18 



LORD COCHRANE'S DESPATCH. 



Translation of Admiral Lord Cochrane 's Despatch 

 to General San Martin, Commander-in-Chief 

 of the Liberating Army of Peru. 



" On board the Chilian States' Ship O'Higgins, 

 before Callao, Nov. 14, 1820. 

 " Most Excellent Sir, 



u The efforts of his Excellency the Supreme Direc- 

 tor, and the sacrifices of the Patriots of the South, 

 to acquire the dominion of the Pacific, have hither- 

 to been frustrated, chiefly by the enormous strength 

 of the batteries of Callao, which (being superior to 

 those of Algiers or Gibraltar) rendered every 

 attack against the naval force of the enemy im- 

 practicable, with any class or number of ships of 

 war. Nevertheless, being desirous of advancing the 

 cause of rational liberty, and political independence, 

 which is the great object your Excellency has in 

 view ; and to promote the happiness of mankind ; 

 I was anxious to dispel the charm which heretofore 

 had paralysed our naval efforts. With this inten- 

 tion, I carefully examined the batteries, the ships 

 of war, and the gun-boats in this port ; and being 

 satisfied that the frigate Esmeralda could be cut 

 out by men resolved to do their duty, I imme- 

 diately gave orders to the Captains of the Indepen- 

 dencia and Lautaro to prepare their boats ; and 

 acquainted them, that the value of that frigate, to- 

 gether with the reward offered in Lima for the 

 capture of any of the ships of Chili, would be the 

 recompense of those who should volunteer to take 

 part in this enterprise. 



" On the following day, a number of volunteers, 

 including Captains Forster, Guise, and Crosbie, 

 with other officers, offered their services ; the 

 whole amounting to a force sufficient for the exe- 

 cution of the project. Everything being prepared, 

 the boats were exercised in the dark, in the even- 

 ing of the 4th instant, and the night of the 5th of 

 November was chosen for the attack.* 



" Captain Crosbie had charge of the first divi- 

 sion, consisting of the boats of the O'Higgins, and 

 Captain Guise of the second, which was formed of 

 those of the other ships. At half past ten we 

 rowed in two lines towards the enemy's anchorage, 

 and at twelve forced the line of gun-boats guard- 

 ing the entrance. The whole of our force boarded 

 the Esmeralda at the same moment, and drove 

 the enemy from the deck after an obstinate resist- 

 ance. 



" All the officers employed on this service have 

 conducted themselves in the most gallant manner. 

 To them, and also to the seamen and marines, I 

 feel under extreme obligations for their activity 

 and zeal in boarding the Esmeralda. 



" I was sorry that the necessity of leaving at 

 least one captain in charge of the ships, prevented 

 my acceding to the wishes of the captain of the 

 Independencia, who accordingly remained with the 

 squadron. I have also to lament the loss we have 

 sustained. That of the Esmeralda cannot be ex- 

 actly ascertained on account of the wounded and 

 others who leaped overboard ; but we know that, 



* This night was not fixed on accidentally, or if so, Lord 

 Cochrane knew how to turn even such a trifle to account. 

 He addressed a few words to his people, before setting out 

 in the boats, and concluded by saying, he had purposely 

 chosen the 5th of November — " and now, my lads, we shall 

 give them such a Gunpowder Plot as they will not forget in 

 a hurry !" 



out of 330 individuals originally on board, only 204 

 have been found alive, including officers and woun- 

 ded men. The Esmeralda mounts 40 guns, and 

 is not in a bad state, as was represented, but, on 

 the contrary, very well found and perfectly equip- 

 ped. She has on board three months' provisions, 

 besides a supply of cordage and other articles for 

 two years. A gun-boat of four guns, which lay 

 directly in the passage of our boats, was boarded 

 and towed out on the following morning. 



" I hope the capture of the flag-ship Esmeralda, 

 secured by booms, batteries, and gun-boats, in a 

 situation always before deemed impregnable, and 

 in sight of the capital, where the fact cannot be 

 concealed, will produce a moral effect greater than 

 might be expected under other circumstances. 



" I have great satisfaction in sending you the flag 

 of Admiral Vacaro, that you may be pleased to 

 present it to his Excellency the supreme Director 

 of the Republic of Chili. 



(Signed) u Cochrane." 



While the spirits of the Chilians were raised to 

 a high pitch by this splendid naval exploit, equal 

 success crowned their exertions by land. Colonel 

 Arenales, with a body of 1 000 men, had been sent 

 from Pisco, with orders to strike into the country 

 across the Andes, and to proceed by a circuitous 

 route round Lima, till he rejoined the army. This 

 march was to be made through a country occupied 

 by the Spaniards, and had for its principal object 

 to discover the state of political feeling in the dis- 

 tricts surrounding the capital. The service was 

 performed in a masterly manner by Arenales, who 

 accomplished the object of rousing the inhabitants 

 of those districts to assert the cause of Indepen- 

 dence, and gained also high military renown for 

 the Liberating Army. On his march through the 

 interior he was met by a strong division of the 

 royal troops, expressly sent against him from Lima ; 

 this he totally defeated in a pitched battle at Pasco, 

 killing or taking prisoners the general and the 

 whole of the division. These various successes 

 gave so much splendour and popularity to the In- 

 dependent cause, that, on the 3d of December, a 

 whole regiment of the Royalist force left the Spanish 

 camp, and actually volunteered to serve under the 

 standard of the Liberating Army. This regiment 

 was called the Battalion of Numancia, and was 

 commanded by a Spaniard of the name of Delgado, 

 who was made prisoner by his own troops, and 

 delivered over to the Patriots. 



After a short stay at Ancon, San Martin, in the 

 end of 1 820, proceeded with the army to Huara, 

 a strong position near the port of Huacho, lying 

 seventy-five miles to the northward of Lima. - Here 

 the expedition remained for upwards of six months, 

 without performing any other brilliant service. 

 San Martin, indeed, having shown sufficiently what 

 his army and fleet were capable of, chose to rely 

 less on military achievements, than on the effect 

 of disseminating the principles of insurrection 

 throughout the country. The army was greatly 

 reduced by sickness at Huacho : but San Martin 

 succeeded, through the influence of the Marquis 

 of Torre Tagle, in gaining over the populous and 

 important department of Truxillo. By means 

 of political publications, aided by the exertions of 

 numerous able and active agents, he carried his 

 intrigues not only into the provinces, but into the 



