Fénix 10, 203-234

226 FENIX red. Gamarra requested permission to follow up Olañeta, in order to favour further desertion, but Sta. Cruz prohibited his moving from Oruro, which had been previously abandoned with 20 pieces of Canon and a great quantity of other military stores. I t is a pity that Gamarra lost time in waiting for orders to move onwards, and askiiig;. as he did, for reinforcement of a Bataillon, instead of dashing forwards -500 men boldly led would have entered Potosi and totally dispersed Olañeta's division. Tliis is the more remarkable as 1 never heard that he was so punctilious about orders when he thought it ne- cessary to retreat. For this 1 do not think the blame which the Gamarra par- ty throw solely upon Sta. Cruz to be perfectly fair. On the 20th of August Valdez advanced from Puno, with 1500 men, towards the Bridge of the Desaguadero, Sta. Cruz, with equal numbers, sallied from his position and obtained some advantages at Zepita 112. Brandsen's Usars entirely decided the affair. Major (now Lt. Col.) Soulanges 113 per- formed prodigies. NIy first Batallion also most particularly distinguished it- self. The rest of our Infantery, excepting the Casadores, behaved badly. Ac- cording to the official report we lost 27 killed and 70 odd wounded and some missing the Enemy, killed, wounded and prisoners, nearly 400. On the Viceking 114 joining Valdez and Caratala, who had marched from Arequipa with 800 men, Sta. Cruz fe11 back on his former position. The royalists, 4000 strong, marched along the right bank of the Desaguadero, cros- sed it at Calacoto, in which ~peration200 were drowned, and united with Olañete a few leagues south of Oruro in sight of the united divisions of Sta. Cruz and Gamarra, who, previous to the junction of the royalists forces, did no more than offer Battle. Upon La Serna, Valdez, etc. advancing, Sta Cruz retired without firing a Musquet and in such confusion that it is said he lost 1200 men in the first 17 leagues. The whole army was in dispersion, and such was the system of plunder that hardly an officer saved a single article of his baggage. Had the royalist dragoons followed, scarcely a man would have escaped. When a General is unfortunate every voice is againsi him. So it is with Sacta Cruz. He is censured for not having obstructed the passage of the Desaguadero, for not having fought before and after the junction of the royalists, which he could have done with advantage, and for not having retreated in time. Instead of directing his retreat upon Puno, where Sta. Cruz would have joined Sucre, who had marched with 3000 men from Arequipa for the express purpose, he took the Moquegua road, so that the Columbians lost the advan- tage of adding the stragglers of the army of Peru to its own numbers. In Mo- quegua 1000 fugitives were collected, and there might be half as many more in detached parties upon the coast previously. Valdez reentered Puno, sending Caratala in pursuit. Raulet 115 retired from the neighbourhood of Puno and -- 112. 25 August. 113. Luis Soulanges. 114. José d e La Serna. 115. See note 84. Fénix: Revista de la Biblioteca Nacional del Perú. N.10, 1954