-
Napoleon Uriburu departed from Mendoza for the confluence of the
Liman and Neuquen Rivers, and the Fifth Division, commanddd by
Lieutenant Colonel Hilario Lagos, departed from Trenque-Lauquen for
Curu- Pichi-Carjuel.8
Uriburu’s Fourth Division. At Chos Malal, the Fourth Division
surprised and killed the Ranquel Chief Peyeuman, and went on to
capture another hostile chief and 60 of his men. According to an
1879 War Department report, during this phase of the campaign the
’°Army of the South" killed 1,313 hostile Indians and took over
13,000 as prisoners,s°
Figure 1: Obverse of the Medal for the Rio Negro
and Patagonian Campaign.
As has often been the case in conflicts between modern armies
and indigenous peoples, the Conquest of the Desert was marked by
cruel excesses on both sides. Most modern historians have been
particularly critical, however, of General Roca for his perceived
hostility toward Native Americans and for permitting abuses by his
army, including the summary execution of Indian prisoners?
Nonetheless, within two months, Roca’s offensive managed to push
the Patagonian tribes south of the Rio Negro with severe losses.
While the Second Division pursued Chief Namunaura and his men,
inflicting significant losses, the Third Division captured some 500
of Chief Baigorrita’s men. Even though Baigorrita was able to
escape the Third Division’s assault, he was subsequently tracked
down and killed by Colonel
Figure 2: Reverse of the Medal for the Rio Negro and Patagonian
Campaign.
Although Roca’s offensive quickly reached its objective of
neutralizing the hostile Indian tribes as far south as the Rio
Negro, the general still found it necessary to mount a smaller
expedition in Patagonia in early 1881. When the governor of Buenos
Aires province led a rebellion against the national government in
1880, some Patagonian tribes took advantage of the army’s
preoccupation with the rebellion and resumed hostilities. Three
brigades consisting of 1,700 troops under the command of Colonel
Conrado Villegas marched toward
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Lake Nahuel Huapi, arriving in early April. The brigade
commanders reported killing 85 Indians and capturing another 188
before completing operations in May 1881. Although sporadic attacks
by Patagonians tribes continued into 1882, the campaign of Rio
Negro and Patagonia was essentially over.11
The Medal for the Rio Negro and Patagonian Campaign was created
by the Argentine government decree of October 27, 1881.12It is oval
shaped, measuring 33 x 25mm, and was issued in gold for senior
officers, silver for junior officers, and bronze for enlisted men.
Contrary to many 19th Century South American medals, it is of high
quality manufacture. The obverse displays the arms of the Republic
of Argentina, encircled by CAMPANA DEL RIO NEGRO Y PATAGONIA *
1878" (Figure 1). The reverse (Figure 2) has a radiant sun
encircled by LA NACION AL EJERCITO DEL SUD "1881". There are no
designer or maker marks. The ribbon has three equal stripes of
light blue/white/light blue. Silver and bronze versions of the
medal can still be found, while gold examples are rarely seen.
The Campaign of the Andes
Many of the Patagonian Indians that refused to surrender fled
into an area bounded roughly by the Rio Neuquen, the Rio Limay,
Lake Nahuel Huapi and the Andes Mountains. In November, 1882, yet
another expedition was organized to bring them to heel. The mission
was given to newly promoted General Villegas, along with
approximately 1400 men of the Second Division.~3
After several skirmishes with warriors of the Ranquel and
Araucano tribes, Lieutenant Colonel Rufina Ortega’s First Brigade
forced the surrender of Chief Millaman and 100 of his men.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Ortega’s subordinate commanders
captured two more chiefs and took another 80 Indians prisoner.
During the campaign, the First Brigade claimed approximately 120
Indians killed and over 500 taken prisoner.14
The Second Brigade, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Godoy,
pursued several hostile chiefs, including the defiant Chief
Namuncura, who again managed to escape capture by crossing the
Andes into Chile. Several other chiefs were less fortunate, and by
the end of the campaign, the Second Brigade tallied approximately
100 Indians killed and 700 captured.15 Lieutenant Colonel Nicolas
Palacios’ Third Brigade failed to apprehend or kill two of their
most wanted chiefs, Sayheque and Incayal, but nonetheless managed
to kill 145 hostiles and take another 500 prisoner.I6
By May, 1883, Colonel Villegas’ Second Division had secured all
of Neuquen province for the republic, establishing more than a
dozen small forts to insure its tranquility. The Campaign of the
Andes had cost the Indians 364 killed and over 1700 prisoners,
effectively eliminating them as a further threat to Argentine
expansion south of the Rio Negro. The situation was succinctly
described by Colonel Villegas himself:
"In the territory between the rivers Neuquen, Limay, the Andes
mountain range and Lake Nahuel Huapi, there is not a single Indian
left.., they have all been flung to the west. With the monitoring
which in the future will exert our detachments, placed in the
openings of the mountain range, it will be impossible for them to
pass to the east .... to the south of the Limay river, the only
savages left are the remnants of Chief Sayheque’s tribe, fleeing,
poor, wretched and disillusioned,t7’’
Figure 3: Obverse of the Medal for the Campaign of the
Andes.
On July 20, 1885, the National Congress authorized the Medal for
the Campaign of the Andes in gold, silver and
Vol. 57, No. 1 21
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bronze.18 The medal is circular, 31mm in diameter and suspended
by a ribbon of half light blue and half white. The obverse (Figure
3) contains the arms of the republic, encircled by the words 2A
DIVISION DEL EJERCITO. The reverse (Figure 4) design displays eight
mountain peaks over the dates 1882-1883. The dates are encircled
with palm and laurel branches, over the inscription CAMPANA DE LOS
ANDES. There are no designer or maker marks. The bronze medal is
infrequently encountered, and the silver and gold examples are
rare.
Figure 4: Reverse of the Medal for the
Campaign of the Andes.
The Chaco Campaign
While tides of immigration and settlement pushed the southern
Argentine frontier into Patagonia, the same forces pushed the
northern frontier into the Chaco. The first group of immigrants to
settle in the Chaco established their colony on the Parana River,
near Esplin, in May, 1866. From its beginning, the settlement was
the target of Indian attacks, mostly from the Moscovi and Abipon
tribes.19 From there, attacks spread throughout the areas of Santa
Fe and Corrientes.
Tactics employed by the Chaco Indians closely resembled those of
the tribes of the North American Great Plains. Warriors were
skilled in the use of horses and the lance, and frequently unnerved
their victims with high-pitched war cries. Colonists typically
erected stockades around their settlements for protection, but the
attacking Indians would ride around the structures shooting flaming
arrows onto the roofs of buildings.2°
Unlike General Roca’s large offensive in Patagonia, the military
expeditions sent into the Chaco were small and sporadic. The first
Chaco expedition actually took place in 1870, nearly a decade
before the epic Conquest of the Desert. Six years later a second
expedition was mounted, but it was 1884 before the campaign was
declared over.
Figure 5: Obverse of the Medal for the Campaign
of the Chaco.
The Medal for the Campaign of the Chaco was authorized by the
National Congress on August 7, 1888, and, as with the previous
Indian campaign medals, was issued in gold, silver, and bronze. The
medal is circular, 30mm
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