29th May, 1812.  Friday.
Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta.

The main reason we went to free Santa Marta is that this was the main
port Sámano still had in the Caribbean.  Cutting this port as well as
the Mouth of the Magdalena River would cut his more direct channels to
Spain and would hinder his contacts with Mexico and Cuba.  OTOH it would
allow us Colombians to have better connection from both land and sea
between Darien and Cartagena to Venezuela.

My first idea to directly attack the city was discarded as the process
was being planed and General Labatut, who was made in charge of the
whole operation, finally decided for a series of small battles both on
sea and on land.

Matheson and Bolivar would command sea supported land divisions from
Maracaibo to the city of Santa Marta via Riohacha and North of the Santa
Marta Sierra.  They would not try to free Riohacha, nor the royalist
controlled towns in Maracaibo, but to clear their paths and march
towards Santa Marta.

My troops in Maracaibo would also march over the Perija mountains, South
from the Santa Marta Sierra to concentrate in the mountains in the
southeast of Santa Marta city where they would met my troops in
Cartagena.  My troops will attempt to sneak throw the area avoiding any
fight.

Labatut would go to Cartagena to concentrate the main army and all the
sea support.  They should concentrate in the town of Barranquilla.

The royalists should notice both the concentrations in Barranquilla and
the Matheson troops coming from the East.  As they react, I would send
covered troops into the city that would sabotage any kind of resistance
in the city itself.

We would expect a major battle in the Cienaga Grande, between the
royalist from Santa Marta and the Cartagena army, and several other
battles and skirmishes in the East as Matheson and Bolivar advance.

With this planning I went to Cartagena with Labatut and Gutierrez de
Piñeres and I met my troops.  I also sent a courier to Darien in order
to concentrate a backup force that would concentrate in southern Santa
Marta and to prepare the Cundinamarca campaign.

On 7th May, 1812, I begun to march to the meeting point.  We used a
route that was not fully explored and got to the River on the 12th,
where we were sought by a royalist patrol.  As this patrol would have
compromised our operation I order to shoot and sink that boat, which
incidentally became my first direct order to shoot against the enemy.
After a few rifle shooting one of my men shoot an arrow with fire that
targeted the patrol boat.  We then managed to rescue one of the enemy
soldiers and we had to shoot death another one that reached shore and
was .  The reminded six soldiers are presumptively drowned.

The 26th we met the Darien troops from Maracaibo 10 miles southeast from
Santa Marta city.  I left my men installed with proper instructions and
took three men that would came with me into an exploration to the
Sierra, where I expect to met some Kogi and Arahuaco Indians.

Matheson informed me that they were doing okay all the way.  A couple of
skirmishes near Riohacha.  There have been some problems back in
Venezuela and Bolivar was shipped back to Caracas with several of his
men.  When I came back from climbing the Sierra I hope that Santa Marta
has already been freed.

-- Gen. C. E. Tomás Pinzón G.
   Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta
   Santa Marta Province, New Granada.