Just three days before the United States and Spain signed the armistice agreement, the Portuguese expeditionary force was embroiled in a fierce battle in El Picacho in western Venezuela.
The vanguard of the Portuguese Army, Silvira's 4,000 soldiers, were repeatedly harassed by the New Granada National Army, which was twice their size, and suffered greatly.
Silvira couldn't even retreat—he chose a "Y"-shaped estuary to build a defensive position, barely holding off the enemy forces. If he left here, he would likely be surrounded immediately.
More than ten days after sending out a call for help, Viscount Laguna finally arrived with 6,000 reinforcements.
However, it was at this time that the 1,300 soldiers of the Spanish Royal Army suddenly joined the battle—the Spanish army in New Granada had previously been busy suppressing rebellion, but after the implementation of the "Executive Officer System," the Creoles quickly turned their focus onto the foreign invaders.
