Thomas O. Osborn to By the President: Hamilton Fish, December 15, 1874

No. 8. Mr. Osborn to Mr. Fish.

Sir: I have the honor to inform you that the rebellion is suppressed and peace is restored to the Argentine Republic.

The rebellion, which began on the night of September 23rd, by the seizure of the government gunboats by the insurgents, was brought to a close in this province on the battle-field of La Verde, by the defeat of General Mitre and his army by Colonel Arias, on the 26th of November, and followed by the unconditional surrender of General Mitre and his army on the 2d instant, near Junin.

The battle, defeat, and surrender of General Arredondo and his army to General Roca and the government forces at Santa Rosa, province of Mendoza, on the 8th instant, has terminated the rebellion throughout all the provinces of the republic, and President Avellaneda has decreed next Thursday, the 17th instant, a holiday all over the republic.

The railroad, the telegraph, (pushed forward under the administration of President Sarmiento,) and the Remington rifles, (purchased in the United States,) have triumphantly settled the question at last, I think, in this republic of South America, that rebellion cannot succeed.

The President has decreed amnesty to all the rebel soldiers who laid down their arms at Junin. It is understood that General Mitre and the chief officers of his army will be tried by court-martial. If convicted, none, I think, will suffer death, except General Arredondo, who, as it is understood, caused the death of General Ivanowski, (a favorite general of the government,) by assassination, at Rio Cuarto, on the breaking out of the rebellion.

At the close of the rebellion the government had under arms fifty thousand troops. The grand review of the troops, the Te Deum, and solemn mass will take place next Thursday.

I have the honor to inclose printed copies of the official reports of Colonel Arias and General Roca, giving details of the surrender of Generals Mitre and Arredondo; also, copy of decree of amnesty to the rebel soldiers by President Avellaneda.

I have, &c.,

THE HERO OF SANTA ROSA.

When the President of the republic received, on Tuesday evening, the confirmation of Arredondo’s defeat and capture by Colonel Roca, he sent the subjoined telegram, congratulating the hero of the day, and raising him to the rank of general. It is worthy of remark that Colonel Arias, the victor of La Verde, and General Roca, the hero of Santa Rosa, are young men; the former has not yet reached thirty years of age, the latter is thirty-two, while both have had to measure swords with the oldest and most experienced generals in South America, the result in both cases being so decisive as to extinguish two formidable revolutions.

President Avellaneda’s telegram runs thus:

“General Roca: I salute you general of the armies of the republic on the field of victory. The blood of Colonel Catalan and his comrades is avenged. Arredondo has surrendered to you in presence of your triumphant army, while the bones of the gallant men who fell on the same spot by his hands (in the battle of October) shook in their graves uneasily at the tread “of their barbarous immolator.

“It was your destiny, general, to close the campaign with a splendid victory. We all felt a presentiment to this effect, seeing in you that cool intrepidity which marks great captains, and which enabled you to form on a ‘plantel’ of 200 men, while retreating in the face of a powerful and arrogant enemy, an army sufficient to check his advance, protect the Riverine provinces, and foil the rebels in their plans.

“The military history of the republic has nowhere a week to compare with this in glory. The echo of joyful salvos for the capture of Mitre’s army at Junin was mingled with the first cannonade of the victorious day of Santa Rosa, and the victors of both fields exchange congratulations from Chivilcoy to Mendoza.

“General, salute, in the name of my government, all the commanders, officers, and soldiers of the army of the north, now covered with the dust of so glorious a battlefield.

“NICOLAS AVELLANEDA.”