Battle of Junín

Battle of Junín, military engagement of the Peruvian War of Independence, fought in the highlands near Lima on August 6, 1824. The preceding February the royalists had regained control of Lima, and, having regrouped in Trujillo, Simón Bolívar in June led his rebel forces south to confront the Spanish. The two armies met on the plains of Junín, northwest of Jauja Valley. The battle was an hour-long, hand-to-hand cavalry clash with lance and saber; no firearms were used. About 250 Spaniards and 150 patriots were killed. Although little more than a skirmish, the battle greatly enhanced the morale of the victorious patriots, and the chastised Spanish subsequently evacuated Lima.