The Cochrane-San Martín conflict (1818-1823)

Abstract

Lord Thomas Alexander Cochrane was a Scottish nobleman, the Tenth Earl of Dundonald, who earned a reputation for daring acts against the enemy and for constant friction with his superiors. Argentine-born Jose de San Martin was a former royalist army officer who had the ability to organize and train an effective fighting force, and who, because of chronic illness, became addicted to opium. Both men became dedicated advocates of Spanish American independence, a desire that brought them together in the service of Chile. In that service, still fighting toward the common goal, they battled each other in a classic personality clash over the proper conduct of the war. The conflict between Cochrane and San Martin has been mentioned frequently in histories and biographies, but it has never been more than superficially analyzed. A thorough analysis of the conflict and its causes is the purpose of this study. Two short biographies have been included to show the character and training of each of the participants. Cochrane was a nobleman turned populist who accepted the command of the Chilean navy because he had been disgraced in England. San Martin became attached to the cause of Spanish American independence through his association with the Lautaro Lodge in Cadiz. He was a commoner turned monarchist and the originator of the Peruvian Liberating Expedition. The conflict has been divided into three phases for the purpose of this investigation. The first aspect of the conflict occurred between November 1818 and March 1820. During this time Cochrane learned of San Martin's distrust of him, and he vetoed a plan which the general felt was imperative for the future of South America. In February of 1820 Cochrane engineered the successful attack on the royalist stronghold of Valdivia. This achievement led him to believe that he, and not San Martin, should lead the Peruvian expedition. The second phase of the conflict opened with this controversy which was resolved when the Chilean government decided to give the command to San Martin. Relations between the two became strained to the breaking point with the differing philosophies on the conduct of the war. Cochrane was for immediate action while San Martin's plan was one of slow and deliberate steps. The final break came after the fall of Lima in June 1821. San Martin assumed the title of the Protector of Peru and took over the government. When a small royalist force approached Lima in September, San Martin had the government's treasure transferred to Ancon. Cochrane, desperate for funds with which to pay his crews, seized the money. The breach was irreparable. Afterwards San Martin attempted to have Cochrane declared a pirate by the Chilean government, and Cochrane attempted to have San Martin tried for treason against Chile. The conflict was unavoidable. Their personalities and philosophies ran counter to each other. It began with mutual distrust and ended with mutual hatred. Compromise was necessary to avoid the final break and aftermath, but the willingness to compromise was lacking in both their characters.