Battle of Coplé

The Federalists, after a victorious first campaign, concluded with a victory in the Battle of Santa Inés on 10 December 1859, lost their best military leader Ezequiel Zamora, killed by a sniper during the siege of the town of San Carlos. Juan Crisóstomo Falcón, militarily less talented than his predecessor, took over as head of the Federalist army. Falcón advanced towards Valencia, but so slowly that it gave the Government the opportunity to organize a new army.^[2]

Both armies met near the Coplé lagoon, and the Federalist army was completely defeated by the Conservatives after a 55-minute battle.^[3] Although their troops were not pursued by the victors, the rout led to the disintegration of the Federalist army, while Falcón and several other leaders of the rebellion fled Venezuela, to seek refuge in the Granadine Confederation (Colombia).^[2]

After the Battle of Coplé, the Federal War transformed mainly into guerrilla warfare until the end of 1862, when the Federalists had regained enough strength to fight and win the Battle of Buchivacoa, the third and last major engagement of the war.^[2]