Anahuacano Civil War

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Guerra civil Anahuacana
The historic center of Guerrero, the capital city of Granaditas State, viewed one month before the city became the scene of the final battle of the Anahuaco civil war.
Date June 10th 1704 - February 13th 1705 Location Anahuaco Result Imperialista victory Anahuaco becomes an empire. Republican insurgency formed.
Belligerents
Anahuaco Imperialistas	Republicanos
Commanders and leaders
-José Joaquín of Anahuaco -Emiliano Orozco	-Roberto Sanchez -Ignacio Sanchèz Herado
Strength
-7,000 regulars -25,000 volunteers -40 artillery pieces	-4,000 regulars -42,000 volunteers
Casualties and losses
-820 killed -6,500 wounded	-3,500 killed -10,400 wounded

The Anahuacano Civil War (Martino: Guerra civil Anahuacana) was an internal armed conflict fought in Anahuaco between June 1704 and February 1705. Nominally triggered by the filing of incorrect customs paperwork, the war was the manifestation of a variety of ethnic and historic grievances. Ultimately, the conflict came to be about the form of government Anahuaco would adopt as a new nation.

Background

Prior to the establishment of Anahuaco as a modern state, the territory of what is now the empire underwent various stages of human settlement. The oldest recorded inhabitants of the area, unoriginally known simply as Las Originales, played almost no part in the civil war, although they were accused of subversive activities by both sides and subject to arbitrary detention and other forms of punishment.

The origins of Las Originales is unclear, but it is speculated that the group is an amalgamation of individuals from Nova England, Gran Verionia, the Warring Islands and Xang Muang who formed a unified and distinct culture over several generations while living in The Green.

La Gran Migración

The era of the Grand Migration laid the seeds for the conflict to come. Starting in 1680, the first wave of migration came from the territories formerly occupied by Gran Verionia, with Martino-speaking migrants arriving and settling the fertile coastal territories of what would later become Anahuaco. This first wave consisted of migrants carried the republican instincts and politics of Gran Verionia with them, and set about establishing a loose form of government based on these principles.

This early form of state-building was led by Ignacio Sanchèz Herado, a hero of the Verionian community who was largely credited with leading his community into their new territory. While Las Originales were not happy with the incursion into their historic lands, the two groups had limited interaction and lived in largely peaceful isolation from each other.

Nova English collapse

The second wave of migrants arrived around 15 years after the first, following the final demise of Nova England to the north of the territory. The inflow reached its peak in 1697. This group also brought elements of their culture with them from their former homeland, with Nova England having been both a monarchy and broadly militaristic.

Despite these differences, the Nova English migrants mingled freely with the migrants from the first wave of the Grand Migration and the two groups became increasingly integrated and indistinguishable. The language differences which initially existed between the Martino and Britannic Istvanistani speaking communities largely disappeared, with Martino becoming the de facto language of the territory, while Britannic Istvanistani retained its dominance of international trade and commerce.

Intercommunity tensions

Despite these early signs of community cohesion, tensions began to arise as the fledgling government authorities began to assert themselves more actively in everyday life, notably with the imposition of taxes and customs levies on trade. The latter in particular caused tension, with migrants of Nova English descent bearing the brunt of the impact due to their predominance in international trade.

Intercommunity violence on a low level began in the year 1700, with bar fights and other petty arguments quickly escalating into street battles using primitive weapons such as clubs, knives, and petrol bombs.

Discontent amongst the Istvanistani-speaking* population led to the creation of community government, running in parallel to the existing authorities created by the Martino-speaking* community.

• The terms Martino and Istanistani are used here for the sake of simplicity. In reality, a large degree of intermingling had occurred, and both communities usually spoke Martiono and were almost indistinguishable from one another.

Ciudad Grande Declaration

Proclaimed in November 1703, the Ciudad Grande Declaration was an accord between Las Originales, the Martino-speaking community, and some elements of the Istvanistani-speaking population. The declaration asserted four key points:

• There would be one central government to consolidate control over the territories where the groups lived.
• The new government would establish control over a defined area, roughly encompassing the modern-day territory of Anahuaco.
• The government would have the right to raise taxes, levies, and military forces to ensure security.
• The capital of the new territory would be the largest settlement within it- the newly named Ciudad Grande.

The declaration was the result of increasing concern amongst the Martino community regarding the shadow administrations being set up by elements of the Istvanistani community. The unspoken goal of the declaration was to create a government that could claim to be legitimate and representative, and therefore bring the rogue elements of the nation into alignment.

