Battle of San Lorenzo
1813 CE · San Lorenzo, Argentina
The Battle of San Lorenzo was fought in 1813 CE in San Lorenzo, Argentina between United Provinces of the Río de la Plata vs the Spanish royalists; Patriot victory; the first action of San Martín's Mounted Grenadiers.
Battle of San Lorenzo: quick facts
- Date
- 1813 CE
- Location
- San Lorenzo, Argentina
- Belligerents
- United Provinces of the Río de la Plata vs the Spanish royalists
- Commanders
- José de San Martín vs Antonio Zabala
- Result
- Patriot victory; the first action of San Martín's Mounted Grenadiers.
- Era
- 🌎 Latin American Wars
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of San Lorenzo?
Jose de San Martin led his Mounted Grenadiers in a surprise cavalry charge against Spanish royalist troops near the San Lorenzo monastery. It was San Martin's first battle in South America and the only one he fought on Argentine soil. His horse was killed and fell on him, and he was saved by two of his grenadiers in a famous act of sacrifice.
Did you know?
The two grenadiers who saved San Martin's life at San Lorenzo — Sergeant Juan Bautista Cabral and Private Baigorria — became national heroes. Cabral's dying words were reportedly 'I die happy, we have beaten the enemy.'
Sources and further reading
- Battle of San Lorenzo on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.