(Redirected from General José de San Martín)
'José Francisco de San Martín Matorras', also known as 'José de San Martín' (
25 February,
1778 –
17 August,
1850), was an
Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from
Spain.
Born on
February 25,
1778 in
Yapeyú, he left his mother country at an early age and studied in
Madrid,
Spain where he met and befriended
Chilean
Bernardo O'Higgins.
In 1789, after joining the Spanish forces to fight against the
French, and participating in several battles such as the
Battle of Bailén and
Battle of Albuera, San Martín started making contact with South American supporters of independence.
In 1812, he set sail for
Buenos Aires from
England, and offered his services to the United Provinces of the South (roughly present
Argentina).
After the
Battle of San Lorenzo in 1813, and some time in command of the Army of the North during 1814, he started his plan to attack
Lima. This involved first creating an army in
Cuyo, liberating
Chile, and then attacking Lima by sea.
In 1817, he crossed the
Andes from
Mendoza to
Chile, and prevailed over the Spanish forces after the
Battle of Chacabuco and
Battle of Maipú (1818), liberating Chile together with
Chilean
Bernardo O'Higgins. San Martín seized partial control of the viceroyalty's capital (
Lima) on
July 12,
1821 and appointed ''Protector of Perú''. After a closed-door meeting with fellow ''libertador''
Simón Bolívar at
Guayaquil,
Ecuador on
22 July 1822, Bolívar took over the task of fully liberating Peru and declared its independence. San Martín unexpectedly left Perú and resigned the command of his army, excluding himself from politics and the military, and moving to
France in 1824. The details of the 22 July meeting would be a subject of debate by later historians.
Together with
Simón Bolívar in the north, San Martín is regarded as one of the
Liberators of Spanish South America. He is the national
hero of Argentina. The
Order of the Liberator General San Martin () in his honour is the highest decoration in Argentina.
Birth
Son of
Spanish Juan de San Martín and
Gregoria Matorras, he was born the fifth and last child in
February 25,
1778 in
Yapeyú, a small village in
Corrientes,
Argentina.
His father was a
Colonel in office as
Lieutenant Governor of Yapeyú beginning in 1774. In 1781, the family moved to
Buenos Aires.
Spain
In
1784, his father was transferred again, this time to
Spain. And so the family moved to
Spain, and San Martín enrolled in
Madrid's ''Real Seminario de Nobles'' where he studied from
1785. While at the ''Real Seminario de Nobles'' he met and became friends with
Bernardo O'Higgins.
In
1789, aged eleven, San Martín left the ''Real Seminario de Nobles'' and enrolled in the
Regiment of
Murcia, starting his military career.
Military career in Europe
After joining the
Regiment of
Murcia, San Martín participated on several campaigns in Africa, fighting in
Melilla and
Oran, among other places. Later, by the end of the
First Coalition of the
French Revolutionary Wars in 1797, his rank was raised to
Sub-Lieutenant for his actions against the
French in the
Pyrenees. On August of the same year, after several engagements, his regiment surrendered to
British naval forces. Soon afterwards, he continued to fight in southern Spain, mainly in
Cádiz and
Gibraltar with the rank of Second
Captain of
light infantry.
When the
Peninsular War started in 1808, San Martín was assigned ''ayudante'' (
Spanish, helper) of the First Regiment ''Voluntarios de Campo Mayor''. After his actions against the French, he became Captain of the Regiment of
Borbon.
On
July 19 1808, Spanish and French forces engage in the
Battle of Bailén, in which Spanish forces prevailed, allowing the Army of
Andalucia to attack and seize
Madrid. For his actions during this battle, San Martín was decorated with a gold medal, and his rank raised to
Lieutenant Colonel.
While in Spain, San Martín became acquainted with several
criollos, and becomes aware of the independentists movements in America. Years later, on
September 11 1848, in a letter to
Ramón Castilla he would write that in 1811, "''In a meeting of Americans in
Cadiz, knowing of the first movements of Caracas, Buenos Aires and elsewhere we resolved to return each to our country of birth, in order to offer our services to the struggle we considered was bound to intensify''".
On
May 16 1811, he participated on the
Battle of Albuera under the command of general
William Carr Beresford. During the battle he met
Scottish Lord MacDuff (
James Duff, the Fourth
Earl of Fife) who introduced him to the lodges that were plotting the South American
independence efforts. San Martín requested resignation from the Spanish army, which was granted.
