The Liberating Expedition of Peru () was a naval and land military force created in 1820 by the government of Chile in continuation of the plan of the Argentine 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 ...

to achieve the independence of Peru, and thus consolidate the independence of all former Spanish-American colonies. It was vital to defeat the

Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru (), officially known as the Kingdom of Peru (), was a Monarchy of Spain, Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in ...

—the center of royalist power in South America—from where royalist expeditions were sent to reconquer the territories lost to the independence fighters. Following the

independence of Chile The Chilean War of Independence ( Spanish: ''Guerra de la Independencia de Chile'', 'War of Independence of Chile') was a military and political event that allowed the emancipation of Chile from the Spanish Monarchy, ending the colonial period ...

, achieved at the

Battle of Maipú The Battle of Maipú () was fought near Santiago, Chile on 5 April 1818, between South American rebels and Spanish royalists, during the Chilean War of Independence. The Patriot rebels led by Argentine general José de San Martín effectively de ...

, General San Martín determined to achieve the independence of Peru. Accordingly, on February 5, 1819, a treaty was signed between the new

Republic of 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 Mountains and the Pacific Oce ...

and 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 ...

. The treaty was to create an amphibious, naval, and land military expeditionary force promoted by the

government of Chile Chile's government is a Representative democracy, representative democratic republic, in which the President of Chile serves as both head of state and head of government, within a formal multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by th ...

, with the mission of making

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

independent of 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 ...

and consolidating both the sovereignty of the new Republic of Chile and that of the

, which became

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 ...

. The parties to the treaty faced ongoing problems which hampered the launch of their liberating campaign. Chile was under imminent threat of further Spanish invasions, while the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata were in turmoil over internal disputes. It was finally negotiated that the bulk of the effort and initial cost would essentially fall on the

Government of Chile Chile's government is a Representative democracy, representative democratic republic, in which the President of Chile serves as both head of state and head of government, within a formal multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by th ...

, and then the costs expended were to be borne by the future independent government of Peru.

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 ...

, as

Supreme Director of Chile Supreme may refer to: Entertainment * Supreme (character), a comic book superhero created by Rob Liefeld * ''Supreme'' (film), a 2016 Telugu film * Supreme (producer), hip-hop record producer * "Supreme" (song), a 2000 song by Robbie Williams * ...

, appointed

chief of the United Liberation Army of Chile and the former British Naval officer, the Scot, Thomas, Lord Cochrane, commander of the

naval fleet A fleet or naval fleet is a large formation of warships – the largest formation in any navy – controlled by one leader. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land. Purpose In the modern sense, fleets are usually, but no ...

. In this way, the ''Liberating Army of Peru'', thus named by supreme decree of the

Congress of Chile The National Congress of Chile () is the legislative branch of the Republic of Chile. According to the current Constitution (Chilean Constitution of 1980), it is a bicameral organ made up of a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. Established by la ...

, on May 19, 1820, was a combined force of units of the restored

Chilean Army The Chilean Army () is the land arm of the Chilean Armed Forces. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, an army aviation brigade and a special operations brigade. In recent years, and after sever ...

along with those elements belonging to the Liberating

Army of the Andes The Army of the Andes () was a military force created by the United Provinces of South America, United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (Argentina) and assembled by General José de San Martín as part of his campaign to liberate Chile from the S ...

, that had fought in the

Peruvian War of Independence The Peruvian War of Independence () was a series of military conflicts in Peru from 1809 to 1826 that resulted in the country's independence from the Spanish Empire. Part of the broader Spanish American wars of independence, it led to the dis ...

. The rebellion of

Rafael del Riego Rafael del Riego y Flórez (7 April 1784 – 7 November 1823) was a Spanish general and liberal politician who played a key role in the establishment of the Liberal Triennium (''Trienio liberal'' in Spanish). The failure of the Cádiz army to se ...

of 1820 in Spain, made the threat of Spanish invasion of the Río de la Plata recede. The vice-admiral, Lord Cochrane, would succeed in sweeping away the remnants of Spanish naval power in the Pacific Ocean. These events allowed the land forces of General San Martín to embark in Valparaíso, disembark at Paracas Bay on September 8, occupy the city of Lima, and proclaim the

independence of Peru The Peruvian War of Independence () was a series of military conflicts in Peru from 1809 to 1826 that resulted in the country's independence from the Spanish Empire. Part of the broader Spanish American wars of independence, it led to the dis ...

on July 28, 1821. The expedition liberated parts of Peru from Spanish Crown control. It would participate in the expeditions of

Juan Antonio Álvarez de Arenales Juan Antonio Álvarez de Arenales ( Reinoso, Spain, June 13, 1770 – Moraya, Bolivia, December 4, 1831) was an Argentine general of Spanish origin (considered also a Bolivian for his activities in Bolivia) that fought in the war for the United P ...

in the highlands of

and the campaigns of intermediate ports, and would remain in Peru until its dissolution with the mutiny of 1824 at the

second siege of Callao The second siege of Callao or Fall of Callao () was the longest lasting siege that occurred on the Pacific coast during the Spanish American wars of independence. The siege was carried out by the combined Gran Colombian and Peruvian independence ...

. The expedition was not successful in conquering the whole of Peru, and suffered several defeats against the Royalists in the highlands. The end of the war would only come with the military intervention of

Gran Colombia Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), also known as Greater Colombia and officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish language, Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central ...

