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Primary sourceLetter5 April 1818

Letter to Bernardo O'Higgins Announcing the Victory at Maipú

José de San Martín · 5 April 1818

San Martín's hurried letter telling O'Higgins of the victory at Maipú, the battle that secured Chilean independence.

San Martín wrote this letter himself to announce his victory at Maipú to his fellow independence leader O'Higgins.

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Photograph of a handwritten letter on aged paper in a bound archival volume, with a red-bordered label reading 4172 and page number 1 at top right. The cursive text announces a victory and is signed with a flourish; a red circular stamp appears near the signature. Address line at bottom left.
José de San Martín, letter to Bernardo O'Higgins, 5 April 1818. National Archive of Chile.

About this source

What it is

This is a handwritten letter from José de San Martín to Bernardo O'Higgins, dated 5 April 1818, announcing the victory at the Battle of Maipú. The letter is held in the National Archive of Chile.

Why it matters

Maipú was the battle that sealed the independence of Chile, and this letter captures San Martín's own voice at that decisive moment. It shows the close partnership between San Martín and O'Higgins, the two leaders most associated with Chile's liberation, and gives historians a rare, immediate record written in the heat of victory rather than after calm reflection.

Look closer

  • What can the handwriting and hurried tone tell you about the moment the letter was written?
  • Why would San Martín write directly to O'Higgins rather than issue a public announcement first?
  • What questions does this short letter leave unanswered about the battle itself?

This letter is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of José de San Martín and Bernardo O'Higgins on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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