Arthur Sandes

Portrait of Arthur Sandes, 1826.

Arthur Sandes (1793 in Dublin or Kerry – 6 September 1832 in Cuenca, Ecuador) was the commanding officer of the Rifle Battalion of the British Legions in the Spanish American wars of independence. Sandes came to Venezuela to join the Regiment of Rifles led by Colonel Frederick Campbell taking part in the "expedition of the Five Colonels".

After its service in the Venezuelan plains during the first half of 1818, the Rifles was part of the expeditionary force taken by Bolívar across the 'Llanos' and the Andes and fought in the 1819 campaign which resulted in the liberation of central New Granada. The battalion was present at Gameza (where it was mentioned in dispatches), Pantano de Vargas (where Sandes was wounded twice and had his horse shot under him) and Boyacá (where it took part in a decisive charge against the Spanish artillery). Soon after this battle, an epidemic broke out in the Patriot army. Colonel Sandes fell seriously ill but fortunately later recovered. In the following years Sandes fought in various battles in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

External links

• Arthur Sandes (1793-1832), commander of the Rifles Battalion in the South American wars of independence