Freemen of the South

Freemen of the South
Libres del Sur
Part of Argentine Civil Wars
Date1839
Location
Result Federalist provincial government victory
Belligerents
Unitarian & rebel militia Federalist government of Buenos Aires Province
Commanders and leaders
Ramón Maza
Juan Lavalle
Juan Manuel de Rosas

The Freemen of the South (Spanish: Libres del Sur) were belligerents in an 1839 rebellion in south Buenos Aires province, Argentina against Federalist Governor Juan Manuel de Rosas. A mixture of disgruntled ranchers and Unitarian revolutionaries, the Freemen briefly took control of Dolores, Chascomús and Tandil, and expected to join forces with General Juan Lavalle, who was to lead an army from Uruguay. The rebellion was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Chascomús, and Rosas remained in power in Buenos Aires.