Battle of El Memiso

The Battle of El Memiso (Spanish: Batalla del Memiso) was the third major battle of the Dominican War of Independence and was fought on the 13 April 1844, at El Memiso, Azua Province. A force of Dominican troops, a portion of the Army of the South, led by General Antonio Duvergé, defeated an outnumbering force of the Haitian Army led by Col. Pierre Paul.

Background

Since early March, the Haitian President Charles Rivière-Hérard organized an army of approximately 30,000 men to invade Dominican territory, dividing his forces into three columns. While the northern column, led by General Jean-Louis Pierrot, aimed to capture Santiago and Puerto Plata, Hérard personally led the southern column to take San Juan and Azua, with a third column under General Souffront targeting Neiba. Despite their initial advances, the Haitians suffered significant defeats in March, both in Azua on the 19 and Santiago on the 30, causing the northern column to retreat back to Haiti, leaving only Hérard’s southern forces. The Haitians then regrouped in Azua, hoping for reinforcements and supplies by sea.

Prelude

After several weeks of inactivity in Azua since the defeat in March 19, two line regiments set out from the city: the 4th, commanded by Colonel Pierre Paul, and the 5th, led by Colonel Auguste Brouard. In order to avoid a direct confrontation with the forces under General Pedro Santana, stationed in Sabana Buey and Baní, the Haitian troops chose a more indirect route. They followed the path of El Maniel (present-day San José de Ocoa), skirting the mountains of El Número and Lomas de Rincón in Azua, along the western bank of the Ocoa River.