After Sarandi

On December 31, 1825 Lavalleja encircled Montevideo, breaking the contact by land between the garrison inside the city and Rio Grande. Lecor made no attempt to stop the advance of the Liberation Army. To make things worst to the empire, the Argentinean provinces started gathering an army to join the fight against Brazil. In fact, troops were being assembled since mid-1825 and now they were just about to enter the fight. The hostilities quickly spread along the region.

On December 10, the empire had declared war against the Argentinean provinces. The Imperial Navy, taking advantage of its superior number, blocked Buenos Aires port. With only one-fifth of its enemy force, there was little the Argentinean Navy could do to avoid it.

By early January, 1826 General Martin Rodriguez is appointed commander of the Republican Army by the Argentinean Congress. He immediately crossed the bounder with Banda Oriental in order to join forces with Lavalleja's 4,000 army.

Lavalleja, however was not ready to be the second-in-command. Despite the fact that Buenos Aires Congress approved the  union between Argentina and Banda Oriental, he refused to put his troops under control of Argentinean government. Thus, the preparative for the campaign were delayed several times. Lavalleja could not be simply dismissed. Only when General Carlos Maria Alvear was appointed to lead the combined forces, on August 14, giving Lavalleja much autonomy, the plans to wage war against the empire could go on. By this time, the Republican Army totaled some 10,000 men.

D.Pedro, for his part, was facing many problems. He lost confidence on the commanders he designed to deal with the revolt in the Cisplatine. Lecor, in particular, was not in a confortable position, being attacked in the capital by his lack of initiative. Moreover, the Cisplatine was not the only revolt D.Pedro had to pay attention. His government was so unpopular that rebellion was wide spread in the empire, even in the capital. Finally, the war in the south was not supported by the public opinion. Some newspapers were asking why should the country pay for a war in a distant land, where people had decided not to be part of the empire ? Notwithstanding, the emperor was decided to try a last blow on the rebels. He changed the command in the Cisplatine several times. Lecor was dismissed in August. By November Lieutenant-General Felisberto Caldeira Brant, Marquis of Barbacena, was appointed as commander-in-chief of the Army of the South. The emperor also sent new troops to Rio Grande. By the end of the year the Imperial Army had 16,000 troops at disposal, including those in Montevideo and Colonia.

Is worth of note that, on both sides, the reinforcement was slow. During 1826 no major engagement occurred. Only at sea some skirmishes took place.

Aware of this movement, Alvear made his own plan. Knowing of some weak points in the border patrols, he would assault some villages and towns in order to bring the Imperial Army onto him. Then, he would pretend a retreat. Finally, he would force Barbacena towards a carefully chosen position where he intended to fight. This position would not only compel Barbacena to attack but also minimize his advantage in infantry, while capitalizing on Alvear's advantage in cavalry.

Taking command in December, Barbacena was confident of his mission. He planned to destroy the Republican Army in a decisive battle and then advance towards Buenos Aires with no opposition. For this, he started seeking for Alvear since early January, 1827. Some military historians, however, have interpreted that by placing some 2,000 troops in the border, an equal number in Montevideo and some 800 in Colonia, Barbacena deprived himself of his maximum strength for the coming battle.

On January, 20 Alvear moved to the border and then advanced without opposition into the towns of Bagé and São Gabriel. As he planned, Barbacena came in his pursuit. The chase would end a month later in the Battle of Ituzaingo.

To Ituzaingo