Atanasio Girardot

Manuel Atanasio Girardot Díaz (2 May 1791 – 30 September 1813) was a Neogranadine military officer and one of the heroes of the Colombian and Venezuelan wars of Independence. He is famous for having died during the Battle of Bárbula, trying to plant the republican flag on Bárbula Hill.

The son of Louis Girardot, a wealthy merchant and French miner, Girardot joined the Spanish Army as a cadet in the Auxiliary battalion of Santafé. He joined the patriots along with his unit after the Revolt of July 20th 1810 which led to the start of the Colombian War of Independence. Girardot took part in the first battle of the Colombian War of Independence, the Battle of Bajo Palacé, on March 28, 1811. He distinguished himself in the battle, leading the vanguard, and earned a promotion to captain as a result of his actions.

Girardot later participated in the New Granada civil war of 1812, switching sides from the centralist army to the federalist army. In 1813, he was assigned to Brigadier Simón Bolívar’s army during the Admirable Campaign, where he participated with distinction in numerous battles fought in Venezuela. At the Battle of Bárbula, he led the assault on the Spanish positions on the hill, achieving success. However, as he attempted to plant the republican flag on Bárbula Hill, he was struck by a gunshot to the heart, killing him instantly.

Girardot’s death was deeply mourned by patriots in both New Granada and Venezuela. Simón Bolívar himself issued a lengthy decree in his honor, ordering that Girardot’s remains be taken triumphantly to Caracas and that his family be granted a lifelong pension. In recognition of his bravery, Bolívar also decreed that a battalion within the patriot army should always bear Girardot’s name—a tradition that has been upheld to this day in both the Colombian and Venezuelan armies.