Battle of Cepeda (1820)

Battle of Cepeda
Part of the Argentine Civil War
Date February 1, 1820 Location Cepeda, Buenos Aires Province. Result Federalist victory Fall of the Supreme Directorship Derogation of the Constitution of 1819 Anarchy of the year XX
Belligerents
Federals	Unitarians
Commanders and leaders
Estanislao López Francisco Ramírez José Miguel Carrera	José Rondeau
Strength
1,000-1,700 (estimate)	2,000-3,000 (estimate)
Casualties and losses
40 dead and wounded	300 dead 30 prisoners 9 carriages with equipment captured

The Battle of Cepeda of 1820 took place on February 1 in Cañada de Cepeda, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The conflict was the first major battle that saw Unitarians and Federals as two constituted sides. It ended with the defeat of the national government.^[1]

Federal League Provinces of Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and José Miguel Carrera joined forces to topple the 1819 centralist Constitution and the Directorial government of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. Both provincial leaders, Estanislao López and Francisco Ramírez, were allies of José Gervasio Artigas.

Supreme Director José Rondeau called back the Armies that were fighting the Argentine War of Independence to fight the Federals. The Army of the Andes, commanded by José de San Martín refused to abandon the offensive against the royalists in Chile and Peru. The Army of the North, commanded by Manuel Belgrano, mutinied at Arequito, as the troops and the officiality refused to fight a civil war, and asked instead to go back to the northern frontier to fight the royalists. Rondeau's forces were defeated in the battle.^[2]