Battle of Chacabuco

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Battle of Chacabuco
Part of the Chilean War of Independence and the Argentine War of Independence
The Battle of Chacabuco, 1817, during the Chilean War of Independence
Date February 12, 1817 Location near Santiago, Chile Result Patriot victory
Belligerents
Army of the Andes	Spain
Commanders
Jose de San Martin Bernardo O'Higgins	Rafael Maroto
Strength
600 Cavalry 4,000 Infantry (Approximate) 22 Guns	1,500 Infantry
Casualties and losses
100 killed/wounded	500 killed/wounded 600 prisoners

Chilean War of Independence Yerbas Buenas – Rancagua – Crossing of the Andes – Chacabuco – Cancha Rayada – Maipú – Valdivia – El Toro

The Battle of Chacabuco, fought during the Chilean War of Independence, occurred on February 12, 1817. It was a defeat for the General Captaincy of Chile, the Spain-controlled government established after the division of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

[edit] Background

In 1814, having been instrumental in the establishment of a popularly elected congress in Argentina, Jose de San Martin began to consider the problem of driving the Spanish royalists from South America. He realised that the first step would be to drive them from Chile, and, to this end, he set about recruiting and equipping an army. In just under two years, he had an army of some 6,000 men with 1,200 horses and 22 cannons, and, on January 17, 1817, he set out with this force to cross the Andes and liberate Chile. Careful planning on his part had meant that the Royalist forces in Chile were deployed to meet threats that did not exist, and his crossing went unopposed.

The Army of the Andes (as San Martin's force was called) suffered heavy losses during the crossing, losing one-third of its men and more than half of its horses. The Royalist forces had rushed north to respond to their approach, and a force of about 1,500 under Brigadier Rafael Maroto blocked San Martin's advance at a valley called Chacabuco, near Santiago. All he had to do was delay San Martin, as he knew that further Royalist reinforcements were on the way from Santiago. San Martin knew this as well, and opted to attack whilst he still had the advantage of numbers.

[edit] The battle

San Martin divided his army into two parts. The first, under General Bernardo O'Higgins, was to fix the attention of the Royalist force to their front, whilst the second, under General Soler, was to move around their left flank. Unfortunately, the flanking force experienced a series of delays, and, as the day wore on, O'Higgins found himself confronting the majority of the Royalist army in an exchange of fire over a deep creek. Taking decisive action (although disobeying orders), O'Higgins ordered a general advance and attacked the Royalist line. The line buckled under the attack, allowing O'Higgins' cavalry to sweep through. The defeated Royalists retreated towards a farm on the vicinity. In the meanwhile, San Martin had personally gone to find the flanking force, and with his arrival turned the Royalist retreat into a rout.

[edit] References

• (Spanish)

A document by Bartolomé Mitre, who became the argentine President, detailing the battle