England
With the help of Lord MacDuff, San Martín obtained a passport to
England where he met several ''
criollos'' who were part of the ''Logia de los Caballeros Racionales'' (Lodge of the Rational Knights) founded by the
Venezuelan
Francisco de Miranda. According to
Argentine historian
Felipe Pigna, San Martín was introduced to the
Maitland Plan by members of the lodge founded by Miranda and Lord MacDuff.
In 1812, San Martín set sail to
Buenos Aires aboard the British
frigate ''George Canning''.
South America
San Martín's tomb in the Buenos Aires Cathedral
Argentina
Following his arrival in Buenos Aires on
March 9 1812, his rank of Lieutenant Colonel was recognized by the
Triumvirate and he was thus entrusted with the creation of the Regiment of Mounted Granadiers (''
Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo''), which would become the best-trained military arm of the revolution.
During 1812, he focused on training troops by following the modern warfare techniques he had acquired during the
Peninsular War. With
Carlos María de Alvear and
José Matias Zapiola, he also entablished the
Logia Lautaro, an offspring in Buenos Aires of the independence lodges in
London and
Cádiz.
On August of the same year, he married
María de los Remedios de Escalada, a young woman from one of the local wealthy families.
In October, when news of the victory of the Army of the North (Spanish, ''Ejército del Norte'') commanded by
Manuel Belgrano reached Buenos Aires, the Lautaro Lodge initiated political pressure, backed by San Martín armed forces and popular demand, to impose its candidates into government, thus forcing the
First Triumvirate to an end and initiating the
Second Triumvirate with members
Juan José Paso,
Nicolás Rodríguez Peña, and
Antonio Álvarez Jonte (Rodríguez Peña and Álvarez Jonte were members of the lodge). This new government strengthened the position held by the Army, and decided to lay siege to
Montevideo, which was controlled by loyalist to the Spanish Crown. On
December 7 1812, San Martín was promoted to
Colonel.
Beginning of his military career in South America
Although not technically a battle (in Spanish the battle is referred as ''Combate de San Lorenzo'' ("San Lorenzo Combat")), references in
English language refer to the event as the "Battle of San Lorenzo".
On
January 28 1813, San Martín with his Mounted Granadiers (comprising around 150 soldiers) was sent to protect the
Paraná River shore from the Spanish Fleet of 11 ships under command of
General José Zavala. On the morning of
February 3, the Spanish forces of around 250 men disembarked and fought against San Martín in the
Battle of San Lorenzo.
During the fight, San Martín's horse was shot dead and fell, trapping one of San Martín's legs underneath the dead horse. This made him an easy target, but
Sargent Juan Bautista Cabral helped him extricate himself. While he was helping the Colonel, Cabral was attacked himself, and died from his wounds after the battle. After the battle, San Martín was promoted to
General. This was San Martín's first military action in South America.
Army of the North
After the victories of the Army of the North in the battles of
Tucuman and
Salta, the Army commanded by
Manuel Belgrano lost ground after defeats in the
Battles of Vilcapugio (
October 1) and
Ayohuma November 14 1813. The Triumvirate then decided to send San Martín to the North with a small infantry army and his cavarly regiment.
After joining the defeated Army of the North in
Yatasto, he took command in January 1814, Belgrano becoming second in command. During his command, the Army camped in
Tucumán, where he started instructing the troops, created a new military school, and sent
Colonel Martín Miguel de Güemes to fight against loyalist coming from
Peru to gain time.
However, after minor struggles in
Salta and
Jujuy, news of the victory of
Commander Guillermo Brown against the loyalist's navy, and the resulting blockade of
Montevideo, made the loyalist forces from
Peru retreat to concentrate its forces.
On April 1814, San Martín was granted a leave to treat an illness and moved to
Córdoba.
During his command of the Army of the North, San Martín confirmed one of the reasons behind the
Maitland Plan's scheme: royalist forces that came down from the Upper Peru (roughly present day
Bolivia) were easily defeated by the independentist forces in the valleys of
Salta and
Jujuy. But because of the geographical advantage, forces attacking Upper Peru were easily defeated by the royalists for the very same reasons.
Governor of Cuyo
In
Córdoba, San Martín continued preparing his plan of attacking
Lima –the Capital city of the
Viceroyalty of Peru– through
Chile. To this end, he requested to be appointed governor of
Cuyo. Later,
Juan Pueyrredón was sent by the provisional government of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, and gave San Martín full support on his Liberatory Campaign (Spanish, ''Campaña Libertadora'').