While the Originales community was largely unaffected by what was happening, their leaders were convinced to sign as an indication of their continued good faith towards the Martino community, with whom they had longstanding good relations.

Build-up to war

There are broadly three events that are considered to have made war inevitable.

Divided political sentiment

While the Ciudad Grande Declaration was signed by some elements of the Isvanistani community, the majority refused to sign. The declaration was considered, with some factual basis, to be an attempt by the Martino community to enforce their preferred system of government. Amongst the migrants from Nova England and their descendants, pro-monarchy sentiment remained strong and they considered the Ciudad Grande republican government to be a culturally alien imposition.

Even amongst the Istvanistani elements who did sign the declaration, enthusiasm for its goals was minimal, and many community leaders indicated that they signed to gain commercial advantages rather than because they actually agreed.

Ill-conceived military recruitment

When the government at Ciudad Grande established military forces to enforce their territorial claims, the majority of new recruits came from the Istvanistani-speaking community. Similarly, the new officer corps was manned almost exclusively by experienced officers from the Nova English Army.

While the government welcomed this as a sign of loyalty from members of the community, the opposite was in fact true. Many recruits joined up either purely on the basis of their enjoyment of military life, or because they wanted to be in a position to protect their own community from the government itself.

In essence, the government used tax revenue to train and arm forces who were at best lukewarm towards the state, and at worst actively aiming to destroy it.

Resentment over Customs fees

The government of Ciudad Grande believed that the growing merchant class was gaining its wealth by stripping the natural resources of the territory, with international exports blamed for deforestation and environmental pollution from illegal mining. In an attempt to stem the outward flow of the territory's natural resource wealth, the government introduced an export tax of 50% of declared value.

While the government's claims were objectively accurate, the imposition of the tax was seen as a direct attack on the merchant class. As a result, many merchants began secretly importing weapons to protect their commercial interests. Skirmishes between government customs officers and traders broke out in spring 1704, and quickly escalated.

In a particularly infamous incident at Puerto Domínguez in May of that year, 4 customs officers were murdered by a gang of intoxicated traders, following the impounding of goods due to be exported with falsified paperwork.

The shots that killed the customs officers in this altercation, known as the Constantine Incident (named after the impounded ship involved), are generally considered to be the first shots of the civil war.

First Phase

Following the Constantine Incident, events moved very quickly, with poor communication over long distances making centralized coordination extremely difficult. While in the immediate aftermath of the killings very little happened, around 1 week later messages started reaching Ciudad Grande regarding attacks on customs officials at other ports. This quickly expanded inland, with government offices and customs houses being attacked and burnt.

As events unfolded, the government in Ciudad Grande called up all regular armed forces at their disposal. The response was erratic and inconsistent, with some units assembling quickly while others stalled. While this inaction was blamed on communication problems, in reality the officers of the new army had no intention of fighting for the government.

March of the garrison

Artist's impression of the Garrison of Ciudad Grande marching out of the city on June 15th 1704

During the opening days of the first phase, Puerto Domínguez was the heart of the rebellion. For that reason, the government in Ciudad Grande dispatched the capital's garrison to the south on June 15th. The government authorities were unaware that, as the garrison of 5000 regulars left the city, a group of around 2000 armed rebels was already less than 36 hours away. Crucially, the Garrison's commander (Pedro de la Peña) received permission to take the city's 40 artillery pieces with them on the march.

It is speculated that de la Peña was aware of the approaching rebels and encouraged the government to dispatch them to the south to leave the city undefended. While this is speculation, it is certain that the garrison's commanders chose a route south that very deliberately avoided coming into contact with the rebels approaching in the opposite direction.

Ciudad Grande surrounded

Hereafter, events moved very quickly. On June 16th 1704 word began to reach Ciudad Grande from all directions of bands of armed men approaching. The government immediately send out messengers ordering de la Peña to return, and calling on reinforcements from elsewhere in the country. These messages went unanswered and, by the evening of the same day, it became obvious that the city was surrounded with very little hope of relief.

Surrender

On the morning of June 17th, a message arrived from the leader of the rebels, the same Roberto Sanchez, demanding the surrender of the city, under the threat of an infantry assault. With no forces at their disposal, and with the hope of avoiding civilian casualties, Ciudad Grande surrendered without a fight at 14.00 that same day.

