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The Crossing of the Andes was one of the most important feats in the Argentine and Chilean wars of independence, in which a combined army of Argentine soldiers and Chilean exiles liberated Chile from Spanish rule, in order to protect their country from possible Spanish incursions.
Setting out in 1817, from Mendoza, Argentina, the goal of the Crossing of the Andes (a mountain range that consumes almost the entire west coast of South America) was to enter Chile and surprise attack the Royalist forces (Spanish) that were camped out there. The ultimate goal was the liberation of Chile from Spanish rule with Argentine forces (NationMaster: Crossing of the Andes). Led by Jose Francisco de San Martin, the crossing, itself, took 21 days.
Troops and Equipment
Mendoza, Spain became a factoring headquarters during the pre-crossing period. The citizens of Mendoza assisted their troops by manufacturing gunpowder and ammunition. They also learned to make cannons (NationMaster: Crossing of the Andes).
The main food of the army was a regional meal called valdiviano. It was prepared with dry meat or charqui, sliced raw onion, and boiling water. They had designated soliders who carried the food. These soldiers transported 40 tons of charqui, maize cakes, meat, brandy (to counter the nighttime cold), garlic and onion (to deal with the lack of appetite), more than 4,000 cattle for the rest of the campaign, cheese and rum.
The Crossing
San Martin crossed the Andes with 4,000 men, only to end up losing 1/3 of them (Through South America). The number of auxiliaries reached 1,200. For the crossing, San Martin split his army into two divisions. The main division, which travelled through the Andes, was led by San Martin, Miguel Estanislao, and Bernardo O’Higgins. The secondary troop, which travelled through Uspallata, was led by Juan Gregorio de Las Heras.
Coming to an End
On February 13, 1817, San Martin, O’Higgins, and their army entered Santiago, Chile successfully, after crossing 500 kilometers of mountain range, and the journey came to an end (Latin America’s Wars). The Royalist forces, by this time, had advanced north to avoid San Martin’s army, but Rafael Martolo, a Royalist leader, had stayed behind with 1,500 men to advance at a valley called Chacabuco, which was located near Santiago (TripAtlas.com). Thus, the Battle of Chacabuco began, which ended with a victory for Jose de San Martin, defeating most of the Spanish forces.
See Also
- Army of the Andes (Wikipedia)
- Battle of Chacabuco (Wikipedia)
- Chilean Independence (Wikipedia)
- Guayaquil Conference (Wikipedia)
- Jose de San Martin (Wikipedia)
References
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