San Martin's Army of the Andes

San martin was governor of the interior province of cuyo, which ran right up against the steep andes to the west. Far removed from the endless political strife of the coast line, san martin was busy turning cuyo into his own personal war machine. The army of the andes started with a small contingent of cavalry assigned to him by his friends in buenos aires, about 700 men. But no more to this, San martin was able to add the chilean refugees who had come over the mountains in 18 14. Chief among them bernardo o'higgins and jose miguel carrera. And then when it became clear that something more