Amnesty by President Avellaneda., December 5, 1874

Amnesty by President Avellaneda.

To the rebel soldiers who laid down their arms at Junin: As you have submitted to the national government, I hereby permit all of you to return to your homes, hoping that clemency will suffice to correct the errors into which you have been led.

During two months you followed the banner of revolt, and you saw the fruits of such a movement.

For two months you have been hunted about from place to place, and suffered all manner of hardship, seeing, moreover, the horrible spectacle of your having the Indians of the desert for allies, fighting by your side in two engagements, in which for the first time you suffered the ignominy of defeat. Before that you were accustomed to victory as loyal soldiers, on the fields of Paraguay, Talita, and Don Gonzalo.

You come now again to take shelter under the glorious banner of the republic. Your sorrows and sufferings are at an end. Return quietly to your homes and labors.

As President of the republic, I hope you will not forget this lesson. Keep it always before you, that it may save you from greater calamities another time. All the leaders, chiefs, and former rulers whom you were accustomed to follow are now fallen and powerless at the feet of the national government, which now restores to you the blessings of peace, contentment, and liberty that you forfeited by the revolt.

Return to your homes! A mild winter has been followed by a beneficent and rainy spring, covering our plains with a rich pasture. Go! And bear in mind that the protection of the national and provincial authorities will follow you everywhere.