José de la Mar

José de la Mar (May 12, 1778 – October 11, 1830) was a South American military leader.

He was born in Cuenca in what today is Ecuador. He spent his early childhood in Spain, where he started his military career. In 1815, Ferdinand VII promoted him to Brigadier, awarded him the Saint Hermenegildo's Cross and appointed him Sub-Inspector of the Viceroyalty of Peru, with the title of Governor of Callao. He arrived at the city in 1816. In 1819, he was promoted to Field Marshal.

The War of Independence (1821–1827): Early actions

During the early days of the Independence War, he joined forces with the Royalists, taking care of the Real Felipe Fortress, in the main port of the Viceroyalty, Callao. Viceroy José de la Serna abandoned the capital on June 6, 1821, leaving him with explicit orders to resist and wait for reinforcements. He successfully stopped all attempts to capture the fort for nearly 4 months, until the arrival of General José Canterac and a powerful division sent by Viceroy de la Serna gave him the orders to surrender the fort due to the lack of supplies and troops. On September 19, the garrison surrendered, in the Baquijano Capitulation, only two days after de la Mar finally submitted his left foot to amputation, having initially refused treatment of a gangrenous toe.^[1]

After this incident, he joined forces with the rebel cause. José de San Martín awarded him with the title of "Division General", a title he accepted reluctantly.

He was removed from the presidency of Peru by a coup d'état led by General Agustín Gamarra and died in forced exile in Costa Rica.

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