Aftermath

Although the grievances leading to the first phase of the war were considered sectarian by some, the rebels who captured Ciudad Grande were not entirely from one community or another. The government, in its short period in power, had been considered heavy-handed and accused of imposing an unfair tax burden on the community while offering little in return.

The customs grievances impacted the Istvanistani-speaking community the most, but this group did not exist in isolation, and they received a large degree of sympathy from the wider community within the territory.

Following the capture of Ciudad Grande, the rebels proclaimed a nation, and called a constitutional convention with the aim of fostering the broad, inter-community support that the Ciudad Grande government had failed to achieve early on. During this first phase of the war, the death toll is believed to have been in the low hundreds.

Constitutional Convention

Following the overthrow of the Ciudad Grande government and the declaration of a new nation, a Constitutional Convention was convened with the aim of creating an inclusive new form of government that would satisfy the wishes of the new nation's various communities.

Almost immediately however, a clear division emerged between those who wanted to retain the republican principles of Ciudad Grande, and those who wished to see a monarchy established. The latter group consisted primarily of migrants from Nova England and their descendants, but not exclusively, with both camps enjoying a degree of support from each community.

During this period, Pedro de la Peña and the former garrison of Ciudad Grande reached Puerto Domínguez and declared their intention to remain there to ensure public order during the period of transition.

Dialogue and deadlock

Initially elated at how easily they had seized power, the scale of the differences within the rebel groups quickly became apparent. The element led by Roberto Sanchez favored a reconfiguration of the model used by the Ciudad Grande government, but with clearly defined institutions, free elections and separation between the executive, legislative and judiciary branches of government.

Meanwhile the opposing faction, led by Emiliano Orozco, favored a more dramatic change, claiming that the Ciudad Grande system was inherently oppressive and should be dismantled in its entirety. This faction favored a parliamentary monarchy styled after Nova England and New Britannia, with a monarchy that retains significant personal powers.

While the two factions agreed on many of the broad social goals and specific policies they'd like to see implemented, the division over the style of government continued to fester and intensify.

People's assemblies

As part of the Constitutional Convention process, People's assemblies were convened, with the aim of hearing the specific issues and desired outcomes from the convention. These gatherings began in August 1704 and were widely considered to be a success, with various policy ideas taking shape. However, as summer progressed and autumn began, the issue of the type of government began to dominate the discussions at the assemblies, with both sides encouraging their supporters to attend with the intention of dominating the discussion.

This call for support led to a large influx of civilians into Ciudad Grande, including a considerable number of new arrivals from the former territories of Nova England. These émigrés, fresh from living a volatile life in The Green tended to be both armed and heavily in favor of Orozco's monarchist cause.

Escalation

By Christmas 1704, the two sides of the debate had adopted the names that they continue to be known by- Republicanos and Imperialistas. While heated debates at the Constitutional Convention intensified, scuffles and street fights between the supporters of the two sides began within the city, and a steady stream of new arrivals from The Green continued.

On December 31st 1704, word reached Roberto Sanchez that Pedro de la Peña and his men had departed from Puerto Domínguez and were heading back towards the city with the aim of breaking the impasse by force. Rightly suspecting that de la Peña had Imperialista sympathies, Sanchez and his supporters fled Ciudad Grande on the morning of New Year's Day 1705.

Second Phase

The second, bloodier phase of the civil war began with the flight of Roberto Sanchez and the Republicanos from Ciudad Grande on January 1st 1705.

Declaration of a Republic

Sanchez and his supporters fled to the settlement of Guerrero, in what is now Granaditas State. They believed that the isolation of the settlement, coupled with the harsh desert terrain, would buy them time to organize an armed force to take Ciudad Grande and convince de la Peña's men to join them.

While Sanchez was initially reluctant to do anything dramatic, many of his supporters believed that he needed to make a grand gesture in order to draw attention to his cause and rally support. At the encouragement of his supporters, on January 3rd 1705 Sanchez declared a Republic in the name of the name given to the area by Las Originales: Anahuaco. The Republican tricolor flag was raised over Guerrero, and a steady trickle of support began to arrive from both the surrounding state the territory more broadly.

Declaration of an Empire

While initially taken off guard by the sudden flight of Sanchez and the Republicanos, the Imperialista faction broadly welcomed their departure, with the hope that their opponents would now vanish into obscurity.

