DEFEAT OF MORILLO. 499 



was forced to retreat to Valencia. Bolivar, 

 in consequence of the exhaustion of his own 

 troops, was compelled to discontinue the 

 pursuit; but he detached Cedeno and Paez 

 to take possession of San Fernando de 

 Apur6. He thus, however, weakened the 

 main body of his army, reducing it to 

 twelve hundred cavalry and about five 

 hundred infantry. Morillo, seizing the op- 

 portunity, suddenly attacked him on his 

 advance to San Vittoria ; a series of actions 

 ensued, from the 13th to the 17th of March, 

 at La Cabrera, Maracay, and La Puerta, in 

 one of which Morillo was wounded. Ce- 

 deno and Paez, the latter of whom had 

 received reinforcements from England, at 

 length rejoined Bolivar, who, on the 26th, 

 becoming the assailant, attacked and car- 

 ried the Spanish position on the heights of 

 Ortiz, which was defended by La Torre; 

 but the enemy in his retreat recaptured 

 Calabozo on the 30th. 



2 K 2 



