William Miller (2 December 1795 – 31 October 1861) known throughout
Hispanic America
The region known as Hispanic America (in Spanish called ''Hispanoamérica'' or ''América Hispana'') and historically as Spanish America (''América Española'') is the portion of the Americas comprising the Spanish-speaking countries of North, ...
as Guillermo Miller, was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
-born soldier who participated in several South American revolutions, and then became a diplomat.
Biography
Born December 2, 1795 in
Wingham, Kent
Wingham is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Dover District of Kent, England. The village lies along the ancient coastal road, now the A257, from Richborough to London, and is close to Canterbury.
History
A settlement ...
, Miller was fluent in several languages by the age of seventeen, when he enrolled in the British army to fight in the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, taking part in the
Siege of Badajoz and
Battle of Vittoria
At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813) a British, Portuguese and Spanish army under the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under King Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, eventually leading ...
under the
Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...
. In September 1817, hearing of the wars in Latin America, he set sail for
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
to join
San Martín's
Army of the Andes
The Army of the Andes ( es, Ejército de los Andes) was a military force created by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (Argentina) and mustered by general José de San Martín in his campaign to free Chile from the Spanish Empire. In 181 ...
. He took part in San Martín's liberation of
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, participating in the decisive
battle of Maipú, and then joined
Lord Cochrane as the commander of marines in the
Chilean Navy
The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso.
History
Origins and the War ...
. He participated in the Cochrane's
Capture of Valdivia
The Capture of Valdivia ( es, Toma de Valdivia) was a battle in the Chilean War of Independence between Royalist forces commanded by Colonel Manuel Montoya and Fausto del Hoyo and the Patriot forces under the command of Thomas Cochrane and J ...
leading a force 60 soldiers. After this he participated in the failed expedition to
Chiloé and lost the little but significant
Battle of Agüi
The Battle of Agüi was fought at Fuerte de Agüi, near Ancud, Chiloé on February 18, 1820 between Chilean patriots and Spanish royalists, during the Chilean War of Independence. After the successful capture of Valdivia Lord Cochrane sought ...
.
Peru
After the liberation of
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
he was appointed commander of the Peruvian Legion. General Miller - while suffering from
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
- played a big part in the
Battle of Torata
The Battle of Torata is part of the Peruvian War of Independence, which occurred on January 19, 1823 in the high Torata (town located northeast of Moquegua) between the Liberation Army of Peru, under command of Argentinean General Rudecindo Alva ...
: storming the hills and taking them when everything seemed to be lost. Peru President
José de la Riva Agüero
José Mariano de la Cruz de la Riva Agüero y Sánchez Boquete, Marquess of Montealegre de Aulestia (3 May 1783 – 21 May 1858) was a soldier, politician, and historian who served as the 1st President of Peru and 2nd President of North ...
promoted Miller to General of Brigade and, when
Simón Bolívar arrived, he was promoted to Chief of a cavalry unit that included Argentines and Chileans who had arrived with
San Martín, in addition to many Peruvians and Colombians.
At the
Battle of Junín
The Battle of Junín was a military engagement of the Peruvian War of Independence, fought in the highlands of the Junín Region on 6 August 1824. The preceding February the royalists had regained control of Lima, and having regrouped in Trujil ...
his cavalry was largely responsible for the defeat of the Spanish and at the
Battle of Ayacucho
The Battle of Ayacucho ( es, Batalla de Ayacucho, ) was a decisive military encounter during the Peruvian War of Independence. This battle secured the independence of Peru and ensured independence for the rest of South America. In Peru it is co ...
his initiative in launching an attack at a critical moment, without waiting for
Sucre's orders, was decisive in securing victory. During these wars Miller was wounded twenty two times, and after his death the autopsy revealed he had carried two bullets in his liver for 40 years.
He created the Hussars of the Peruvian Legion who, after turning the course of the Battle of Junín in favour of the revolutionaries, were renamed the "Hussars of Junín". These same Hussars remain in charge of the guard at the Peruvian Palace of Government in Lima.
After the war was over, Miller settled in Lima. He held various public offices, but argued with the governments after 1836, mainly about their treatment of the Indians. As a result, he was stripped of his rank as Grand Marshal of Peru. His brother John wrote a two-volume biography in 1828.
Hawaii
Miller became British diplomatic
Consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
to Pacific islands such as the
Kingdom of Hawaii in 1843 after
Richard Charlton
Richard Charlton (1791–1852) was the first diplomatic Consul from Great Britain to the Kingdom of Hawaii (1825–1843). He was surrounded by controversies that caused a military occupation known as the Paulet Affair, and real estate claims tha ...
. He arrived in Honolulu in January 1844 with his Scottish friend
Robert Crichton Wyllie
Robert Crichton Wyllie (October 13, 1798 – October 19, 1865) was a Scottish physician and businessman. He served for twenty years as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Early life
Wyllie was born October 13, 1798, in an area c ...
. Wyllie acted as assistant in Hawaii while Miller traveled to the rest of the Pacific islands from July 1844 to March 15, 1845. Wyllie would then become Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of Hawaii.
In 1859 Busvargus Toup Nicolas (1819–1859), son of Admiral
John Toup Nicolas (1788–1851), temporarily replaced Miller as consul.
Return to Peru
On Nicolas' return because of ill health, English merchant
William Lowthian Green
William Lowthian Green (13 September 1819 – 7 December 1890) was an English adventurer and merchant who later became cabinet minister in the Kingdom of Hawaii. As an amateur geologist, he published a theory of the formation of the earth call ...
acted as consul until
William W. F. Synge (1826–1891), could finally be sent as a permanent official replacement.
Miller died in
Callao October 31, 1861, aged 65, and was initially buried in the
Old British Cemetery, Bellavista. In the 1920s, his body was transferred to the
Panteon de los Proceres, the final resting place for the heroes of the War of Independence.
There is a house in
Markham College
Markham College is an international school in Lima, Peru. Founded by British immigrants, Markham promotes a mixture of British and Peruvian education. Markham is an independent, non-profit, co-educational, bilingual, secular, day school of approx ...
named after him.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Guillermo
1795 births
1861 deaths
Peruvian generals
People of the Chilean War of Independence
People from Wingham, Kent
British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
British emigrants to Peru
Peruvian people of English descent
Marshals of Peru
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Hawaii
Military personnel from Kent
British Army officers