34 INTRODUCTION. 



left dead on the field, 2500 were made prisoners, besides 190 officers ; 

 the artillery, medical establishment, and military chest, all fell into 

 the hands of the Chilenos ; but Osorio, with 200 horse, escaped. 

 This victory was justly hailed as the greatest and most complete, 

 as well as the most important in its consequences, that had been 

 gained during the long course of the revolutionary war. It was, 

 indeed, the last effort the Spaniards made for the recovery of Chile, 

 though Talcahuana, Valdivia, and Chiloe, still held out against the 

 patriots, and it allowed the Chilenos to carry the war out of their 

 own territory, an advantage still more important. 



But, while the public papers and public proclamations hailed gene- 

 ral San Martin as the hero of Chacabuco and Maipu, those engaged 

 in these battles, and who, consequently, were eye-witnesses of his 

 conduct, ventured to doubt his personal bravery. At Chacabuco he 

 was scarcely within sight of the action. At Maipu general Belcarce, 

 colonels Las Heras and Freire and some others had fixed the atten- 

 tion of their fellow-soldiers, and it was not till he appeared leading the 

 victorious troops after the action, that they remembered San Martin. 

 However, pyramids, and medals, and ribbons, were decreed, and the 

 general joy was too great to admit of very nice inquiries. 



The forces on either side were not numerous ; Osorio's, as we 

 have seen, amounted to little more than 5000 men : but they were 

 principally of trained and disciplined troops ; while the Chileno 

 army chiefly consisted of raw recruits and the country militia, armed 

 only with Indian lances ; the numbers were 4500 foot, and 2500 

 horse, with twenty pieces of artillery. 



After the relation of such a victory, it is painful to advert to the 

 tragical event which took place nearly at the same period at Men- 

 doza. The attempt of the Carreras to seize on that town, on their 

 retreat from Chile in 1814, had neither been forgotten nor forgiven 

 by San Martin, who then governed it ; and the restless and ambi- 

 tious spirit of Jose Miguel, had involved his brothers too deeply in 

 his projects, to render it safe for them to cross the path of their 

 enemy. Nevertheless, Juan Jose, and Luis, after many various ad- 



