Battle of Matasiete The Battle of Matasiete was a battle in the Venezuelan War of Independence that took place on 31 July 1817 near the city of La Asunción on Isla Margarita in Venezuela . It was fought between pro - independence Republican revolutionaries led by Francisco Esteban Gómez and Spanish Royalist forces under the command of Pablo Morillo . The outcome was a Spanish defeat . Background . The revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar arrived in the island of Margarita in May 1816 . On 6 May 1816 Bolívar declared the Third Republic of Venezuela and an Assembly of Notables recognized Simón Bolívar as Supreme Chief in the church of Santa Ana . Bolívar then went on to the mainland . That year the Republicans were generally successful in their struggle with the Royalist forces . The Spanish general Pablo Morillo returned to Venezuela in December 1816 , and decided to first take Margarita , then move on to Guayana Province , both important Republican bases . After some difficulties in collecting supplies and troops , Morillo sailed to Margarita in late June 1817 , where he steadily gained control in a hard - fought campaign . On 24 July 1817 Morillo occupied the San Carlos de Borromeo Fortress at Pampatar , at the southeast tip of the island a few miles from Asunción . The revolutionaries had evacuated the castle and withdrawn to Asunción , where they concentrated . They were followed by Morello ' s forces . The Spanish occupied the hill of Matasiete , which overlooked the city and its surroundings from the east , with a force of 2 , 000 infantry and 600 cavalry . There was no resistance to this move . The approach to the town was difficult , however , due to the rugged terrain that the defenders had fortified with redoubts , moats and parapets . Battle . On 31 July 1817 Morillo launched the assault , which began at eight thirty in the morning . The struggle was fierce , with the Spanish pressing hard against the defensive front . In his later report on the battle , Morillo paid tribute to the stubborn courage of the republicans , who repelled repeated cavalry charges . During the course of the fighting , many unarmed men and women from the town joined the defenders , taking up the arms of those who had been killed or wounded . General Esteban Gómez himself was hit by bullets several times , and his horse was killed under him . The republican artillery batteries " Carante " and " Libertad " played an important role in the defense . The " Libertad " , commanded by Felipe Villalba , fired incessantly . The patriots also rolled huge boulders down the slope into the Spanish line . By four in the afternoon the battle had been decided , with the Republicans the victors . 559 of the royalist troops had been killed or wounded . On 1 August Morillo retired to the fortified position of Pampatar , followed by Gómez with a harassing force of 200 infantry and 300 horsemen . Aftermath . The battle had saved the city , but the revolutionaries continued to lose ground to the Spanish in the island . By mid - August they held only Asunción and the " fortaleza del norte " . Morillo then heard that the revolutionaries on the mainland had captured Ciudad Guayana on 18 July , occupied Baja Guayana on 3 August , and were threatening Caracas . Morillo left the island without completing the conquest , but was unable to recover Guayana . The Republicans were in a stronger position after the campaign of 1817 than they had been before . La Asunción became the provisional capital of the independent Republic of Venezuela . A column has been erected on the site of the battle . The Castillo de San Carlos de Borromeo in Pampatar displays a painting that commemorates the battle , the most popular item in its collection . In 1974 Matasiete hill was decreed a Natural Monument of Margarita . Gómez Municipality , Nueva Esparta , birthplace of the victorious general , is named in his honor . The anniversary of the battle is now celebrated as a special holiday on Margarita . On 31 July 2012 a reenactment of the battle was staged at the site by over 500 volunteers . References . Notes Citations Sources