After Facundo Quiroga's victory in the Battle of El Tala in 1826, in which he thought Lamadrid had died, the leader from La Rioja Province went to Cuyo, where he assured the triumph of the Federalist party. Meanwhile, the wounded governor of Tucumán Province received support from Buenos Aires, where President Bernardino Rivadavia urged him to overthrow the provincial governments opposed to his rule. Lamadrid invaded Catamarca Province for the third time, where he restored a Unitarian government. He returned to face Facundo Quiroga, supported Juan Felipe Ibarra, Governor of Santiago del Estero Province. He advanced to the outskirts of the capital of Tucumán and attacked Quiroga in the Rincón de Valladares on 6 July 1827.
The battle
The battle began with a Unitarian cavalry advance, which completely displaced the Federal cavalry. But the Federal infantry, commanded by Colonel Bargas, resisted the enemy onslaught and advanced to the center of Lamadrid's line. Part of Lamadrid's forces set about pursuing Santiago de Estero troops, who had left the battlefield, and Quiroga's reserve took advantage of the moment to destroy the remaining enemy lines. When the Tucumán cavalry returned from their pursuit and found the infantry had lost three quarters of its soldiers, they also retired. Casualties were very high on both sides. They increased when, days later, Quiroga had several officer prisoners shot.
Aftermath
Lamadrid fled north to Salta Province, where Governo José Ignacio Gorriti refused to help him. He was forced to go into exile in Bolivia. Quiroga, meanwhile, ensured the dominance of Tucumán Province by the most prestigious Federalist politician of that province, Nicolás Laguna. This battle marked the end of the first war between Unitarians and Federalists in the interior. The forces of no more than three provinces were involved in each campaign, so the scope was limited. The cycle of the Argentine civil wars would change substantially in 1828, when many provinces would be involved, dividing the country into two opposing halves. This situation would be repeated at least twice, in 1840 and 1861.