When word reached Ciudad Grande that Sanchez had instead declared a republic and called for insurrection against them, the Imperialistas reacted swiftly. Within 48 hours of Sanchez's declaration, two things happened: Pedro de la Peña's force arrived in Ciudad Grande, and Emiliano Orozco proclaimed the Anahuacano Empire from the balcony of the government administration building.

In attempt to show themselves as the one and only legitimate government, and heirs to the government formerly based in Ciudad Grande, the Imperalistas declared Sanchez to be an outlaw. After a brief show trial, Sachez and his supporters were found guilty of treason in absentia, and de la Peña was dispatched to Guerrero to apprehend the felons. While this was presented as a routine policing operation, it was very obviously anything but that.

Battle of Granja Poreco

Positions of Imperialista (blue) and Republicano (red) forces at the outset of the Battle of Granja Poreco

As the war got underway, both sides aimed to assemble as many men to their cause as possible, with the Republicano side in particularly playing for time to allow their forces to assemble. While the majority of the former army of Ciudad Grande had fallen in behind Pedro de la Peña, some elements had joined the Republicano cause, along with a sizeable detachment of volunteers.

To buy time to fortify their positions and arm their new recruits, the Repulicano's aimed to ambush the force dispatched by the Imperialistas before it had time to reach its full strength.

Imperialistas march

Pedro de la Peña left Ciudad Grande on January 8th and, within 3 days, his column reached the border with the state of Granaditas. At this point, the main road followed a natural valley between two ranges of hills at a settlement named Granja Poreco. Under the command of Ignacio Sanchèz Herado, a hero of the early settlers of the area, the Republicanos intended to allow the Imperialista force to enter the valley, then launch an ambush from the high ground while simultaneously sending a force to seal the southern end of the valley.

Ambush

In the early stages of the battle, the Republicano plan went well, with the bulk of the Imperialista force entering the valley before the ambush was discovered by scouts. This would prove crucial, as the latter third of the Imperialista force, including the artillery pieces, held back and could threaten the Republicano's flank.

As the battle got underway, the Imperialista forces were pinned down by enemy fire, and forced to take shelter amongst the buildings and field boundary walls of the Granja Poreco settlement. Despite this early advantage, the Republicanos were unable to press their advantage due to a lack of artillery and the fear of being flanked by the Imperialista forces that remained south of the valley.

The Imperialistas suffered heavy casualties in the opening stages of the battle, particularly the volunteer units who were accompanying the regulars. These volunteers tended to walk together in groups flanking the road, allowing the artillery and regular units to make use of the paved surface. This placed them closer to the enemy positions, and further from shelter.

Despite this early setback, and the tactical error of having not scouted the valley thoroughly before entering it, the Imperialistas recovered quickly. While a significant proportion of the Imperialista force consisted of regular troops, the majority of the Republicanos were volunteers, with the regular forces left to prepare for the expected decisive battles later in the conflict. The better-trained regulars on the Imperialista side were able to use their superior marksmanship to hold their enemies at bay while the artillery south of the valley got into position.

Republicano victory

Around 30 minutes after the initial attack had been launched, and with vicious firefights and hand-to-hand fighting having taken place in the interim, the Imperialista artillery was able to open fire on the Republicano positions on the valley sides. Not wishing to lose his entire force to this superior firepower, and having achieved the goal of slowing the Imperialista advance, Sanchèz Herado called his men off and ordered a retreat towards Guerrero.

Casualties

During the engagement, the Imperialista forces lost upwards of 500 dead or wounded, while the Republicanos lost 150.

Guerilla warfare

Following the Battle of Granja Poreco, the Imperialistas began their advance on Guerrero, still under the guise of arresting Roberto Sanchez and his supporters for treason against the newly formed Empire. After the hills and valleys of the previous battlefield, the terrain leveled out to become increasingly dry and arid.

This landscape, an ancient flood plain of the previously much grander Rio Rojo, gradually became desert, with very little vegetation and few notable geographic features. As this Imperialists advanced across this terrain, their column was subject to constant harassment by Republicano guerilla, who had created fox holes and other fortifications along the direct route.

Sharpshooter attacks, landmines, and occasional small-scale attacks all slowed the advance, with attackers quickly disappearing back into the desert. While these attacks had very little material impact on the Imperialista force, they necessitated continuous scouting and a general slowing of the advance.

Using the time gained by this delay, the Republicano forces under Sanchez fortified Guerrero against the expected attack. The city's population, which consisted primarily of Originales, fled in expectation of fierce fighting, while a steady stream of sympathetic volunteer fighters entered the city.

