas". Fiestas de Santa Ana El Salvador - El Diario de Hoy. 2 October 2002. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  3. Lavarreda, Carlos A. El Reformador: Justo Rufino Barrios. Guatemala: Guate360º. p. 47.
  4. Karnes, Thomas L. (1961). The Failure of Union: Central America, 1824–1960. Durham, NC: University of North Carolina Press. p. 85.
  5. Palmer, Steven (1993). "Central American Union or Guatemalan Republic? The National Question in Liberal Guatemala, 1871-1885". The Americas. Cambridge University Press. 49 (4): 513–530. doi:10.2307/1007411. JSTOR 1007411.
  6. Hernández de León, Federico (1930). El libro de las efemérides (in Spanish). Vol. 3. Guatemala: Tipografía Sánchez y de Guise. p. 9.
  7. Miller, Hubert J. (1991). "Conservative and Liberal Concordats in Nineteenth-Century Guatemala: Who Won?". Journal of Church and State. Oxford University Press. 33 (1): 115–130. doi:10.1093/jcs/33.1.115. JSTOR 23917163.
  8. "La Batalla de Chalchuapa". Geocities. 5 March 2007. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  9. Barrientos, Alfonso Enrique (1948). "Ramón Rosa y Guatemala" (PDF). Revista del archivo y biblioteca nacionales (in Spanish). Honduras. 27 (3). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  10. "Presidentes de El Salvador - General Francisco Menéndez" [Presidents of El Salvador - General Francisco Menéndez]. Presidente Elías Antonio Saca El Salvador (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 March 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
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