The exchange of prisoners of war during the period of Independence and its incidence in the Caribbean Coast of New Granada and Venezuela

Abstract

Within the framework of the bicentennial of the independence of the Hispanic-American nations, this essay exmines the exchange of prisoners of war in the Caribbean coast of New Granada and Venezuela after the signing of the armistice and regularization of war treaties at the end of 1820. I study the scope of this humantiarian accord, particularly after the suspensión of the truce, and in the capitulations in towns that were still under Spanish control. Despite many difficulties, hundreds of soldiers were able to save their lives this way, while many others returned to the ranks of the military or went back to their families. I find that the benefits were greater for the Republican side because a good number of Spanish prisoners abandoned the territories under dispute and others joined the revolutionary troops, while the Spanish Expeditionary Army was slowly losing its grip on the rebel colonies. In a way, the exchange of prisoners of war helped maintain channels of dialogue. It thus helped to produce a negotiated exit in this last phase of the wars of Independence and became an early precedent of international humanitarian law.