THE WORLD OF MILITARY UNIFORMS
1660-1914
THE ARMIES OF ARGENTINA
IN THE 19TH CENTURY
By E. Marenco
THE ARGENTINE ARMY 1806-1900
Much has been written about the wars that ravaged Europe for century after century. However, the conflicts in Central and South America have recieved little attention from historians. Following the Napoleonic Wars, the mostly Spanish ruled territories began to assert their rights to self-determination.
Among them was Argentina whose nationhood was won after two unsuccessful invasions by the British in 1806 and 1807. From 1814, the armies of the Argentine republic took a prominent part in the Liberation of South America from Spanish rule. The Army of the Andes under General San Martin in conjunction with those of Simon Bolivar ejected Spain from the sub-continent.
It didn't take long for territorial disputes to erupt into war and Argentine forces were involved in many of them. There was civil war in 1836-38 and in 1861 Buenos Aires after a short war, became the capital. The War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870) was a major conflict that caused great suffering for all participants. Argentina emerged on the winning side but her appetitite for war waned afterwards. The remainder of the century saw minor campaigns against the indiginous peoples in the south.
