Jose de San Martin was an educated Creole and military general who was great asset to gaining independence for Latin America in the early 1800s. He helped many places to gaining independence such as Chile, Argentina and Peru, and San Martin fought alongside other great leaders such as Simon Bolivar who was nicknamed “The Liberator”.
Jose de San Martin was a Creole born in Argentina. When he went to Europe he took military training, and then came back to help fight for independence from Spain. Starting in Argentina this gifted general won them independence in 1816. He then moved on to Chile, going over the Andes Mountains in 1817 like Bolivar.
San Martin used Guerilla Warfare tactics and in 1818 he had also won Chile independence. He then attacked Peru by sea and in 1821, he took control of their capital, Lima. He then briefly joined forces with Simon Bolivar, who was also a Creole and fellow liberator. Together they helped win Peru total freedom from the Spanish. However their view were too different, and San Martin stepped aside for Bolivar to fight the last few battles against the Spanish.
Jose de San Martin was a great leader in the independence struggle in Latin America and general. He helped several countries such as Chile, Argentina and Peru gain independence from Spain before spending the rest of his life in a voluntary exile in Europe.
