30 INTRODUCTION. 
invasion of Chile, he caused himself to be surprised more than once 
by some Spanish prisoners of war that were on the point of return- 
ing to Osorio, in the act of examining maps and plans of the road by 
the south, called the Planchon, into Chile, and even went so far as 
to write false despatches and cause them to be surprised, intimating, 
that, in order to avoid the difficulty of the Cumbre, he meant to march 
by the Planchon. Accordingly most of the royal troops were kept in 
that quarter to be ready to receive him. In fact, a small party under 
General Don Ramon Freire did march that way ; another small divi- 
sion took the usual road of the Cumbre; while the main body of the 
army pursued the way of San Juan de los Patos, with such complete 
secrecy, that the whole had crossed the mountains and reached the 
plain of Chacabuco before the enemy knew that they had left Mendoza. 
It was on the 4th February, 1817, while every body was expecting to 
hear of invasion in the south, that unwelcome intelligence was re- 
ceived in Santiago, that a party of the patriots had surprised the 
guard of the Andes about fifteen leagues from the villa of Santa 
Rosa, and that only thirteen men had escaped to bring the news. 
The guard of los Patos also brought intelligence that the enemy had 
been seen in that pass. The city was instantly in the greatest 
agitation: Marco the governor, together with the Cabildo, ordered 
and counter-ordered, appointed officers and changed them, and even 
then seemed preparing for flight. On the 5th Col. Quintanilla * was 
despatched from the city, to reinforce the troops already stationed in 
Aconcagua, Santa Rosa, and on the roads. He found on the 6th 
that most of the forces under Major Atero had retired to the heights 
of Chacabuco, leaving behind their ammunition and baggage, so 
‘hasty had been their retreat. On the 7th there was some skirmishing 
between the outposts near Curimon, in which the royalists were 
worsted ; but it was not till the 12th that the great action of Cha- 
cabuco was fought, an action of infinite importance, not only to Chile, 
but to the whole of South America. Bolivar had been driven out 
* The same who, with persevering loyalty, still (1823) holds Chile for the king of Spain. 
