Battle of Pequereque The Battle of Pequereque was a clash which took place on 19 June 1813 , during the second Upper Peru campaign of the Argentine War of Independence , between scouting forces of the United Provinces Army of the North and the royalist Army of Peru . The republican cavalry of the Army of the North , led by Colonel Cornelio Zelaya , prevailed over the royalists , under the command of Colonel Pedro Olañeta . Background . After the capitulation of General Pio de Tristan in the battle of Salta , on 24 February 1813 , the United Provinces ' Army of the North gained the upper hand not only in northern Argentina , but also in southern Upper Peru ( present - day Bolivia ) . At the same time , the royalists were experiencing a crisis of command , after the resignation of General José Manuel de Goyeneche for personal reasons . The Spanish garrisons reacted with panic after learning of Tristan ' s defeat and effected a massive withdrawal of their troops from Jujuy and Potosi towards Oruro , in central Upper Peru . During the early days of May the Army of the North reached Potosi , and a forward screen force of about 500 men was deployed along the route to Oruro . These troops , composed of a cavalry regiment of " Dragones " ( Dragoon s ) , were commanded by Colonel Cornelio Zelaya . The action . The vanguard of the republican army advanced gradually from Potosi through the villages of Yocalla , Leñas , Tolapaca and Vilcapugio , before establishing their headquarters in the native hamlet of Ancacato , which had been partially destroyed by the royalists . On 17 June , forced by the lack of supplies in Ancacato , a small detachment of " Dragones " was sent to Challapata , some 12 km to the southwest , in search of food and other provisions . They were unaware that a royalist regiment of " Cazadores " , commanded by Colonel Pedro Olañeta , had captured Challapata shortly before . Two days after leaving Ancacato , the detachment was warned by a native that an enemy force was marching along the pass in the opposite direction . Zelaya immediately ordered the build - up of his forces in order to meet the royalists in a battle of encounter . Zelaya appointed one of his officers , Juan Francisco Zamudio , to lead a mounted company to face the advancing royalists , who had seized the small town of Pequereque , at the opposite end of the ravine . In the meantime , an infantry squadron was deployed in the rearguard along the pass , to prevent any hostile infiltration . The remainder of the regiment was also ordered to march on foot , to mislead the enemy about the real strength of the republicans . The engagement lasted for about five and a half hours , according to the official report sent to General Manuel Belgrano , commander in chief of the army . The royalists eventually gave up , leaving Pequereque in the hands of Zelaya and his men . Three soldiers were killed " . . . in cold blood after surrender " , according to Zelaya ' s report , and 10 men were injured . He put Olañeta casualties at up to 10 dead and 20 wounded . Royalist sources seem to acknowledge that they suffered a number of casualties , without elaborating further . After holding Pequereque during a few hours , Zelaya decided to fall back to Ancacato . Aftermath . The troops of Olañeta took back Pequereque three days after the battle . The " Dragones " retreated to the plain of Vilcapugio to avoid a further engagement with the enemy , who by that time had gathered the bulk of their forces around Ancacato . Two days later Zelaya set his headquarters further south , at Las Leñas . Zelaya was later replaced by Colonel Juan Ramón Balcarce and sent by Belgrano to Cochabamba to recruit a bigger cavalry force from local volunteers . He would eventually join the main expeditionary force after the defeat of Vilcapugio .