The Army of the Andes () was a military force created by the

United Provinces of the Río de la Plata The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (), earlier known as the United Provinces of South America (), was a name adopted in 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán for the region of South America that declared independence in 1816, with the Sove ...

(

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

) and assembled by General

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (; 25 February 177817 August 1850), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...

as part of his campaign to liberate

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

from the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

. In 1817, it crossed the

Andes Mountains The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...

from the Argentine province of Cuyo (with its staging point being the present-day province of Mendoza, Argentina) and succeeded in its objective by driving the Spanish out of Chile. The exact number of soldiers in the army varies among sources, with estimates ranging from as low as 3,500 to as high as 6,000 men. The army was composed of Argentines and Chileans, and included approximately 1,200 auxiliaries who assisted with provisioning and supply, along with a complement of artillery. The

Congress of Tucumán The Congress of Tucumán was the representative assembly, initially meeting in San Miguel de Tucumán, that declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America (modern-day Argentina, Uruguay, part of Bolivia) on July 9, 1816, ...

endorsed San Martín's proposal to form an army to fight the

royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gover ...

in Chile, and between August 1814 and February 1817, San Martín trained his troops in preparation for their mission.Robertson, 1922, ''History of the Latin-American Nations'', p. 183. Although the army was less experienced, San Martín aimed to lead a properly disciplined and equipped force into battle, not a mere "motley crew." For the crossing of the Andes, the army was divided into two main columns. The first, commanded by Captain GeneralOfficial Military ranks granted by the government of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata José de San Martín and supported by Brigadier Major Miguel Estanislao Soler and Brigadier

Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; 20 August 1778 – 24 October 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque people, Basque-Spanish people, Spani ...

, took the Los Patos Pass. The second, commanded by Colonel Juan Gregorio de las Heras, took the Uspallata Pass, which at its highest point reaches about twelve thousand feet above sea level. Since the Uspallata Pass was more negotiable, the artillery was taken with the second column. These two divisions formed the main body of the army, but smaller detachments were sent to the north and south as flanking forces. The smaller northern division consisted of about 130 infantrymen and a group of Chilean

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

s under the command of Juan Manuel Cabot. To the south, a group was led by the Chilean Ramón Freire Serrano. After a 25-day journey across the Andes, the Army of the Andes successfully confronted royalist forces in the

Battle of Chacabuco The Battle of Chacabuco, fought during the Chilean War of Independence, took place on February 12, 1817. The Army of the Andes, from the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata and led by Captain (land), Captain–General José de San Martín, ...

.Scheina, 2003, ”Latin America’s Wars: The Age of the Caudillo, 1791–1899”, p. 58. Following the victory, they entered

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital city, capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's Chilean Central Valley, central valley and is the center ...

, where San Martín was unanimously elected Supreme Director. However, in accordance with his own resolve and instructions from Buenos Aires, he declined the position. After his refusal, O'Higgins was elected Supreme Director. Under Argentine officers, the Chilean army was reconstituted, and San Martín was appointed commander of the "United Army," a force that combined the Army of the Andes with Chilean troops. This newly formed army fought against the counterattacks of the royalist Army of Osorio at the Battles of Cancha Rayada and Maipú.

Composition of the Army of the Andes

Black soldiers

The number of black soldiers in the army of San Martin was numerous and comprised the majority of the 7th, 8th and 11th Infantry Regiments. According to San Martin's military doctrine, colored soldiers would serve better in the infantry branch, among the three arms of the Army of the Andes. Blacks represented two thirds of the soldiers in the Army of the Andes. They were estimated at between 2,000 and 3,000 Argentine freedmen who crossed the Andes to Chile in 1817 with San Martin's force. Black troops were mainly recruited from freed former slaves, which Lynch estimates at a figure of 1,554 freedmen. Most of them were recruited in the interior provinces rather than the city of Buenos Aires. Of those 2,500 black soldiers who took part in the Crossing of the Andes, only 143 survived and made it back to Argentina. In all of these regiments, commissioned officers should have been of Spanish heritage under the laws of the time. But San Martin sought to change the rules so that at least the black soldiers were promoted to corporals and sergeants. Traditionally, the Spanish colonial army battalions were divided into castes of black slaves and free blacks, but San Martin was against segregation and believed in unifying people of color and whites, fighting as soldiers in the same unit. Later both regiments 7th and 8th would be unified in Peru as the black regiment of the Río de la Plata. The 4th Infantry Battalion would also later be converted into an all-black unit.

Units (1814–1815)

''Argentine Units'' * Horse Grenadiers Regiment * Cavalry Militia Regiment * San Juan Militias Regiment * Mendoza Militias Brigade * La Rioja Militias Brigade * Commander in Chief's Own Mounted Rifles Escorts Squadron * San Luis Volunteer Cavalry Regiment * Mendoza Volunteer Cavalry Regiment * Mendoza Volunteer Artillery Batteries ''Chilean Units'' * 1st Chilean Infantry Regiment * Emigrant Battalion of Chilean Line Infantry * Southern Patriotic Legion of Dragoons * Chilean Battalion of Artillery ''Combined Argentine–Chilean units'' * Argentine Auxiliary Battalion

Units (1815–1817)

* 3rd Battalion, Fatherland Regiment of Artillery * 8th Infantry Battalion * 11th Infantry Battalion * 1st Battalion, Andes Rangers and Sharpshooters * 7th Infantry Battalion * 4th Infantry Battalion * Horse Grenadier Regiment * Commander in Chief's Own Mounted Rifles Escort Squadron * Río de la Plata Black Regiment (raised 1816)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Army Of The Andes Military history of Chile Military history of Argentina José de San Martín Military units and formations of Argentina