Once in office, while San Martín was focused on preparations for the Crossing of the Andes (Spanish, ''Cruce de los Andes''), he also performed his duties as Governor. During his term, he made tax collection stricter, farm workers were reglamented, ordered a massive vaccination against
small pox, and founded a library. He also reorganized the mail service to strengthen its security. Meanwhile, he tried to exhort other provinces to declare independence. Particularly,
Tomás Godoy Cruz, receive his letters regularly on this matter.
One month after he took office, royalist forces defeated rebel forces under
Bernardo O'Higgins' command (O'Higgins fled to the
Andes). San Martín strengthened his espionage network with the so-called ''Guerra de zapa'' (
Spanish; "War of Zapa"), a pun on the expression ''Trabajo de zapa'', which means hidden work done slyly towards some particular aim.
On this behalf, San Martín sent his
Aide-de-camp and amateur
cartographer Álvarez Condarco (carrying an Act of Independence to Chile as an excuse) through
Los Patos pass (the longest path), and returned through the Uspallata (the shortest one), to perform
reconnaissance of several locations, mainly the
Chacabuco area. Other measures included a
disinformation campaign in Chile by sending fake information on the possible attack routes, and information gathering of the situation in Chile in order to prevent a possible attack from there.
Army of the Andes
During his governorship of Cuyo, he organized the Army of Cuyo. On
8 November 1814 he created the 11th Battalion of Infantry (Spanish, ''Batallón Número 11 de Infantería'') which included the Corps of Chile (Spanish, ''Cuerpo de Chile'', which was under command of Argentine General
Gregorio de Las Heras. These Chilean corps were remnants of the army that had fled from Chile after the
Battle of Rancagua.
By October 1815, after contributions of several provinces, the army had 1,600 infantry soldiers, 1,000 men in cavalry, 200 men in artillery and 10 cannons.
However many problems arose, such as low supplies of
powder,
iron, and uniforms. Because existing local industries were not enough to supply the Army of the North, San Martín handled the problem by creating local industries in Cuyo to meet the requirements of the army he was creating.
On the other hand, despite having the support of the Supreme Director of the United Provinces of Río de la Plata, the support was far from being at a national level. His efforts were often undermined by the skepticism of some local leaders about the viability of the campaign against the
Viceroyalty of Peru through the
Andes. However, on
August 1,
1816, Pueyrredón renamed the army to Army of the Andes (Spanish, ''Ejército de los Andes'') and San Martín was appointed General in chief, and gave the army national priority.
By the end of the preparations, the Army of the Andes had 3 generals, 28 chiefs, 207 officials, 15 civil employees, 3,778 soldiers, and 1,392 auxiliary forces, totalling 5,423 men, 18 pieces of artillery, 1,500 horses and 9,280 mules. All of these were placed under the command of San Martín.
Crossing of the Andes
In September 1816, San Martín relocated his Army of the Andes to
Plumerillo, in the northern part of
Mendoza Province, where he finished the details to start his crossing of the Andes. The army was divided in two main columns and four minor ones, keeping the decided paths in secret.
On
January 18 1817, a main column parted with the artillery to Chile through
Uspallata, under command of General Las Heras, reaching
Las Cuevas on
February 1 1817. The second main column led by San Martín, left on
January 19 through Los Patos pass, and reached
San Andrés de Tártaro on
February 8, where he was later joined by Las Heras, concluding the first part of the crossing. By the time the main columns reunited, both had already had minor skirmishes: the first column had fought royalists in
Potrerillos, while the forces led by San Martín had fought the
Battles of Achupallas and
Las Coimas.
The crossing of the Andes took twenty-one days. It was an extremely difficult enterprise, with temperatures ranging from 30°
Celsius during the day to -10°
Celsius at night, altitudes averaging 3000 meters above sea level, and paths that were far from being roads appropriate for an army: they consisted of a 50 cm wide paths mainly used by locals for travelling on mules, with several passages which had to be crossed literally in single file. Besides all those hardships, San Martín was far from healthy and was carried on a stretcher during most of the trip. By the end of crossing, around 300 men — 5.5% of the total at the beginning — had lost their lives, mostly due to the harsh conditions of the trip.
Campaign in Chile
After crossing the Andes and entering Chile, the Spanish royalist forces were taking positions in Mount
Cuesta Vieja, preparing themselves for the confrontation against the Army of the Andes.
