Battle of Pichincha - Climbing Up The Pichincha

Climbing Up The Pichincha

On the night of 23–24 May 1822, the Patriot Army, 2,971 men-strong, began to climb up the slopes of the Pichincha. In the vanguard were the 200 Colombians of the Alto Magdalena, followed by Sucre's main body. Bringing up the rear were the Scots and Irish of the Albión, protecting the ammunitions train. In spite of the strenuous efforts made by the troops, the advance up the slopes of the volcano was slower than anticipated, as the light rain that fell during the night turned the trails leading up the mountain into quagmires.

By dawn, to Sucre's dismay, the army had not been able to make much progress, finding itself just halfway along the mountain, 3,500 meters above sea-level, and in full view of the Royalist sentries down in Quito. At 8 o'clock, anxious about the slow progress of the Albión, and with his troops exhausted and struck with altitude sickness, Sucre ordered a stop, ordering his commanders to hide their battalions as best they could. He sent part of the Cazadores del Paya Battalion (Peruvians) forward in a reconnaissance role, to be followed by the Trujillo, another Peruvian Battalion. One and a half-hours later, much to their surprise, the men of the Paya were suddenly struck by a well-aimed musket volley. The battle had started.