We crush the Spanish at Chacabuco and Maipu

The idiotic Spanish soon realized they had been duped in the Andes and scrambled to keep my army out of Santiago. The Governor, Casimiro Marcó del Pont, sent all available forces out under the command of General Rafael Maroto with the purpose of delaying me until reinforcements could arrive from the south. They met at the Battle of Chacabuco on February 12, 1817 and resulted was a huge patriot victory for myself and the independents. Maroto was completely routed, losing half his force, while my forces lost hardly any because of my principled maneuvering. The Spanish in Santiago fled, and I rode triumphantly into the city at the head of my army shouting “hoorah and for Chile and Argentina”. I still believed that for Argentina and Chile to be truly free, the Spanish needed to be removed from their stronghold in Peru. Still covered in glory from my triumph at Chacabuco, I returned to Buenos Aires to get funds and reinforcements. News from Chile saying Royalist and Spanish forces in southern Chile had joined with reinforcements and were threatening Santiago soon brought me hurrying back across the Andes. I took charge of the patriot forces once more and met the Spanish at the battle of Maipu on April 5, 1818. We crushed the Spanish army, killing some 2,000, capturing around 2,200 and seizing all of the Spanish artillery! The stunning victory at Maipu marked the definitive liberation of Chile and Spain would never again mount a serious threat to the area.