Rodriguez, Manuel

Rodríguez, Manuel 

Born Feb. 25, 1786, in Santiago; died May 26, 1818, near Santiago. Chilean political figure.

Rodriguez was one of the leaders of the War of Independence of the Spanish-American Colonies of 1810–26. As an advocate of the liberationist and democratic ideas of the supporters of the struggle for independence, he took an active part in the revolutionary reorganization of the government under J. Carrera in 1811, 1812, and 1814. After the defeat of the troops of the patriots at Rancagua in 1814, Rodriguez fled to Argentina. Upon returning to Chile, he organized several partisan detachments to fight the Spanish colonialists. In 1818 he headed the popular militia force and organized a squadron of hussars, thereby contributing to the final victory of the Chilean army in the battle of Maipú in April 1818.