Battle of Chacabuco
By
February 10,
1817, the Army of the Andes was in the
Aconcagua valley, and the Spanish royalist forces had not still taken full positions. San Martín then took the initiative and hastened preparations for his attack.
Despite a severe attack of
Rheumatoid arthritis, San Martín commanded the battle, and seeing the Spanish forces under numerical inferiority and considering the surprise factor, developed a strategy for the Spanish forces to
surrender, avoiding bloodshed.
At 2 am on
February 12 1817, the forces commanded by San Martín started ascending Mount Cuesta Vieja, divided in two main divisions. Facing south, the division on the left was under General
Miguel Estanislao Soler and the one to the right under O'Higgins' command. Initially the strategy consisted on the right division under Soler's command to take position on the rear of the loyalist, while the forces under O'Higgins would face the vanguard. Meanwhile, squads of the Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers were scouting the area.
At around 10 pm, the Grenadiers took the vanguard of the royalist forces by surprise – Spanish General
Rafael Maroto was expecting two more days to take positions, and to receive more troops – and charged against the fleeing royalist infantry. This secured an important strategic position for the battle, where O'Higgins' division was placed. O'Higgins then requested permission to pursue the fleeing royalist vanguard in order to avoid their reorganization, to which San Martín agreed but recommended not taking action until Soler's division was in place. Despite this, the forces led by O'Higgins went down, only to find an
arroyo (creek), leaving them in a bad position and in range of enemy guns. At this point, O'Higgins division started retreating. Seeing the delicate position of the O'Higgins' troops, San Martín sent a message to Soler, ordering him to hurry up and charge. According to historian
Bartolomé Mitre, maybe because of his bad relationship with Soler, and not wanting him to take credit of the victory, O'Higgins ordered a charge, yelling ''"Soldiers! To live with honor or die in glory! Follow me the brave one. Columns, charge!"''. The charge was a stalemate until Soler's division joined the battle turning the odds in favor of the patriot side.
After the battle, the royalist forces had suffered five hundred
casualties and six hundred royalist soldiers had been taken prisoner. On the Army of the Andes side, there were twelve killed and around one hundred wounded. The army also gained new artillery and other weapons, besides restoring the Chilean revolution.
San Martín sent a a message reporting the victory: ''"The Army of the Andes has attained glory and can report: In twenty-four days we have completed the campaign, passed through the highest mountain range on the globe, defeated the tyrants and given freedom to Chile"''.
Chacabuco aftermath
On
February 14, San Martín and O'Higgins triumphally entered
Santiago, and on
February 18, in a meeting held in the town open hall, San Martín was appointed Governor of Chile. San Martín immediately resigned, thus O'Higgins was elected Supreme Director of the State of Chile (Spanish, ''Director Supremo del Estado de Chile''). The United Army (Spanish, ''Ejército Unido'') was created with
Chilean and
Argentine soldiers. The Chilean soldiers were under O'Higgins command, while San Martín was General in Chief of the whole United Army.
Then San Martín, in order to raise funds for a
fleet, left for
Buenos Aires. After negotiating with Pueyrredón, a delegation was sent to
London to provide ships for a new fleet in the
Pacific Ocean.
Back in
Chile in the last days of 1817, San Martín sent a delegation to
Lima under the pretext of proposing to the
Viceroy Joaquín de la Pezuela of
Peru the regularization of the war and exchange of
POWs. The real purpose was to gain as much information as possible about the enemy's plans. The delegation brought the news that a Spanish army under
General Mariano Osorio was about to set sail in four
frigates to southern Chile.
Despite the success in the
Battle of Chacabuco, and while leaving
Santiago and the northern Chile under patriot control, the royalist forces still had strong presence in southern Chile. The men under Osorio's command joined the royalist forces in the south by sea. The royalists also had allied themselves with
Mapuche native Americans.
Battle of Cancha Rayada
On
19 March 1818, the royalist forces concentrated and fortified in
Talca with around five thousand men under General Osorio, while the independent forces of around seven thousand men formed by the United Army were taking positions in the Cancha Rayada
plains. San Martín, fearing an attack on his flank, ordered a change of position of the troops.
