Independence War: The Constitución Goes Privateering in the Pacific

The Schooner Constitución and Preparations for the Pacific Expedition (1814–15)

The Constitución was a medium-sized schooner, similar to the vessel shown in the image. She was American-built, but belonged to an Italian resident in Chile, Andrés Barrios, or Andrea Bario, who leased her to the United Provinces as the campaign against Montevideo was drawing to a close.

Preparations for the expedition to the Pacific began with this small vessel. Unfortunately, the Constitución was wrecked in Antarctic waters and there were no survivors.

Following the disaster at Rancagua and the fall of Chile into Royalist hands, many patriots from Santiago fled to Mendoza, capital of the Governorate of Cuyo in Argentina, the last territory to remain free from Spanish control. Among them was the priest Julián Uribe, a member of the governing Junta and an ally of the Carrera brothers.

José Miguel Carrera’s conduct forced General José de San Martín, who by then governed Cuyo and was working to raise the Army of the Andes, to disarm Carrera’s followers and send them to Buenos Aires, Uribe among them. On their arrival they received assistance from Carlos María de Alvear, who shortly afterwards became Supreme Director of the United Provinces. While Carrera sought support for recognition as the legitimate government of Chile and obtained resources to mount an expedition to Coquimbo and resume the struggle, Father Julián Uribe proposed a plan to attack the Spanish in Chile by disrupting Spanish shipping and trade along the coasts of Valparaíso, Coquimbo, Atacama, Arequipa, Callao and Guayaquil.

The project had originally been devised by Andrés Barrios. Following Brown’s successful 1814 naval campaign against Montevideo, Barrios transported 200 soldiers from that city to Buenos Aires aboard the Constitución free of charge. He subsequently offered the vessel to the state for only $4,000, despite its estimated value of $6,200. Brown recorded that “this individual [Barrios] offered his vessel and his personal services for an undertaking of such importance to the country, for an insignificant sum”. Since, of the $4,000, he “had received only $1,950, guaranteed by Miguel de Irigoyen”, Barrios returned the money and recovered possession of the vessel.

The schooner, or ketch, Constitución was American-built, displaced 235 tons and measured 28 m in length, 8.75 m in beam, 5.60 m in depth and had an average draught of 2.90 m. She belonged to the patriot Andrés Barrios, also known as Andrea Bari, a native of Pisa who, after living in Concepción, had settled in Buenos Aires. Barrios was also the owner and captain of the Carmen, with which he had been trading between Chile and Buenos Aires for at least fifteen years.

After the proposed sale of the Constitución to the state fell through, Barrios offered her for privateering service in mid-1815, and the proposal was accepted on 23 May. Uribe eventually raised sufficient funds among his compatriots to acquire a share in the vessel alongside Barrios and sought the support of the commander of the Argentine squadron, William Brown. Brown agreed to join the expedition with the frigate Hércules, which had been presented to him in recognition of his services, and persuaded the authorities to contribute the brig Trinidad.

To adapt the vessel for the campaign, her owner and commander Andrés Barrios stated that “her hold has been subdivided into several compartments and various other works have been carried out”. The recruited crew numbered around one hundred men, mainly Chileans but also including Irishmen, Americans, Swedes, Italians and Englishmen.

Following Alvear’s fall from power, and while José Miguel Carrera departed for the United States, Uribe continued with the project with Brown’s support. On 20 September 1815, Andrés Barrios received from the government the corresponding Letter of Marque No. 27 of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, with Miguel de Irigoyen acting as guarantor. Barrios was initially listed as commander, but at the last moment he was replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel of Marines Oliver Russell, Brown’s right-hand man during the Battle of Montevideo.

The government supplied the weapons and stores required not only for the privateering campaign but also for recruiting and arming a patriot army in Chile. The List of Artillery, Sets of Arms, Ammunition and Other Military Stores Delivered by Superior Order to Andrés Barrios, Commander of the Ketch Constitución recorded, among other items, one bronze 16-pounder gun, two iron 8-pounders and four 4-pounders; 210 canisters of grapeshot; 100 16-pound shot, 200 8-pound shot and 400 4-pound shot; 30 rounds of 16-pound bar shot; 12 quintals of gunpowder; two quintals of slow match; 1,000 musket cartridges; 100 pistol flints; 50 musket flints; and other supplies. The quantity and weight of the material loaded aboard were so considerable that they caused the vessel serious difficulties during the voyage and probably contributed to her tragic fate.

To give Uribe considerable freedom of action, his instructions were deliberately broad: to harass, capture or burn any vessel sailing under the Spanish flag; blockade Spanish-held ports on the Pacific; gather information on the general situation in Chile and Peru and on the Royalist and patriot land and naval forces operating there; ascertain the views of the insurgents and encourage and support their activities and military operations; clandestinely introduce proclamations and revolutionary writings; and undertake other similar activities.

Within a few months the squadron was ready. It consisted of the frigate Hércules, commanded by Brown’s brother-in-law Walter Dawes Chitty; the brig, or sumaca, Trinidad, commanded by Miguel Brown; the brig Halcón, under Captain Hipólito Bouchard, whose military commander was Ramón Freire, the future head of state of Chile; and the schooner Constitución, also known as the Uribe, under Oliver Russell.

The rest of the story has already been told. The Constitución sank near the South Shetland Islands while attempting to reach the Pacific in the midst of a violent storm. Uribe, Russell, Barrios and the entire crew were lost.

El Corsario del Plata

Río Negro Squadron: The third attempt to reach Lake Nahuel Huapi

It took the Navy three expeditions to reach Lake Nahuel Huapi

El Cordillerano

It took the Navy three expeditions to reach Lake Nahuel Huapi

Before the original "Modesta Victoria" expedition, there were other attempts by sailors that failed due to the limited knowledge of the region's rivers.

