(1789@1853) Spanish
general and commander of the last stronghold of the Spanish
Royalist forces in
South America, during its liberation from the
yoke of Spain in the 1800s. (A
Royalist is a person who supports or adheres to a
monarch, or
government by such, instead of to an
elected parliament, particularly in
times of a
rebellion or
civil war.) The stronghold was called
Callao fortress and it guarded the
major seaport of
Callao in
west Peru. Although Peru was
liberated from Spanish
control in 1821 by Simon
Bolivar, Rodil, who took over the fortress in 1824, refused to give up his
position.
Bolivar, tired of the
war and desirous of getting on with reorganizing
South America, offered generous
terms for Rodil and his
garrison, as well as
amnesty to most of the 4,000
Royalist refugees secure behind the fortress walls. Rodil refused the
terms of peace, however, with
savage indifference, sending the first
courier of peace back to
Bolivar with the peace
terms pinned to him with a knife.
Bolivar then engaged in what seemed to be an endless
siege to the fortress with much
loss of
life on both sides. Again
Bolivar offered peace to Rodil, only to be refused and the
siege continued. The
siege wore on and Rodil held the fortress until he was finally defeated in 1826.
(1789-1853) Spanish
general and commander of the last stronghold (Calao fortress) of the Spanish
royalist forces in
South America, during its liberation from Spain in the 1800s. The stronghold guarded the
major seaport of
Callao in
West Peru. Although Peru had been
liberated from Spanish
control in 1821 by Simon
Bolivar, Rodil, who took
command of the fortress in 1824, refused to give up his
position.
Bolivar, offered generous
terms for Rodil and his
garrison, as well as
amnesty to most of the 4,000
royalist refugees secure behind the fortress walls but Rodil refused.
Bolivar thus engaged in a
siege of the fortress until Rodil was finally defeated in 1826.