Knowing their disadvantage in number and cavalry, the Spanish General
Mariano Osorio was not eager to engage in battle, fortifying in
Talca. However, after a suggestion from Colonel
José Ordóñez a confrontation was decided upon, under Ordoñez' command. In a bold move, Ordoñez made the kind of attack San Martín had feared: circumventing the city and making a surprise attack at night behind the vanguard where the patriot forces were still taking positions. The surprise attack happened before the patriot army had re-positioned itself, and was a directed at the
battalion under O'Higgins command, near San Martín's position. Soon, the vanguard soldiers dispersed, leaving O'Higgins in a bad position; his horse was shot dead and he was wounded in one arm. In an uncharacteristic move, instead of ordering retreat San Martín held the position, which made more patriot soldiers flee under enemy fire, leaving weapons and supplies behind. After the initial disorder, however, he ordered retreat. The rear and reserves had already re-positioned, somewhat withstanding the attack, but had no-one in command (
Colonel Hilarión de la Quintana had left to headquarters to receive orders after the re-position and had not yet returned). Las Heras took command, and led the men during the retreat, while trying to recover as much artillery and weapons as possible. San Martín and O'Higgins (who were also retreating at full speed) were being closely chased by royalist forces.
By
21 March 1818, the decimated patriot forces of around three and half thousand men reunited in
San Fernando, while news of the defeat reached Santiago. Rumors of deaths of O'Higgins and San Martín were spreading, and an exodus from Santiago to
Mendoza started.
Regarding the battle, San Martín sent the following message: ''"Camping the army under my command in the outskirts of Talca, it was attacked by the enemy, and suffered an almost generalized disbanding which forced me to retreat. I'm reuniting the troops right now, with happy results, as I'm already counting 4,000 men from Curicó to Palequén"''.
The battle (which was the only defeat the campaign had suffered) resulted in around 150 killed, and two hundred men taken prisoner. Several hundred had deserted, the whole artillery of the Argentine side was lost along with considerable amounts of horses, mules and weapons from both the Chilean and Argentine parts of the army. Despite the royalist victory, the action proved decimating to their side: two hundred soldiers had been killed, three hundred men captured and around six hundred had deserted, a total comprising more than half the two thousand men that had charged into the battle.
Battle of Maipú
After the ''sorpresa de Cancha Rayada'' (surprise of Cancha Rayada), the royalist forces concentrated and marched towards Santiago.
On
4 April 1818, the United Army took positions in Loma Blanca, near the Maipú plains. The army separated into three divisions: Las Heras commanding the column on the right, Colonel
Rudecindo Alvarado commanding the column on the left, and Quintana at the rear. O'Higgins (still wounded) was in charge of the reserves.
The royalist forces under General Osorio's command took defensive positions, despite the convictions of some Colonels (among whom was Ordoñez) that taking the offensive as in Cancha Rayada was the best option. According to
Irish Mounted Granadier
John Thomond O'Brien, San Martín, seeing Osorio's disposition of the forces, exclaimed "''Osorio is clumsier than I thought. Today's triumph is ours. The sun as witness!''".
Around 11 am on the morning of
5 April 1818, the patriotic forces charged against the royalist forces with devastating resolution: after the sustained six-hour battle, the royalists were defeated. Osorio attempted to retreat to a property called "Lo Espejos" (The Mirrors) but failing to reach it, fled to
Talcahuano with around twelve hundred men, although virtually rendered useless as they had lost most, if not all, of their weapons.
The royalist forces suffered two thousand dead, three thousand prisoners taken and lost all its artillery. The patriotic forces, on the other hand, suffered one thousand casualties. Historian and Colonel
José Luis Picciuolo stated in his book ''Argentina Cavalry in the History of the Army'' that "this battle was executed as a typical act of annihilation".
As result of the battle, the Spanish control over northern Chile ended, and the independence declared on
12 February,
1818 was partially accomplished. Viceroy Pezuela considered northern Chile lost, and Osorio set sail for
Peru, leaving Colonel
Juan Francisco Sánchez in charge of one thousand men in
Talcahuano.
Fleet of the Pacific
Since the Battle of Chacabuco, San Martín had urged both governments of Santiago and Buenos Aires to build a fleet on the
Pacific. Convoys had been sent to the
United States and
England in order to buy and hire several ships, however, lack of political cohesion in
Argentina, a Spanish blockade in
Valparaiso, and the Battles of Cancha Rayada and Maipú heavily delayed the project. On the other hand, the mountainous landscape of the region lent itself to a large dependence of the colonial Chilean economy on maritime trade routes and shipping. This meant that there was an abundance of shipyards and a ready supply of sailors.