It took the Argentine Navy three expeditions to reach Nahuel Huapi by river, requiring considerable effort and significant resources. The objective was finally achieved on December 13, 1883, after several failed attempts. The honor fell to then-Lieutenant Eduardo O'Connor, commanding a vessel that would later become emblematic: the "Modesta Victoria."

History also witnessed some setbacks. First, “by decree of December 27, 1880, it was ordered that Commander Erasmo Obligado should lead an expedition to explore the Limay River and Lake Nahuel Huapi, in conjunction with the campaign that General Villegas would conduct as far as the aforementioned lake,” as reported by Alfredo Serres Güiraldes in his book “The Strategy of General Roca” (1979).

The author explained that “the embarked commission was named ‘Exploradora’ (Explorer) and consisted of Commander Erasmo Obligado, Lieutenant Eduardo O’Connor, who commanded the ‘Río Neuquén,’ Second Lieutenant Santiago Albarracín, and pilot Eduardo Moyzes. In total, the personnel numbered 18 men, with the addition of Infantry Lieutenant Jorge Rhode, who had requested to accompany the explorers.”

As can be seen, some of the protagonists lend their surnames to streets in Bariloche, though most people are unaware of why. “On February 25, 1881, they set sail, beginning their journey up the Río Negro. The voyage was arduous due to the difficulties they encountered along the way. They finally arrived at Fort Roca on May 17. From there, they departed on the 26th of the same month for the confluence of the Neuquén and Limay rivers.”

The account indicates that “initially, the expedition members attempted to navigate the Neuquén River, but the shallow waters prevented them from doing so. Therefore, they headed towards the Limay, but after a short distance, they found it difficult to continue navigating, also due to the low water levels.” At that time, the dams had not yet altered the river flows.

According to Serres Güiraldes, “in view of these setbacks, Obligado ordered Lieutenant O’Connor to continue navigating upstream with a boat and its crew. After covering 18 miles, he returned on April 1st. The ‘Río Neuquén’ remained at the Neuquén Pass awaiting the return of Villegas’s expedition. On May 25th, Villegas agreed with Commander Obligado to conclude the exploration of the Limay River, and the ship returned to Carmen de Patagones.”

Persistence

There was no room for discouragement. “Commander Obligado quickly prepared and launched a new expedition to the Limay River. This time, he chose the ship ‘Río Negro,’ which, due to its greater speed, would be better suited to overcome the force of the current. At the time the voyage began, the river was high, which facilitated the ship’s movement.” Things had started better. “Thus, on October 14, 1881, they met in Choele Choel. Colonel Vintter, temporarily in charge of the division, ordered, as a safety measure, that 50 men under the command of Captain Juan Gómez escort the steamship overland. Luck continued to favor the crew, as the Limay River was also carrying more water, reaching its confluence at the Collón Curá.”

But their good fortune only lasted up to that point. “From that point on, they were unable to continue their voyage, as the current kept throwing the ship against a rocky outcrop they named Río Negro (Black River). Faced with this impossibility, Obligado decided to continue the journey in a rowboat with sails, but for most of the voyage they had to tow the boat, and on some occasions, they had to haul the vessel out of the water and carry it by hand.”

Serres Güiraldes' account, based on that of González Lonzieme, published in the Naval Center Bulletin (1964), states that “thus, through a superhuman effort, they reached, on November 18, the place where Villarino had begun his return journey in 1783. But, from that point, a new obstacle was added to the many they had faced. On November 23, the Sayhueque Indians blocked their passage, forcing them to turn back.”

The reconstruction indicates that “faced with this insurmountable setback, with the few men they had, they had to return to where the ‘Río Negro’ was moored and, once aboard, continue their journey to Carmen de Patagones.

This second voyage demonstrated that navigation by ship to Nahuel Huapi was impossible. But it allowed them to carry out a series of
of geographical surveys of the banks of the Negro and Limay rivers.”

The “third” expedition is underway.

Obviously, “Obligado did not cease in his efforts to reach Nahuel Huapi by river. On October 31, 1882, the preparations were complete, and they set sail again on the ‘Río Negro.’ The voyage was faster thanks to the lessons learned on previous trips. This increased speed allowed them to reach the confluence of the Neuquén and Limay rivers on December 19, turning the bow of the ‘Río Negro’ once more upstream to the Río Negro rock, where they moored the boat.”

This time, it seemed that everything was in their favor. “As before, Obligado continued the journey in a launch, but with better luck since the indigenous people did not bother them. They only had to contend with the current, the rapids, the whirlpools, and the large logs carried by the current.” All these obstacles contributed to once again thwarting the aspiration to reach the lake.

Ironically, fate did not grant Obligado the joy of reaching Lake Nahuel Huapi, as he was appointed by the government to a mission in Europe. Lieutenant O’Connor was left in charge of the expedition. The Río Negro was under the command of Lieutenant Wilson, with O’Connor as the expedition leader. After a difficult voyage, including an eight-day grounding near Villa Roca, the Río Negro reached the confluence of the Collon Curá and Limay rivers. After several attempts to overcome the current and continue the journey, they had to moor the ship to the rocky outcrop.

The mission was on the verge of success. From there, O’Connor continued the journey in a specially built launch. As on previous occasions, much of the journey was made while towing. On the 30th, after immense effort, they reached the Traful River, and on December 13th, they entered Lake Nahuel Huapi. The logbook reads: “At 2:40 p.m., the boat, then called Modesta Victoria, triumphantly entered Lake Nahuel Huapi with its long rig and the National Flag flying high.” The epic journey had concluded.