The Request of the Venezuelan Colonial Government for the Extradition of Bolivar
The recent discovery of an unknown document in the Archivo General de la Nacion, Caracas, Venezuela, revealed a new detail concerning the life of Simon Bolivar. This document shows the effort exerted by the Spanish colonial government in Venezuela to extradite Bolivar from Haiti in 1816. Bolivar was forced to seek refuge abroad following a cycle of military defeats. In early 1815, Bolivar found himself outside the walls of Cartagena in need of supplies from the revolutionary forces holding that city. General Manuel del Castillo, military commander of Cartagena and an enemy and rival of Bolivar, refused to furnish the supplies or to permit Bolivar's entrance into the city. While the two rivals glared at each other in costly stalemate, Spanish troops marched victoriously toward Cartagena, pinching Bolivar between them and the hostile Castillo forces. Under these circumstances, Bolivar concluded that it would be better to leave the scene of battle and, thus, to avoid dividing the patriot army in the presence of a strong Spanish force. Bolivar resigned his commission, and on May 9, 1815, he sailed for Jamaica aboard a British vessel.