The Battle of Maipú was a battle fought near Santiago, Chile on April 5, 1818 between South American rebels and Spanish royalists, during the South American wars of independence. Victory came to the rebels commanded by José de San Martín, leader of the resistance to Spain in southern South America. The Chilean War of Independence (1810 - 1818) was part of San Martins War in South America. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1818 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Satellite image of Santiago Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Battle of Chacabuco Conflict Chilean War of Independence Date January 12, 1817 Place near Santiago, Chile Result Patriot victory The Battle of Chacabuco took place on February 12, 1817 near Santiago, Chile and was fought between South American patriots and Spanish royalists during the Latin American wars of independence. ... Satellite image of Santiago Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1818 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... José de San Martín ( 25 February 1778 - 17 August 1850) was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South Americas successful struggle for independence from Spain. ...

Background

In 1817 José de San Martín had led an army across the Andes Mountains and defeated the Spanish at the battles of Chacabuco and Chalchuapa and captured Santiago. The Spanish viceroyalty send a Spanish army to Santiago under General Osorio which defeated San Martin at the battle of Concha Rayada. The drive for independence never diminished and the following year San Martin launched a final offensive which was to decide the outcome of the war. 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... José de San Martín ( 25 February 1778 - 17 August 1850) was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South Americas successful struggle for independence from Spain. ... See also architecture with non-sequential dynamic execution scheduling (ANDES). ... Battle of Chacabuco Conflict Chilean War of Independence Date January 12, 1817 Place near Santiago, Chile Result Patriot victory The Battle of Chacabuco took place on February 12, 1817 near Santiago, Chile and was fought between South American patriots and Spanish royalists during the Latin American wars of independence. ... Satellite image of Santiago Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. ...

The Battle

In April, 1818 marched his army out from Santiago and scaled the Andes Mountains, some rising as high as 13,000 feet. Near the Maipù River high in the rugged terrain of the Andes, San Martin caught the Spanish army under General Osorio off guard. The terrain proved difficult to manuever in, especially for the Spanish cavalry which was rendered usesless for the battle. San Martin divided his force into two columns and attacked from a position leaving no escape route in case of defeat. Using advanced weapons the patriot attacked with such resolve that they thoroughly routed the Spanish forces in a sustained six-hour battle. April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... 1818 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Results

The victory produced tremendous results. The victory ended the struggle for Chilean independence and so demoralized the Spanish army in South America that San Martin was able to easily sweep through and conquer Peru. The battle left 2,000 Spaniards dead and 3,000 captured; the patriots lost about 1,000 men. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

Sources

• http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=642
• Compton's Home Library: Battles of the World CD-ROM