782 



VENEZUELA. 



array that captured Bolivar City, and established 

 the Legalists in control of the State of Bolivar, 

 proceeded as rapidly as possible toward Barcelona 

 to co-operate with the forces commanded by Gen. 

 Velutini and Joaquin Crespo, the son of the 

 CQinmander-in-chief. On Aug. 8 Crespo had cut 

 the army of Kangel and Zuloaga to pieces at Cura, 

 capturing Rangel and killing the other general, 

 after first separating them from Mendoza's forces 

 in a desperate battle fought at Cagua. They oc- 

 cupied Cura and intrenched themselves in the 

 plaza. Crespo having surrounded the city with 

 his cavalry, and planted his guns on a neighboring 

 hill, first threw the enemy into confusion by a 

 bombardment and by a well-directed shot which 

 killed Zuloaga and his staff in a church tower, 

 and then carried the intrenchments with the in- 

 fantry in a combat lasting 2 hours. The fleeing 

 troops, led by Rangel, were overtaken and cut 

 down by the lances and machetes of Crespo's cav- 

 alry, and the majority returned to Cura, and went 

 over to the revolutionists. Over 600 were killed on 

 the Government side, while Crespo's loss was 206 

 killed. Two days later Mcndoza was attacked on 

 all sides at La Victoria, and a severe battle took 

 place, in which Crespo was victorious. Re- 

 enforcements sent from Caracas to Mendoza were 

 checked and driven back at Guaya and compelled 

 to intrench themselves at Antimano. Mendoza 

 fell back on Caracas, and Crespo again laid siege 

 to the capital, with an army of 6,000 men. In a 

 battle near Barcelona between the forces of Mora- 

 les and young Crespo and the troops commanded 

 by Gen. Monagas, a brother of Domingo Monagas, 

 this general was slain. 



Urdaneta's Dictatorship. At this juncture, 

 when Villegas and Ybarra were ready to capitu- 

 late to Crespo, and Mendoza and Sarria, in Bar- 

 celona, were hard pressed by the Legalist forces, 

 Gen. Eleazer Urdaneta determined to head a 

 counter-revolution and attempt to mount to su- 

 preme power by crushing the Crespists. He 

 formed a league of the 5 western States, over 

 which he proclaimed himself dictator. Dr. Vil- 

 legas called Mendoza and Sarria back to the cap- 

 ital. Monagas, who had been engaging the rebels 

 in Bermudez, was called back by the urgent ap- 

 peals of Villegas and his friends, who were now 

 willing to follow the lead of Monagas and Sarria 

 again. He returned as far as Carupano and Ca- 

 mano. re-established h is authoi-ity there, and made 

 an attempt to join Mendoza in the defense of the 

 capital, which had been well fortified when Ybarra 

 held command. In this he was unsuccessful. 

 Urdaneta considered himself strong enough to 

 make his own terms. He arrived at La Guayra 

 with his fleet of 4 steamers and 3 sailing vessels 

 on Aug. 18, and, landing a force of 1,200 men, 

 took possession of the custom-house and the mil- 

 itary and police headquarters without a blow or a 

 protest from anybody. Urdaneta believed in 

 Palacio's scheme of wiping out the sovereign 

 States, by restoring the original number of 20 

 States, which would be reduced in effect to the 

 condition of departments, with Governors who 

 should be subservient to tho will of the chief 

 magistrate of the Republic, elected by the direct 

 vote of the people for four years and ineligible 

 for a second term. This last part of the pro- 

 gramme accorded with Crespo's ideas, but not the 

 plan which Palacio, before his abdication, and 



now Urdaneta, suggested for its execution, which 

 was to call upon the townships and municipalities 

 to send delegates to a National Convention, which 

 should proclaim a new Constitution, order the 

 election of a President by the people, and appoint 

 a new Congress. The official body at La Guayra 

 formally joined the Liberal League of the West 

 and acknowledged Urdaneta Provisional Execu- 

 tive of the Republic. Dr. Sebastian Casaiias, 

 Garcia Gomez, and other prominent military and 

 political leaders in Caracas, accepted Urdaneta, 

 and were taken into his counsels. He occupied 

 the forts of San Carlos and El Vijia with his 

 troops, and sent to Dr. Villegas to demand the 

 surrender of the capital into the hands of the 

 League. As 3d Vice-President of the Republic, 

 Urdaneta was in the line of succession to Vil- 

 legas, but only after Iturbide. On Aug. 19, after 

 an arrangement had been made with President 

 Villegas, Minister Sarria, and Gen. Carbajal. he 

 marched his forces into the capital and quietly 

 took possession. Dr. Villegas was caught and 

 imprisoned. Iturbide had fled. Urdaneta agreed 

 to leave Vice-President Villegas in nominal pos- 

 session of the Government, provided he would act 

 on the advice of Ministers selected by Urdaneta ; 

 viz., Casanas, Sarria, Carbajal, Garcia Gomez, 

 Ferrel Pulido, Castro, and Adrian. Congress re- 

 fused to approve the change, and in consequence 

 it was dissolved, and several Senators were ar- 

 rested. Monagas, in Barcelona, protested in any 

 change in the Government that was not ordered 

 by the Federal Council, and Mendoza from Vic- 

 toria positively refused to recognize the new 

 Executive and threatened to make terms with 

 Crespo. Under these circumstances, and in con- 

 sequence of the rebellion against his authority in 

 Zulia and the renewed activity of Leon Colina 

 in Coro, Urdaneta could get the support of only 

 half the Federal Council, and was compelled to 

 leave for the west. 



After the abandonment of Maracaibo by Ur- 

 daneta it was taken possession of by the Legal- 

 ists, who were as strong in the west as Urdaneta's 

 followers. The commandant left by Urdaneta in 

 the city, Gen. Arrias, issued a proclamation in 

 favor of Crespo, and Gen. Tirnoteo Leal, who had 

 been left in command of Fort San Carlos, at the 

 entrance of Lake Maracaibo, also declared for the 

 revolutionists, who were supplied with a large 

 quantity of arms and ammunition just landed by 

 Gen. Pulgar. Ferrer, Palacio's general, who had 

 refused to support the Caracas triumvirate, was 

 equally indisposed to join Urdaneta, and struck 

 no blow after the departure of bis old chief. 

 Puerto Cabello surrendered on Aug. 22 to Gen. 

 Mora, the commander of the Legalist forces in the 

 North. The rebel skirmishers carried the in- 

 trenchments at sunrise, and an hour later forced 

 the capitulation of the plaza. A part of the 

 Government troops, with the custom-house offi- 

 cials, escaped to the island in the harbor, and 

 from the fort fired shells into the city. Mora's 

 forces landed twice on the island, but were unable 

 to capture .the Castillo, 46 of the 300 defenders of 

 which were killed in the two assaults. Gen. 

 Urdaneta, whose plan of forcing himself on the 

 country as dictator, against the wishes of all the 

 other generals and most of the political chiefs, 

 depended on his retaining possession of the cus- 

 tom-houses, which supply nearly the entire rev- 



