Battle of Chacabuco - Background

Background

In 1814, having been instrumental in the establishment of a popularly elected congress in Argentina, José de San Martín began to consider the problem of driving the Spanish royalists from South America. He realized 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. He found himself allying with Chilean patriot Bernardo O'Higgins, who commanded his own army. 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.

At the beginning of February 1817 the troops of San Martín finished his crossing of the Andes and prepared to put an end to Spanish dominion in Chile. The Army of the Andes (as San Martin's force was called) had suffered heavy losses during the crossing, losing as much as 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. In the face of the disintegration of the royalist forces, Maroto proposed abandoning the capital and retreating southward, where they could hold out and obtain resources for a new campaign. The military conference called by Royal Governor Field Marshal Casimiro Marcó del Pont on February 8 adopted Maroto's strategy, but the following morning the captain general changed his mind and ordered Maroto to prepare for battle in Chacabuco.

The night before the combat, Antonio Quintanilla, who would later distinguish himself extraordinarily in the defense of Chiloé, confided with another Spanish official regarding his views on the ill-chosen strategy and that, given the position of the insurgents, the royalist forces ought to retreat a few leagues towards the hills of Colina: Maroto overheard this conversation from a nearby chamber and either couldn't or refused to hear me because of his pride and self-importance, called on an attendant with his notorious hoarse voice and proclaimed a general decree on pain of death, to whoever suggested a retreat.

Although all Maroto and his troops had to do was delay San Martin, as he knew that further Royalist reinforcements were on the way from Santiago. San Martin was well aware of this as well, and opted to attack whilst he still had the advantage of numbers. The royalists fought with valor, but the battle turned into a complete defeat for them. Maroto, who succeeded in escaping thanks to the speed of his horse, was slightly injured during the retreat.