Battle of Cepeda (1859)

The Battle of Cepeda of 1859 took place in Cañada de Cepeda, Santa Fe, Argentina on October 23. The army of the Confederación Argentina ( Argentine Confederation ), led by Justo José de Urquiza defeated on the day the soldiers of the province of Buenos Aires, led by Unitarian Bartolomé Mitre.

Background

Before the entry into force of the Republican Constitution of 1853 and the aftermath of the Battle of Caseros, the province of Buenos Aires sparked by the Argentine Confederation, to form their own independent state. However, the Confederacy depended on the port of the city of Buenos Aires for its foreign trade. Urquiza's policy of nice words towards the province of Buenos Aires failed, however, and also chose the province of the radicals and Unitarians Valentín Alsina 1857, Governor.

On April 1, 1859 after the assassination of the former governor of San Juan Province, Nazareno Benavídez, by an alleged agent of the province of Buenos Aires, the Congress of the Confederation passed a law that allowed the President de Urquiza, the " renegade province of Buenos Aires peacefully reintegrate ". If this is not possible, he had the approval to use the army.

The government of Buenos Aires saw this law as a declaration of war. In May 1859 Parliament of Buenos Aires approved the governor to repel any military aggression with the provincial army. Bartolomé Mitre, the leader of the troops from Buenos Aires, was ordered to attack the province of Santa Fe, meanwhile, the Navy should block the capital of the Confederacy, Paraná. Due to the imminent danger of a conflict, Brazil, Paraguay, the United States and Britain tried a diplomatic solution. Paraguay sent the young Francisco Solano López to convey. The mediation attempts were bound to fail, however, because Buenos Aires insisted on the resignation of Urquiza, after which the Confederacy did not want to get involved.

The Confederate Army met the troops of Buenos Aires in Cañada de Cepeda, north of Pergamino. After a few tactical maneuvers troops clashed in the afternoon of October 23. At sunset Mitre became clear that his soldiers were defeated. The Bonaerenser retreated to San Nicolás de los Arroyos, from where they returned to Buenos Aires.

Consequences

Urquiza not occupied the city of Buenos Aires, but stored instead in the neighboring San José de Flores, now the district of Flores to lead the negotiations. Governor Alsina was forced to resign because of his stance on the return to the Confederacy of his own allies.

On November 11, after mediation by Francisco Solano López, signed Buenos Aires and the Confederation of the San José de Flores Pact, by the Buenos Aires de jure became a member of the Confederacy again. The province were granted certain privileges, which later led to the Battle of Pavón and established the supremacy of the province of Buenos Aires in Argentina.