|
|
|
|
Crossing of the Andes
|
| |
|
| |
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, was to enter Chile and attack the Royalist forces (Spanish) by surprise.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Crossing of the Andes' Start a new discussion about 'Crossing of the Andes' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
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, was to enter Chile and attack the Royalist forces (Spanish) by surprise. The ultimate goal was the liberation of Chile from Spanish rule with Argentine forces. Led by Jose de San Martin, the crossing took twenty-one days.
Troops and Equipment
The city of Mendoza, during this time frame, became a factoring headquarters during the pre-crossing. The citizens of Mendoza assisted their troops by manufacturing gunpowder and ammunition. They also learned to make cannons.
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 soldiers who carried the food. These soldiers transported forty 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
On the morning of January 19, 1817, San Martin and his army set out from their base camp El Plumerillo and began their journey across the Andes Mountain range. San Martin crossed with 4,000 men, only to end up losing 1/3 of them. It was a devastating blow to the troop.
The number of auxiliaries reached 1,200.
For the crossing, San Martin split his army into two divisions: The main division, which traveled through the pass of Los Patos, was led by San Martin, Miguel Estanislao, and Bernardo O’Higgins. The secondary troop, which traveled through the more southern Uspallata, was led by Juan Gregorio de Las Heras.
Coming to an End
On February 13, 1817, San Martin, O’Higgins, and their army successfully entered Santiago, Chile, after crossing 500 kilometers of mountain range, and the journey came to an end . The Royalist forces, by this time, had advanced north to avoid San Martin’s army, but a Royalist leader had stayed behind with 1,500 men to advance at a valley called Chacabuco, which was located near Santiago. Thus, the Battle of Chacabuco began.
See also
|
| |
|
|
