21st June, 1812 (Sunday)
Mompox, Cartagena
The royalists troops that had invaded Mompox, retreated upriver as our
armies approached. They don't seem to be willing to confront us down
here and they are likely to be reinforcing the Middle Magdalena to
protect Santa Fe. I also have some concentration of men there, who I
expect they could react if needed.
I arrived this morning with Matheson and Colonel Girardot, and the gross
of our armies, but I have a line of scouts all the way up to the Cocorná
River. I met Matheson here as he took another path and we will split
again. With Matheson was also Col. Ricaurte, a guy I met in Santa Fe in
1810 and who managed to escape first to Los Llanos with Gen. Baraya, and
then found his way to Caracas.
The plan seems to be going okay for the moment. Labatut should be
clearing from royalist all the Northern path between Santa Marta and
Maracaibo. Matheson will go to Tamalameque and Ricaurte will lead an
expedition to Valledupar and back to Maracaibo.
I will take the Cauca and Nechi route direct to the Mountains of
Antioquia with Girardot.
-- Gen. C. E. Tomás Pinzón G.
Mompox
Cartagena Province, Colombia.
22nd June (Monday).
Mompox, Cartagena.
I finally ultimate details with Matheson on the Santa Fe campaign. It
seems reasonably that we could go for Santa Fe even before clearing
Antioquia and waiting for Pamplona and Socorro. We have not commented
anything of this with Girardot or Ricarute.
-- Gen. C. E. Tomás Pinzón G.
Mompox
Cartagena Province, Colombia.
3rd July (Friday).
Proce River, Antioquia
I got a confirmation that men from Darien had successfully defeated the
royalists that were defending Santa Fe de Antioquia. My men had not,
however, taken the city.
Matheson also arrived to Tamalameque uncontested. Girardot and I are on
schedule. We expect to be reaching Medellin in a few days and then move
on to Marinilla, Envigado and Rionegro.
-- Gen. C. E. Tomás Pinzón G.
Porce River
Antioquia Province, New Granada.
9th July (Thursday).
Medellin, Antioquia
Medellin downtime is still a little village, however is located in the
middle of the Aburra Valley which already is an important industrial and
commercial center. I had confirmation that people in Santa Fe de
Antioquia, Marinilla, Rionegro and Envigado had insurrect against the
Samano troops and representatives, and let us arrive uncontested. This
is fine as I have still most of my manpower available for the coming
campaign.
Girardot will remind in command of the patriotic Army in Antioquia, and
he will soon move to Santa Fe to get the new authorities to sign the
Colombian Pact. I will depart tomorrow to Rionegro were I will wait my
fresh Darien troops.
-- Gen. C. E. Tomás Pinzón G.
Medellín
Antioquia Province, New Granada.
13th July (Monday).
Rionegro, Antioquia
The Darien troops that freed Santa Fe de Antioquia arrived this morning.
As far as I know, there are still discussions and Girardot has not get
the Antioquian authorities to confirm the Pact and it seems that a big
problem here is that they are not willing to recognize Darien with our
claimed borders. Girardot sent me a note requesting my presence in
Santa Fe, but I have another plans. I sent the note back to President
Mendoza in order that he sends a representative from Darien, and I made
Girardot responsible to keep Antioquia in order, either if they sign or
not the Pact.
Matheson confirmed that he had a serious battle a few milles North of
the Sogamoso River, but that he cleared this and moved into
Barrancabermeja.
-- Gen. C. E. Tomás Pinzón G.
Rionegro
Antioquia Province, New Granada.
18th July (Sunday).
Cocorná River, Antioquia
Well, now we have concentrated an impressive force. With my Darien
reserve troops that where waiting for us in the Hermitaño River, the
Army I had marched with from Santa Marta and the troops that came from
Antioquia, I have 1200 men ready to fight, most of them from Darien but
also some people from Cartagena and Antioquia and quite some from Santa
Fe and Venezuela.
With Matheson's 500 men and another 500 men that should come from South
Darien and my 400 men that are waiting me in Sumapaz, I expect that this
last part of my plan succeeds.
-- Gen. C. E. Tomás Pinzón G.
Cocorná River
Antioquia Province, New Granada.
23th July (Thursday).
Honda, Mariquita
It seems that we totally surprised the royalists in this one. Surely
they are waiting us in Santa Fe, but it seem that they was not expecting
us in Mariquita. We only need 200 men that sneaked in the town last
night and we had soon control over the whole town.
I moved in this morning with a few more men, but most of our troops are
still in hills around with Matheson, and after settling a few things
down I left 100 men in Mariquita and came down to Honda, which became
another easy pick.
It is almost midnight and we are crossing the Big River in small groups.
I will pack my laptop now as my turn is coming soon.
-- Gen. C. E. Tomás Pinzón G.
Honda
Mariquita Province, New Granada.
28th July (Tuesday).
Guaduas, Santa Fe
I should have listened Matheson more. Despite our high moral, we could
not kept our pace for long, both because the men would be tired (and I
am part of the men), or because the royalist would some time oppose a
serious resistance.
While the Antioquia cities get rid of the royalists before we arrived,
and Mariquita and Honda were easy picks, the royalists were waiting for
us outside Guaduas. Not a resistance that we could not break, since we
were more and better armed, but still an armed resistnace, more like a
battle than just a skirmish. Matheson told me that this was small
compared to the one that met him north of Barrancabermeja.
Anyhow this is time to rest. My idea to advance as fast as possible
towards Santa Fe is discarded as we are quite tired and the rest of the
march is uphill. It seems that Samano is concentrating a much larger
force near Villeta.
I had no idea how things in Venezuela or for the other Colombian allies
are going. Labatut should have succeeded and they would be expecting
that Matheson would keep fighting in Southern Santa Marta while I should
still be in Antioquia.
-- Gen. C. E. Tomás Pinzón G.
Guaduas
Santa Fe Province, New Granada
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