José Agustín Bedoya

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Bedoya and the second or maternal family name is Valle.
José Agustín Bedoya
Born(1826-05-05)5 May 1826
Ica, Department of Ica, Peru
Died10 October 1881(1881-10-10) (aged 55)
Huacho, Department of Lima, Peru
Buried
Cementerio Presbítero Matías Maestro, Lima District, Peru
Allegiance Peru
Branch Peruvian Army
Years of service1866–1881
Rank Coronel
Battles / warsChincha Islands War

War of the Pacific

José Agustín Bedoya y Valle (7 February 1841 – 6 October 1916) was a Peruvian colonel of the War of the Pacific. Being a primary organizer of the Breña campaign, he led the Peruvian forces at the Battle of San Jerónimo.

Biography

Bedoya was born on 7 February 1841 as the son of Francisco Bedoya y Rosa Valle de la Quitana. He would join the Peruvian Army and would distinguish himself during the Battle of Callao as a Captain during the Chincha Islands War.[1] He would serve under Mariano Ignacio Prado and would form part of his corps of aides and then served as the prefect of the Department of Lambayeque. During the War of the Pacific, Bedoya would be stationed for the defense of Lima and was promoted to Colonel. He then met up with Nicolás de Piérola and was made prefect of Lima on 29 January 1881 but the city had already been occupied by the Chilean forces by then.[2] He would then retreat for the Huarochirí Province as he was assigned with organizing the army there. He would accompany Major Manuel Bedoya (no relation), Captains Raimundo Mariscal and Andrés España, Lieutenants Ignacio A. Benavides, Jorge Buckingham and Francisco N. Rivero, and Second Lieutenant Eulalrio Reuna.[3][4]

While at Huarochirí, he would divide the local forces into two columns, a left column under the command of Colonel Juan Onetti and the right column under the command of Colonel Francisco B. Segura. Bedoya would also boost the morale of the local populace, encouraging them to continue the resistance, organized intel and security through the local Quechua who were eager to lend support, seized local weapons for volunteers and appointed authorities in Canta. After Francisco García Calderón controversially assumed presidency of Peru, he suggested that Bedoya united his forces with the rest of the Peruvian Army but he would continue to build up his own men.[3] He then found himself on the defense upon the Chilean invasion during the Battle of San Jerónimo where despite his forces being outnumbered, Bedoya would repel the initial Chilean forces until being forced to retreat upon the arrival of Chilean reinforcements.[5]

He would then organize the 1st and 2nd Canta Infantry Battalions and directed them towards the Sayán District. He would also constitute the Carabineros de Chancay squadron as well as the 1st and 2nd Alianza Battalions which would mark the foundations of the Cazadores del Rímac. These battalions were tasked with mustering up a powerful enough army to face the Chilean forces on the battlefield. While he was at Huacho, Bedoya would unexpectedly die from a heart attack on 10 October 1881.[3] He was married to Doña María Ignacia Suárez and would have several children with her, one of them being future general and senator Augusto Bedoya Suárez [es].[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "AUGUSTO ERÓN BEDOYA SUÁREZ" (PDF). Congress of the Republic of Peru (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  2. ^ Minister of War of Peru (1981). La Resistencia de la Breña: De los reductos a Julcamarca, 16 ene. 1881-22 feb. 1882 (in Spanish). Vol. 1. p. 142. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Saona, Jonatan (6 November 2008). "José A Bedoya". La Guerra del Pacífico 1879-1884 (Perú, Bolivia y Chile) (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  4. ^ Cáceres, Zoila Aurora; Cáceres, Andrés Avelino (1921). La campaña de la Breña: Memorias del mariscal del Perú, D. Andrés A. Cáceres (in Spanish). Vol. 1. Lima: Imp. Americana. p. 145. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  5. ^ "EL COMBATE DE SAN JERÓNIMO". patriciogonzalezgranifo. Retrieved June 25, 2023.