José María Córdova

José María Córdova Muñoz, also known as the "Hero of Ayacucho", was a General of the Gran Colombian army during the Independence War of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia from Spain.

Born in 1799 to a humble merchant family in the Antioquia Department in the Viceroyalty of New Granada. Cordova received a very basic education since his family did not belong to the elite, although it is known that he learned to read and write thanks to Manuel Bravo Daza.

With the outbreak of the Colombian War of independence in 1810, the young José María Córdova joined the patriot army on June 13, 1814, when he was accepted as a cadet in the newly created military academy of Antioquía run by Colonel Francisco José de Caldas. Shortly after he received the rank of sub-lieutenant, and was made aid-de-camp of Colonel Manuel de Serviez, a French officer in the service of the Republic. With Colonel Serviez he marched south taking part in his first battle where the patriot army faced and defeated the Royalist army at the Battle of the Palo River on July 5, 1815. As a result of his actions in the battle, Córdova was promoted to lieutenant.

When the Spanish Reconquest of New Granada started in August of 1815 led by General Pablo Morillo, the president of New Granada, Camilo Torres, recalled to Colonel Serviez to the capital and promoted him to brigadier general and appointed him as commander in chief of the patriot army, unable to defeat the Spanish expeditionary army General Serviez ordered a strategic retreat to the province of Casanare in order to save the army . Lieutenant Córdova, took part in the retreat along with a handful of other officers and men. From there in he took part in the Venezuelan War of independence fighting under Colonel Jose Antonio Paez in 1816 and at the end of June 1817, began to serve under General Simón Bolívar, supreme chief of the patriotic forces. Córdova quickly rose up the ranks and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. When he was appointed chief of staff of the Rearguard Division during the New Granada Campaign of 1819 to liberate his homeland, he took part in all the battles of the campaign. With the defeat of the Spanish army at the Battle of Boyacá most of central New Granada was liberated.

A few months after the end of the campaign Córdova was put at the helm of a division to liberate his home province of Antioquia. He managed to defeat the commander of the royalist army in the province Colonel Carlos Tolrá, at the Battle of Chorros. With the province now under patriot control, Córdova as military governor of the province began sending to Bogotá large amounts of gold from the mines of Antioquia to contribute to the war effort.

Shortly after, Córdova was given the order to liberate the Magdalena River region taking part in the Magdalena Campaign which culminated with liberation of the important port city of Cartagena de Indias. For his actions, Bolívar promoted him to the rank of colonel on July 23, 1820. Colonel Córdova was then appointed head of the expedition that was to reinforce the forces of General Jose Antonio Sucre in their campaign to liberate the Real Audiencia de Quito (modern day Ecuador). He took part in the Battle of Pichincha on May 24, 1822 as commander of the Alto Magdalena battalion. In this action Córdova was noted by his courage and valor as his battalion was able to break the Spanish lines and contribute to the patriot victory which led the liberation of Ecuador and its incorporation into Gran Colombia.

He later took part in the campaign to defeat the royalist guerrillas in southern Colombia that were be led by the Indigenous leader Agustín Agualongo. At the age of 23 Córdova was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, making him one of the youngest generals in the Gran Colombian Army.

Córdova was then deployed to Peru and commanded the 1st Colombian expeditionary division that would take part in the campaign to liberate Peru from the Spanish. He would be immortalized for his actions at the Battle of Ayacucho fought on December 9, 1824. At Ayacucho General Sucre seeing that the Spanish had exposed themselves to an attack on their center, gave Cordova the order to attack, the young general then put himself in front of division and uttered his famous command: "Division from the front, weapons at discretion. Step of winners!”. The attack of the Cordova's divisions were definitive to achieve the victory of the patriots. The Spanish defeat marked the end of their empire in South America. Córdova was promoted to the rank of general of division and was the only officer promoted on the battlefield itself.

Cordova continued serving in Peru until his return to Colombia in 1827. On September 9, 1827, General Córdova returned to Bogotá. At this time he was accused of the death of one of his subordinates in Popayán, but he was exonerated. In 1828 and 1829 he was appointed to command the forces that were sent to the south of the country to suppress an internal rebellion being led by Colonels José María Obando and José Hilario López.

Córdova continued to be a faithful friend of Bolívar until the latter declared his dictatorship under the name of Libertador President. As a result Córdoba resigned from the army and led an insurrection against Bolívar's dictatorship with a small force he had formed. When the Government in Bogotá learned of this insurrection, it dispatched a division of eight hundred veteran troops. commanded by British Colonel Daniel Florencio O'Leary, to put down the insurrection.

The two forced clashed near the small town of Santuario. The bloody fight lasted two hours, with rebel forces defeated. Cordova who was wounded took refuge in a small house that had been converted into a hospital. He would be killed there by Colonel Rupert Hand, an English mercenary, who struck his head three times with his saber.