The Imperialista force also continued to grow as it advanced, picking up sporadic groups of volunteers and, more significant numbers of regular infantry who arrived to join Pedro de la Peña.

First battle of Guerrero

On February 1st 1705, the Imperialista forced reached outskirts of Guerrero, to find the city well fortified against them, with the Republicano flag flying for the earthen ramparts and barricades that now defended the city. Due to their lack of artillery and mobile forces, the Republicanos under Sanchez had concluded that their best chance was to mass their infantryman behind the static defenses that now encircled the city.

Republicano positions

While the Republicanos now outnumbered their attackers, they did not have sufficient manpower to construct and defend defenses all the way down to the river of the Rio Rojo, which stood around 1km from the city's boundary. It was deemed sufficient to hold the high ground overlooking this area, to provide covering fire for those tasked with replenishing the city's water supply.

Infantry assault

On February 3rd, the first battle began. The Imperialista artillery opened fire on the city's eastern ramparts at sunrise, forcing the defenders to take cover while their enemy launched an infantry assault across the open ground, with the rising sun behind them to obscure the enemy's view. Once within infantry range, the Republicanos began to inflict casualties on the advancing attacks, but the heavy artillery fire forced many of the defenders to take shelter behind the brow of the earthen ramparts.

The highly focused Imperialista infantry assault reached the outer ramparts and flooded through the narrow gaps that had been left to allow supplies into the city. However, anticipating that these gaps would be a weak point, the Republicanos had created a second and third layer of short ramparts and ditches behind these entrance ways, forcing anybody using the road to undertake a sharp zigzag between the lines of defenses.

The Imperialista advance ground to a halt as those who had already passed through the entranceways found themselves pinned down by enemy fire, while the rear ranks of their own formation continued to try and push forward to take shelter from the fire being directed at them from the outer defenses.

Second assault

Realizing that the gaps in the defenses were, in fact, well defended, the Imperialista forces sounded the retreat. As the Republicano defenders jeered their fleeing attackers, the second wave of Imperialistas launched a frontal assault on the outer ramparts, hoping to catch their enemies off guard. While this attack did succeed in forcing the defenders from the outer ramparts in some areas, and individual acts of heroism succeeded in forcing breakthroughs, those who crested the ramparts were exposed to fire from the buildings in the town, and were soon driven off.

Republicano victory

Six hours after the dawn attack was launched, a general retreat was sounded by the Imperialista command, and the first battle ended with victory for the Republicanos.

Second battle of Guerrero

After the failure of their first attack, the Imperialista commanders decided on a change of tactics. Their main advantage, they knew, lay in their artillery. The 40 artillery pieces removed from Ciudad Grande by Pedro de la Peña during the first stage of the civil war would now prove to be decisive, with all 40 of the guns now positioned on three sides of Guerrero, with a particularly dense array of weaponry lined up to cover the open stretch between the town's defenses and the Rio Rojo.

Artillery barrage

On February 5th 1705, the second battle began with an indiscriminate artillery barrage aimed at the town. While the rate of fire remained relatively low due to the limited availability of ammunition, the guns continuously pounded the town and its defenses, keeping the defenders permanently on edge, fearing that the next explosion might be the last thing they ever heard.

Meanwhile, any defender who attempted to leave the city to reach the river and fetch water was subjected to sharpshooter and artillery fire, forcing many to abandon the attempt or die in the process.

The artillery assault continued throughout February 5th and 6th, with shells landing at random within the town, striking the defenses, or exploding immediately outside the ramparts. The fear that this artillery assault might be followed up by an infantry assault similar to the first battle forced the defenders to retain a constant degree of readiness.

Counter attack

By the evening of the 6th however, the Republicanos suspected that the artillery barrage was not the opening phase of an infantry assault, and instead launched a surprise nighttime raid in an attempt to disable the Imperialista artillery. However, the Imperialistas had anticipated such a move, and flare shells illuminated the sky as soon as the first Republicano defenders left the ramparts.

While the Republicanos had numerical superiority, the Imperialista side had more trained regular infantry, ensuring that the brief battle that followed soon became a rout or the Republicanos. A retreat back to the town was ordered, with many dead Republicano volunteers left on the field while the Imperialistas suffered no casualties.

Republicano defenses weaken

In the days that followed the artillery bombardment continued, severely demoralizing the defenders, and also ensuring a continued lack of water in the town. Although the fighting took place in winter, the temperatures averaged 25 degrees, meaning that the lack of drinking water soon became a significant issue.

