Evening star., 1925-09-06
ARGENTINE HERO'S STATUE
NEARS COMPLETION HERE
Monument to Gen. San Martin, Gift of
Southern Republic, Will Stand
in Judiciary Square.

the clearness with which he realized
that the independence of each state
could only be secured by the co-opera-
ton of all, and in the perseverance
with which he carried his views into
execution, he showed himself a far
seeing and honest statesman"
Trained in Spanish Army.
Himself the son of captain in the
Spanish army, young San Martin was
taken to Madrid and educated for a
military career. His early military
experiences were in the Moorish wars,
and then he joioned the Napoleonic
struggle. winning considerable name
for himself thereby and the rank of
lieutenant colonel for his distinguished
conduct at the battle of Baylen.
Young San Martin. then little over
80 years of age, offered his services
to the government of Buenos Aires in
1912. He trained the citizen soldiers
of the Junta there, and in the follow
ing year struck an important blow
for the independence of the future
state of Argentina when at the head
of his grenadiers he defeated a small
royalist force at San Lorenzo. Placed
in command of the frontier province
of Cuyo in 1914, he prepared to carry
out his design to organize an army
with which to attack the royalists
upon the Pacific coast.
While San Martin was training the
army of the Andes" at Mendoza for
an attack upon the royalists who had
subjugated the Chilean patriots, there
was adopted, on July 8, 1916, by a
congress of delegates from certain
provinces of the former vice royalty of
La Plata who had assembled at Tucu-
man, a declaration of independence
from Spain. The state thus brought
into existence was often styled the
United Provinces of La Plata.
Won Chile independence.
Early in the following year San
Martins army made a heroic march
over the Andes into Chile by noun
tain passes which were thousands of
feet higher than the Pass of st. Ber-
nard by which Napoleon crossed the
Alps. The soldiers of San Martin de-
feated the royalists at Chacabuco on
February II, 1917, and a year later
the independence of Chile was pro-
claimed in Santiago. After admins
tering another defeat to the Spaniards
at Maipu, he returned to Buenos Aires
to perfect arrangements for an attack
upon the royalists, in Peru. This
movement was carried out success
fully, and the Spanish viceroy La
Serna evacuated Lima, the independ-
ence of Peru being proclaimed by the
/ protector" as he was called. on July
2S. 1921. Shortly after San Martin re-
| linquished his leadership in Peru in
the war for independence to
Gen. Simon Bolivar. who had moved
south at about the same time. The in
dependence Of Peru Swas finally ac-
complished at the battle of Ayacucho.
the last battle against the Spaniards
in America, which took place on De
cember 9, 1924.
The remains of San Martin lie in
the cathedral in Buenos Aires. where
they were brought from Boulogne.
France. the place in which he spent
| the latter years of his life. In 1909
monument to him was erected in
Boulogne, the Argentine grenadiers,
wearing uniforms just like those
which this body of soldiers had worn
since the days of San Martin. par
ticipating in the ceremonies. A statue
! of him stands in Lima, and he is
among the national heroes of the
/ American republics whose busts stand
/ in the Pan-American Union Building
! here. constant reminder of his serv-
| ice to the cause of independence in
| the Western Hemisphere.
l Copyright. l925.)