Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SAN MARTÍN'S FAREWELL
LETTER TO SIMÓN BOLÍVAR
U
nfortunately, I am fully convinced either that you did not believe
that the offer which I made to serve under your orders was
sincere, or else that you felt that my presence in your army would be
an impediment to your success. Permit me to say that the two reasons
which you expressed to me: first, that your delicacy would not per-
mit you to command me; and, second, that even if this difficulty were
overcome, you were certain that the Congress of Colombia would not
consent to your departure from that republic, do not appear plausible
to me. The first reason refutes itself. In respect to the second reason,
I am strongly of the opinion that the slightest suggestion from you to
the Congress of Colombia would be received with unanimous approval,
provided that it was concerned with the cooperation of yourself and
your army in the struggle in which we are engaged.
. . . I am convinced that the prolongation of the war will cause the
ruin of her people; hence it is a sacred duty of those men to whom
America's destinies are confided to prevent the continuation of great
evils.
. . . I shall embark for Chile, for I am convinced that my presence is
the only obstacle which prevents you from marching to Peru with your
army.
Sources:
Harrison, Margaret H.
Captain of the Andes: The Life of Don José
de San Martín, Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru
(New York: Richard R.
Smith, 1943), pp. 155-156; Levene, Ricardo.
El genio político de San Martín
(Buenos Aires: Editorial Guillermo Kraft, 1950), p. 251.
other patriot factions also failed in Colombia and Ecuador. Following
a period of exile in Haiti, Bolívar returned to Venezuela in 1816.
Three years later, he engineered his first major triumph in capturing
the viceregal capital of Bogotá with a combined force of Venezuelan
and Colombian patriots. He then returned to liberate Caracas from
Spanish forces. Like San Martín, Bolívar had recruited soldiers from the
popular classes by promising social reforms, such as an end to Indian
tribute and freedom for slaves who enrolled in his army. Such strategies
enabled Bolívar to liberate Ecuador from the royalists in 1821. Fresh