. Following the self exile of San Martin in September 1822, and the military defeats under president

José de la Riva Agüero José Mariano de la Cruz de la Riva Agüero y Sánchez Boquete (3 May 1783 – 21 May 1858) was a Peruvian soldier and politician who was the first president of Peru and the second president of North Peru, a constituent country of the Peru ...

, the congress decided to send a plea in 1823 for the help of Simón Bolívar. One Squadron of Mounted Grenadiers Regiment, the sole remnants of the expeditionary force, were added to the units of the

Army of Peru The Peruvian Army (, abbreviated EP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missions include assistance in ...

and the , under the command of

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

, which would complete the liberation of Peru in 1824-26.

Maitland Plan

According to Argentine historians like Felipe Pigna and Rodolfo Terragno, José de San Martín was introduced to the plan during his stay in London in 1811 by members of the

Logia Lautaro The Lautaro Lodge () was a revolutionary secret lodge active in Latin American politics in the 19th century. It was initially known as the Lodge of Rational Knights (). Its initial purposes were to apply the goals of the Spanish Enlightenment, ...

: a Freemasonic Lodge founded by Francisco de Miranda and Scottish Lord MacDuff (

James Duff, 4th Earl Fife James Duff, 4th Earl Fife, KT, GCH (6 October 1776 – 9 March 1857), was a Scottish nobleman who became a Spanish general. Biography James was the elder son of the Hon. Alexander Duff, who succeeded his brother as third Earl Fife in 1809. H ...

). San Martín was allegedly part of the lodge, and he took the Maitland Plan as a blueprint for the movements necessary to defeat the Spanish army in Chile and Peru; he carried on successfully with the last five points of the plan, and thus liberated the southern part of the continent.

Background

Between 1812 and 1814 the

General Captaincy of Chile The General Captaincy of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ), Governorate of Chile, or Kingdom of Chile, was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1818 that was, initially, part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. It comprised most of mod ...

was reconquered by José Fernando de Abascal y Sousa, Viceroy of Perú, which ended in the

Disaster of Rancagua The Battle of Rancagua, also known in Chile as the Disaster of Rancagua, occurred on October 1, 1814, to October 2, 1814, when the Spanish Army under the command of Mariano Osorio defeated the Chilean forces led by Bernardo O’Higgins. This ...

, putting an end to the

Patria Vieja Old Fatherland (, ) refers to a time period in the history of Chile occurring between the First Junta of the Government (September 18, 1810) and the Disaster of Rancagua (October 1, 1814). In this period, Chilean measures were taken for the i ...

(Old Homeland) period, in which the Chilean patriots had governed the majority of the colony and formulated notable reforms to the colonial Spanish diet. After the disaster, the Chilean troops, along with the representatives of the government, fled to Mendoza, where they were received by the governor of the

province of Cuyo The Province of Cuyo was a historical province of Argentina. Created on 14 November 1813 by a decree issued by the Second Triumvirate, it had its capital in Mendoza, and was composed of the territories of the present-day Argentine provinces of ...

, General José de San Martín, who then concocted a plan of liberation of the South American colonies of the Spanish Empire. The plan would consist of invading Chile with an army composed largely of the remains of the Army of Chile, defeated in

Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...

, as well as Argentine troops. After the invasion and liberation of Chile, they would embark by sea to Peru to eliminate the Spanish presence in that region, since they were considered a big threat for the independence of other Latin Americans countries. The emancipation of Perú was to have been a common enterprise by Chile and Argentina. Argentina, then a loose alliance of provinces, distracted by internal strife and another threat of invasion from Spain, was unable to contribute for the expedition and ordered

back to Argentina. San Martín choose to disobey (see Acta de Rancagua) and O'Higgins decided that Chile would assume the costs of the Freedom Expedition of Perú.Simon Collier, William F. Sater, ''A history of Chile, 1808-1994'', Cambridge University Press, 1999,

The Squadron

On 20 August 1820 the expedition sailed from Valparaíso for Paracas, near Pisco in Perú. The escort was provided by the squadron and consisted of the flagship ''O'Higgins'' (under Captain Thomas Sackville Crosbie), frigate ''San Martín'' (Captain William Wilkinson), frigate ''Lautaro'' (Captain Martin Guise), the corvette ''Independencia'' (Captain Robert Forster), the brigs ''Galvarino'' (Captain John Tooker Spry), ''Araucano'' (Captain Thomas Carter), and ''Pueyrredón'' (Lieutenant William Prunier) and the schooner ''Moctezuma'' (Lieutenant George Young).Brian Vale, ''Cochrane in the Pacific'', I.B. Tauris & Co ltd, 2008, Every expeditionary ship got a painted number so that it could be identified at a distance. There are discrepancies between authors about the names and number and some names of the transports.We use here the list of Gerardo Etcheverr
Principales naves de guerra a vela hispanoamericanas.
, retrieved on 21. January 2011. The ''Hercules'', ''Veloz'' and ''Zaragoza'' are not in the list. On 8 September 1820 the liberating army disembarked 100 miles southeast of

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

: of the 4118 soldiers, 4000 of them were Chileans.Carlos Lopez Urrutia, Historia de la Marina de Chile, Editorial Andrés Bello, 1969
url
/ref> On the night of 5 November, Cochrane personally and 240 volunteers wearing white with blue armbands captured the Spanish frigate '' Esmeralda'' within the port of Callao. She was renamed ''Valdivia'' and commissioned into the Chilean Navy.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freedom Expedition Of Peru Battles involving Chile Battles involving Spain Battles involving Argentina 1820 in the Spanish Empire 1820 in Peru Conflicts in 1820 Battles of the Peruvian War of Independence Military history of the Pacific Ocean