BOLIVAR. 



591 



both of noble and distinguished familie s in Venezuela. 

 After acquiring the first elements of a liberal educa- 

 tion at home, B. repaired to Europe, in pursuit of 

 more extended means of gaining knowledge, visiting 

 Havanna and Mexico on his way. He completed his 

 studies in Madrid, and then spent some time in tra- 

 velling, chiefly in the south of Europe. He was 

 particularly attracted to the capital of France, where 

 he was an eye-witness of some of the later events of 

 the revolution, and there, probably, conceived the 

 idea of liberating his country from .the tyranny of 

 Spain. Returning to Madrid, he married the daugh- 

 ter of don N. Toro, uncle of the marquis of Toro, in 

 Caraccas, and embarked with her for America, in- 

 tending to dedicate himself, for a while, to domestic 

 life, and the superintends nee of his large estate. But 

 the premature and sudden death of his wife, who fell 

 a victim to the yellow fever, dispelled his visions of 

 domestic happiness ; and he again visited Europe as 

 a relief to his sorrow for her loss. On his return 

 home, he passed through the United States ; and the 

 lesson of liberty there taught him was not without 

 its fruits; for, on his arrival in Venezuela, he em- 

 barked in the plans and intrigues of the patriots, and 

 pledged himself to the cause of independence. 



Being one of the chief promoters of the movement 

 in Caraccas of April 19, 1810, which is considered as 

 the beginning of the revolution, he received a colon- 

 el's commission from the supreme junta then estab- 

 lished, and was associated with don Louis Lopez 

 Mendez, for the purpose of communicating intelli- 

 gence of the change of government to Great Britain. 

 He took part in the first military operations of the 

 Venezuelan patriots after the declaration of indepen- 

 dence, July 5, 1811, serving under Miranda in an 

 expedition against a body of persons in Valencia, 

 who thus early took a stand opposed to the revolu- 

 tion. After the earthquake of March, 1812, the war 

 was commenced in earnest by the advance of Monte- 

 verde with the Spanish troops ; and the command of 

 the important post of Puerto Cabello was intrusted to 

 B. But, unfortunately, the Spanish prisoners in the 

 castle of San Felipe, which commanded the town, 

 corrupted one of the patriot officers, and obtained 

 possession of the castle ; so that B. was compelled to 

 evacuate the place. Tin's mishap contributed greatly 

 to produce the submission of Miranda, which left 

 Venezuela in the full control of Monteverde. Many 

 of those persons, who were deeply committed in the 

 revolution, now sought to leave their country ; and 

 B. succeeded in obtaining a passport and escaping to 

 Curacoa. Unable, however, to remain a cold spec- 

 tator of the events occurring on the continent, he 

 repaired to Carthagena, in September, 1812, and, 

 with other emigrants from Caraccas, entered into the 

 service of the patriots of New Grenada. They gave 

 him the command in the small town of Baranca, no- 

 minally under the orders of Labatut, the republican 

 governor of Santa Marta ; but B. could not be con- 

 tent with the obscure part which must have fallen to 

 him had he remained at Baranca. Instead of this, 

 he undertook an expedition against Teneriffe, a town 

 higher up on the river Magdalena, occupied by the 

 Spaniards, captured it, and, gathering forces on the 

 way, he proceeded, on his own responsibility, to 

 Mompox, driving the Spaniards before him from all 

 their posts in the Upper Magdalena, and finally en- 

 tering the city of Ocana in triumph, amid the accla- 

 mations of the inhabitants, whom he delivered. 

 These happy and successful movements now turned 

 the public attention upon him ; and he was invited to 

 inarch upon Cucuta, and attempt to expel the Span- 

 ish division commanded by Correa. This operation, 

 also, he achieved, without any loss, by the celerity 

 and skill of his movements, and now conceived the 



great and bold project of invading Venezuela with 

 his little army, and delivering it from the powerful 

 forces under Monteverde. The congress of New 

 Grenada gratified him in this respect, and gave him 

 a commission of brigadier ; but many obstacles were 

 tlirown in his way by colonel Manuel Castillo, com- 

 mandant-general, under the congress, in the province 

 of Pamplona, which led to an irreconcilable difference 

 between them. At length, having overcome a mul- 

 titude of difficulties which retarded his advance, and 

 driven Correa from the valleys of Cucuta, he com 

 menced his march for Venezuela, with a small force 

 of but little more than 500 men, but accompanied by 

 excellent officers, some of whom afterwards acquired 

 great celebrity, such as Rivas, Jirardot, Urdaneta, 

 and d'Eluyar. 



Heedless of the accusations of rashness lavished on 

 his enterprise, B. plunged into the province of Meri- 

 da. The inhabitants of the provincial capital rose, 

 upon the Spaniards on learning the news of his ap- 

 proach. He hastily re-established the republican 

 authorities there, while his van-guard was proceeding 

 upon Trujillo, under Jirardot. A single engagement 

 took place in Carache, where Jirardot defeated a 

 strong corps of royalists under Cannas, after which the 



Srovinces of Merida and Trujillo remained wholly 

 ee from the Spaniards. B. had detached from his 

 troops a small body under colonel Bricenno, for the 

 occupation of Varinas. Bricenno was defeated ; and, 

 falling into the hands of the Spaniards, was shot in 

 cold blood, with seventeen of his companions, and 

 many of the patriots of Varinas, by the Spanish com- 

 mandant, Fiscar. 



Meanwhile, B. obtained authentic intelligence of 

 the horrid and shameless cruelties and oppressions 

 every where perpetrated in Venezuela by Monteverde 

 and his subordinate officers, analogous to the butcher- 

 ies of Fiscar. Exasperated by the knowledge of these 

 events, he issued the famous decree of guerra d 

 muerte, condemning to death all the Spanish prisoners, 

 who might fall into his hands. But he was not of a 

 cruel or sanguinary temper ; and this decree seems 

 to have been intended rather to intimidate the royal- 

 ists than literally to be put in execution. His army 

 increasing daily, he separated it into two divisions, 

 committing one of them to the charge of Rivas, and 

 both rapidly advanced upon Caraccas, through the 

 provinces of Trujillo and Varinas. Several engage- 

 ments ensued, in which the patriots were successful ; 

 and, at length, the decisive victory of Lastoguanes, 

 in which the flower of Monteverde's troops were com- 

 pletely defeated, left open the road to Caraccas. 

 Monteverde shut himself up in Puerto Cabello, and 

 B. lost no time in marching upon the capital, which 

 was evacuated by the Spaniards without a struggle, 

 and entered in triumph by B., August 4, 1813. 

 Meantime, Marino had effected the liberation of the 

 eastern provinces of Venezuela, of which the patriots 

 had regained entire possession, excepting only the 

 fortress of Puerto Cabello. 



At this period, the whole authority in Venezuela 

 centred in B., as the commander of the liberating 

 army, and the oppressions of some of his subordinate 

 officers excited loud complaints. Nevertheless, con- 

 vinced of the necessity of having the resources 

 of the country, at such an emergency, in the hands 

 of a single individual, it was resolved, in a con- 

 vention of the principal civil and military officers, 

 assembled at Caraccas, Jan. 2, 1814, to confirm the 

 dictatorial powers which circumstances had already 

 thrown upon B. A desperate contest now ensued 



between the royalist and patriot parties and forces ; 

 and to narrate the part which B. took therein, would 

 be to relate the history of the war. Suffice it to say, 



that, after various vicissitudes of fortune, B, was 





