The Irish standard., 1906-04-07
Names Of Soldiers and Statesmen of Celtic
Blood Who Have Helped in Fight
to Free Continent.
The Great Part Played by Irishmen Who
Found Homes in the South Pacific
Has Been Overlooked.

motion to the second post in the colony,
Governor of Santiago. Unfortunately,
his career was cut short at it's thres-
hold; i'll 1914 he fell in duel with
Luis Carreras, brother of the traitor
dictator,
The son of Ambrose. was at CadiZ
| when the news Of his fathers death
reached him. He at once sailed for
Peru, and landed to find the country
in q blaze OF revolt. Although his
father had been the Kings chief rep
| resentative, he Joined the Insurgents,
and displayed such gallantry tha: i'll
a couple Of years he was appointed
commander-in-c chief and. with san
Martin and Mackenna, played the che:
part in Chile's freedom. After the ba...
tie of Chacabuco, he was proclaimed
dictator aud ruled for six years with
| much of his fathers administrative
| ability. At the end of that term, un-
usually long for South America, he was
| deposed by military revolution under
General Frayne. In later years a
magnificent statue was erected to him
at Valparaiso, and the name of the fin
est battleship in Chile's navy still keeps
green the name Of O'Higgins.
Farther up the coast we find that
Peru still holds in grateful remem-
brance the name OF General O'Con-
nor who raised regiment for the
insurgent cause at his own expense,
and at its head did splendid service
in the battle Of Ayacucho, where Spain
made her last stand on South American
soil. For many years after the war he
served with signal success as Minister
of War for Peru. O'Connor's comrade
in arms, came to Buenos Ayres in 1876,
when twenty-six. The brave and
chivalrous San Martin was then
gathering an army in Argentina. to
cross the Andes to Chile's relief. The
young Irishman attracted San Martins
y
aide-de-camp. He followed San Martin
through all the Chilean and Peruvian
campaigns until both prL:inces We're
freed and San Mart'1 prc% aimed Poo
tector Of Peru In 1921. His integrity
was as marked as his bravery, and. N
South America, more conspicuous. On
one occasion he excited the plying
surprise of his fellow soldiers by corr
veying intact to the government a
had fallen into his hands. San Martin
gave ungrudging recognition to his
services. On the July day in 1921,
when, in the Grand Plaza of Lima
Peru was proclaimed free and inde-
pendent. me Protector finished his ad-
dress to the solGiers by exclaiming.
as he grasped the standard Of PiZarro:
This is my share Of the booty." and,
presented to O'Brien the State canopy
Of the same great leader: "This for
the gallant comrade who for five years
has fought at my side in South
Americas cause" This gorgeous GRIM
son and gold canopy, still in the pos
session of General O'Briens descend
ants, bears on it a note in his hand
writing: This canopy was brought
to Peru on Pizarros second journey
from Spain. 1t was held over him and
all subsequent vice-kings of Peru on
state occasions. Little did they think
that it's last owner would be an Irish
man.
the story of independence ccnters
around the picturesque personality of
General Bolivar, we find the Irishman
again to the fore. Colonel OLeary
was the Liberator's first aide-de-
camp. and fought by his side from
start to finish, serving in many i'm
portant diplomatic missions. Another
Irish soldier, Colonel Ferguson, who
had Joined the patriots as drummer,
traitorious attack. General Miller tells
us in his memoirs that during the saw
age war of determination in Venezuela,
Ferguson was captured by the Span
iards and condemned to be shot on the
seashore, with batch of native
venezuelans. AS they were all stripped