As the hours of bombardment turned into days, morale among the Republicano volunteers began to waiver, and word reached the town via announcements from the Imperialista lines that pardons would be granted to those who left the town before January 11th. The Republicano leadership tried to rouse the men with promises of imminent reinforcements, but in reality the Republicano cause was widely scattered, and there was no realistic prospect of relief.

As the bombardment continued, thirst took its toll and the deadline of January 11th passed, a trickle of deserting volunteers turned into a flood, and the disarmed recruits were allowed free passage through the Imperialista lines. Sick and wounded, whether regulars or volunteers, were refused passage and ordered to return to the town.

Deadline for surrender

When January 11th dawned, the scale of the challenge facing the defenders became clear. A large proportion of the volunteers had now deserted, and those who remained were primarily engaged in finding sufficient water and medical supplies to treat those who had been wounded in the continued shelling.

As the deadline to leave passed, at first nothing seemed to change and, for the remainder of that day, an eerie silence reigned over the town.

The final assault

First light of January 12th 1705 saw the heaviest bombardment of the war, with the Imperialista gunners letting fly with the stockpiles of shells they had accumulated during the calm of the previous day.

The first assault came from the western side, with the dazzling sunlight of the dawn camouflaging the advance of the Imperialista infantry. The assault, while steady, appeared relatively disorderly. The Republicano commanders realized too late that this first assault was a distraction, consisting entirely of volunteers, while the Imperialista regulars launched a second attack from the east, along the Rio Rojo.

Having already committed their reinforcements to fend off the western attack, the defenders on the eastern side were quickly overwhelmed, with many retreating to a pre-prepared redoubt in the center of the town. Here, barricades had been constructed on the streets leading to the square in front of la Iglesia el Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. Bugle calls from the church tower summoned the defenders from the eastern side to the redoubt.

Republicanos trapped

As Imperialista forces flooded through the breached defenses of Guerrero, it wasn't long before the redoubt at la Iglesia el Sagrado Corazón de Jesús was surrounded on all sides. While the troops on the barricades managed to hold back the Imperialista advance from breaching the redoubt, supplies of food and ammunition were scarce amongst the last holdouts.

To make matters worse for the Republicanos, lookouts on the tower of the church alerted their commanders to the movement of Imperialista artillery towards the town. Sanchez and his commanders were under no illusion that the wooden barricades, while sturdy, would not stand up to artillery fire at close range.

Escape plot hatched

On the night of February 12th, a plan was put into action for Roberto Sanchez and as many of his men as possible to escape. While the roads leading to the redoubt were all blocked, and the buildings overlooking the square subject to room-by-room fighting, escape initially seemed unlikely.

That is until a field nurse, who had been treating patients in the crypt of la Iglesia el Sagrado Corazón de Jesús provided the answer. While the crypt was entirely underground, the back of the church faced onto a dried up ephemeral stream that existed to channel flash flood waters from seasoning rains out of the town and into the river. By breaking down the wall at the back of the crypt it would be possible to escape the redoubt and attempt to reach the edge of the city.

If it proved possible for Sanchez to escape, he would rally others to their cause elsewhere in the nation and keep the Republicano cause alive.

The flight of Sanchez

As nightfall fell on the 12th, the plan was put into action. The men manning the barricades were ordered to create as much commotion as possible to cover the sound of the crypt wall being broken. Heavy firefights followed, with the defenders firing from the barricades into the dark, rubble-strewn streets and throwing improvised petrol bombs into buildings occupied by the Imperialistas. To add to the din, the bells of la Iglesia el Sagrado Corazón de Jesús rang out into the night.

With the Imperialistas occupied reinforcing their positions facing the barricades and protecting their precious artillery from a potential counter-attack, nobody noticed a small stream of men in the darkness slipping out into the desert.

Imperialista victory

When dawn broke on February 13th 1705, the light revealed a white flag flying from the tower of la Iglesia el Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. The remaining men in the redoubt dismantled their barricades and surrendered, marking the effective end of the conflict.

Casualties

While accurate casualty figures are hard to come by due to the unorganized nature of the volunteer forces, the total casualty figures for the conflict are:

• Imperialistas: 820 killed and 6,500 wounded.
• Republicanos: 3,500 killed and 10,400 wounded.

The majority of the casualties took place during the first and second battles of Guerrero.