Right after the Battle of Maipú, San Martín left for
Buenos Aires in order to speed up the process (and meet his wife and daughter which he had not seen since the start of the Campaign of the Andes). Once in Buenos Aires, after learning the fact that half a million
pesos would not be available for the project from Pueyrredón, San Martín resigned as Commander of the Army under the pretext of being prescripted by his doctor to take rest in Chile's hotsprings. The resignation was not accepted and San Martín was granted a license.
Act of Rancagua
After Supreme Director
José Rondeau was defeated in the
Battle of Cepeda, San Martín sent his resignation of the Army's command from Santiago to
Rancagua, where Colonel Las Heras had settled with the army, arguing that the authority to which he had to report had ceased to exist, and thus his own authority had expired. The officials of the army rejected his resignation on the basis that the army's goal was to ''hasten the happiness of the country'' and the authority was given ultimately by the ''health of the people'', something that was immutable and could not expire.
Peru
On
20 August 1820, a fleet of eight warships and sixteen transport ships of the
Chilean Navy, under the command of
Thomas Alexander Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, set sail from
Valparaíso to
Paracas, southern Peru.
On
7 September, the army landed on
Paracas and successfully attacked
Pisco. On
11 September 1820, San Martín sent a "manifesto" to the Peruvian people stating "''My announcement is not that of a conqueror that tries to create a new enslavement. I cannot help but be an accidental instrument of justice and agent of destiny. The outcome of victory will make Peru's capital see for the first time their sons united, freely choosing their government and emerging into the face of earth among the rank of nations''".
Expedition of Peru
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Peru's national flag (1821-1822), created by San Martín.
While previous campaigns had been militaristic, San Martín avoided confrontation in Peru and emphazised
diplomacy. His strategy consisted of waiting for the Peruvian people to begin the uprising by themselves. This resulted in many diplomatic envoys to Lima, urging viceroy
Joaquín de la Pezuela to grant the independence of
Peru. However, these diplomatic efforts proved fruitless.
After seizing Pisco, the army set sail on 26 October toward the north and landed at
Huacho – a better place from a strategic point of view – on 12 November. Huacho was used by San Martín as his main headquarters from thereon. While there, San Martín first heard of the emancipation of
Guayaquil under the leadership of Peruvian
Gregorio Escobedo. This and other events such as the maritime blockade of
Callao by Cochrane and the victories over royalists by
Alvarez de Arenales in
Guacarillo (6 October) and
Pasco (20 December) strengthened the position of the main independentist effort led by San Martín.
On
29 January, Pezuela was deposed by
José de la Serna. On
21 February 1821, San Martín promulgated the ''Provisional Rules'' (
Spanish, ''Reglamento Provisional'') aimed to provide legal guarantees to the Peruvian citizens, and designed the first flag of Peru. Soon afterwards he started preparing to march on Lima.
In March, 1821 the army set sail and landed in
Ancón (near Lima), while dispatching general
Guillermo Miller to the southern coasts and
Alvarez de Arenales towards the eastern hills, furthering Lima's isolation. Diplomatic efforts once again failed, as Viceroy Serna did not agree to declare independence, and San Martín did not accept Serna's proposal of acceptance by the independentists of the
Spanish Constitution of 1812 and the sending emissaries to the
Cortes Generales.
On 2 July, San Martín met Viceroy Serna. This time San Martín proposed to create a
constitutional monarchy with a European monarch to be appointed later. Serna, arguing that he did not have the power to make such a decision, asked for two days to discuss the issue. However after discussing the issue with the royalist forces' commanders, the proposition was turned down on the basis that they did not have the power to grant independence, even to create a monarchy.
Protector of Peru
San Martín occupied
Lima, the capital of
Peru, on
12 July 1821. This was a huge loss for the Spanish forces. Independence from Spain for Peru was finally declared on
28 July 1821 and he was voted the "Protector" of the newly independent nation. During the same year, he founded the
National Library of Peru, to which he donated his collection of books, and praised the new library as "... ''one of the most efficient means to spread our intellectual values''". After Peru's
parliament had been assembled, he resigned his command.
Meeting in Guayaquil
On
26 July 1822, he met with
Simón Bolívar at
Guayaquil to plan the future of
Latin America. Most of the details of this meeting were secret at the time, and this has made the event a matter of much debate among later historians. Some believe that Bolívar's refusal to share command of the combined forces made San Martín withdraw from Peru and resettle as a farmer in
Mendoza, Argentina. Another theory claims that San Martín yielded to Bolívar's energy and avoided a confrontation.
