The Battle of Huaqui

I have been looking at using 'Dominion of Napoleon Bonaparte' for fighting battles of the South American Wars of Liberation. I had to go up to Sydney for work yesterday, so I took the opportunity of a two-hour train trip each way to draw up some ideas (and even tested a couple of them on the way home using pencil and paper and a dice-rolling app on my phone).

My primary source are the scenarios in 'Liberators! - Napoleonic Wargaming in South America - Volume 1: The War In The South' by John Fletcher. This is chock-full of information not just on the battles but also on how the armies were structured and fought. 

By the end of the day I'd put together seven scenarios, and when I got home I gave them all at least one run-though and some of them a more thorough testing.

I'll post them over the next few days. In this post I'll concentrate on just one.

Huaqui (20th June 1811)

The Battle of Huaqui (also known as the Battle of Guaqui) took place on 20 June 1811 near the shores of Lake Titicaca, on the border between present-day Bolivia and Peru. It was a major engagement in the Argentine War of Independence, where the Spanish royalist army decisively defeated the patriot forces of the Primera Junta of Buenos Aires.

In 1810, following the May Revolution in Buenos Aires, the newly formed revolutionary government sought to spread its authority across the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. The region of Upper Peru (modern Bolivia), still loyal to the Spanish Crown, became a key target. A Patriot army under Juan José Castelli and Antonio González Balcarce was sent north to defeat royalist forces and rally local support.

Initially, the campaign showed promise. The Patriots had won earlier battles, including the Battle of Suipacha, and occupied parts of Upper Peru. They hoped to inspire a general uprising against Spanish rule. However, internal divisions, overconfidence, and harsh treatment of locals undermined their position. Meanwhile, the Spanish regrouped under General José Manuel de Goyeneche, who had the backing of the Viceroy of Peru and better access to supplies and reinforcements.

By mid-1811, the Patriot army had stalled near Lake Titicaca, and morale was slipping. Despite signs that the Royalists were preparing to attack, the Patriots remained static, underestimating the threat. On 20 June, Goyeneche launched a well-coordinated assault on the Patriot positions near the town of Huaqui. 

Both armies had their eastern flank on the shores of Lake Titicaca, whilst each army was split in two by a ridge running north-south through the battlefield. The Patriots were simply formed up in two groups on each side of the ridge. The Royalists deployed some troops on it. The Patriot army was some 5,000 strong, whilst that of the Royalists numbered around 6,000.

Royalists: 2 x Column Infantry, 1 x Fortified Column Infantry (On Ridge), 1 x Elite Column Infantry (Flank Attack), 1 x Light Cavalry

Patriots: 2 x Column Infantry, 1 x unreliable Fortified Column Infantry (On Ridge), 1 x unreliable Artillery, 1 x Disciplined Light Cavalry, 1 x unreliable Disciplined Column Infantry (Numerous Peasant Reserves)

Royalists (Attackers)

Column (E), Light Cavalry
Column	Column (D)	Column
Column	Column (DU)	Column
Artillery (U), Light Cavalry (D), Column (DU)

Patriots (Defenders)

The Patriots were poorly coordinated on each side of the ridge, whilst the Royalists attacked aggressively and exploited the ridge as well as a pass through it to move troops from one side of the field to the other. 

The Royalist advance was swift and overwhelming. Patriot attempts to hold the line collapsed, and the army was thrown into full retreat. In just a few hours, the revolutionary army suffered a devastating defeat, losing thousands of men, supplies, and nearly all territorial gains in Upper Peru.

The loss at Huaqui shattered the revolutionary campaign in the north. The Royalists quickly reoccupied Upper Peru, and the Patriot army retreated in disarray. The defeat exposed the weaknesses of the early revolutionary forces and delayed further attempts to liberate the region.

Design Notes

As the first scenario in a series some of these notes will apply to all of them, whilst others are just for this battle. Aside from a few units from Spain towards the end, most infantry was locally-raised and often poorly equipped militia. Actually so was most of the cavalry. Units could fight bravely or flee the moment things went wrong. To this end I've classed most infantry as Column Infantry, as when two units fight you get wild swings of fortune including mutual destruction. 

Patriot cavalry seems to have been better used than that of the Royalists, so you'll find that they enjoy an advantage in most scenarios. Winning battles with a sweeping cavalry attack was very much a Patriot thing, as was losing them when that didn't work. With one exception all cavalry is Light Cavalry. 

Artillery was mostly light guns scattered through the army, so in most scenarios it will be single unreliable units and often present in one army where they had an obvious superiority.

As for this particular battle, the Royalist foot with advantages represents their exploiting the ridge and pass to wrong-foot the Patriots. Historically the Patriots didn't really have a centre, as they deployed nothing on the ridge. The unit they have there at the start represents an attempt to counter the Royalists that may or may not work. The Patriot army seemed to have a large number of indigenous ally troops in reserve, which I have represented by the 'disciplined' cavalry and infantry. Ideally the cavalry should be unreliable, as on the day these reserves simply ran the moment things went wrong, but I couldn't work it into the points and the cavalry does at least offer the Patriots some chance. The reserve foot is numerous but flighty. Basically if the Patriots roll well for their unreliable troops then they should hold the Royalist attack, but otherwise they are going to follow history.