General San Martin in Paris, 1848
Exile in Europe
In
1824, after his wife Remedios de Escalada died, he moved to
Europe with his daughter Mercedes, first in England, then in
Brussels. To keep a neutral position during the
1830 Belgian Revolution, he moved to
Paris where he caught the cholera. Cured but weakened, he bought a house and retired at Grand-Bourg, near
Evry, but was once again disturbed by history. In
1848, when the
revolution started in Paris, he decided to move to
London, but finally stopped in
Boulogne-sur-Mer[1] where he spent the remainder of his days.
His last acts on Argentine soil was the accepting of a gift from Buenos Aires governor
Juan Manuel de Rosas and his refusing to fight in the civil wars that tore the country apart.
In
1880 his remains were taken from
Brunoy to
Buenos Aires and reinterred in the
Buenos Aires Cathedral.
Anthem to San Martín
'Anthem to the Liberator General San Martín'
Music: Arturo Luzzatt
Lyrics: Segundo M. Argarañaz
| Yergue el Ande su cumbre más alta,Dé la mar el metal de su voz,y entre cielos y nieves eternasse alce el trono del Libertador.Suenen claras trompetas de gloriay levanten un himno triunfal,que la luz de la historia agigantala figura del Gran Capitán.¡Padre augusto del pueblo argentino,héroe magno de la libertad!A su sombra la Patria se agrandaen virtud, en trabajo y en paz.¡San Martín! ¡San Martín! Que tu nombre,honra y prez de los pueblos del Sur,asegure por siempre los rumbosde la Patria que alumbra tu luz.De las tierras del Plata a Mendoza,de Santiago a la Lima gentil,fue sembrando en la ruta laurelesa su paso triunfal San Martín.San Martín, el señor en la guerra,por secreto designio de Dios,grande fue cuando el sol lo alumbraba,y más grande en la puesta del Sol. |
| | Climbs the Andes until their highest peakFrom the sea, the metal of his voiceand between skies and everlasting snowsshall arise the throne of the Liberator.May trumpets of glory sound clearly and play a triumphal anthembecause the light of history make giganticthe figure of the Great Captain.Great father of the Argentine People,big hero of freedom!beneath his shadow the Fatherland growsin virtue, in work, and in peace.San Martín! San Martín! may your name,the honour and glory of the people of the South,assure for ever the fatesof the Fatherland enlightened by your lightFrom the lands of River Plate to Mendoza,from Santiago to gentile Lima,he went planting laurels in the wayin his triumphal journey, San Martín.San Martín, the lord of war,for God's secret chosen one,was big when the Sun shone on him,and even bigger in the sunset. |
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External links
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Short biography of San Martín
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Another short biography
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Biography of San Martín
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History of San Martín
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Articles on San Martin on newspaper Clarín
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Sanmartinian National Institute
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Short biography of San Martín by Felipe Pigna
References
1. His house in Boulogne is now a museum, and was a Consulate of Argentine between 1930 and 1967 (La Casa San Martin )
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from San Martín to Bolivar (1821) (Wikisource)
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Bibliography
★ ''Historia de San Martín y de la Emancipación Sudamericana'', (History of San Martín and the South American emancipation) by
Bartolomé Mitre (1887)
★ ''Historia Integral de la Argentina'', (Integral history of Argentina) by Félix Luna (1994)
★ ''San Martín en el Ejército Español en la península'', (San Martín in the Spanish Army in the peninsula) by Adolfo Espíndola (1989)
★ ''Documentos para la historia del Libertador General San Martín'', (Documents for liberator general San Martín's history) by Instituto Nacional Sanmartiniano and the Museo Histórico Nacional (1953-1979)
★ ''Historia de la Nación Argentina'', (History of the Argentine Nation) by Ricardo Levene (1940)
★ ''Los mitos de la Historia Argentina 2'', (Myths of the Argentine History) by
Felipe Pigna (2005)
★ ''La Caballería Argentina en la historia del ejército'', (Argentina Cavalry in the history of the army) by Colonel
José Luis Picciuolo (2001)
★ ''Historia Militar del Perú'' (Militar History of Peru) by Carlos Dellepiane (1965)
See also
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ΦΙΑ – A
U.S. university fraternity that takes José de San Martín as one of its "five pillars"
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