Book excerpt: A vivid exploration of the life and times of Jos de San Mart n, legendary liberator of Chile and Peru Jos de San Mart n (1778-1850) was an enigmatic figure--a revolutionary and a conservative, a professional soldier and an intellectual, a taciturn man who nevertheless was able to inspire the peoples of South America to follow his armies and accept his battle strategies. One of the great leaders in the wars for independence, he was a pivotal force in the liberation of Chile and Peru from Spanish rule. In the first full English-language biography of San Mart n in more than half a century, John Lynch shines new light on San Mart n and on the story of Spanish America's revolutionary wars. Lynch offers a series of dramatic set pieces: the Peninsular War, in which San Mart n fought the French and learned his military skills; the crossing of the Andes, when his army battled the forces of nature as well as enemy fire; the confrontation with imperial Spain in Peru; and the standoff with Bol var which led to San Mart n's resignation and exile in Europe. Based on the latest documentation, San Mart n enhances our understanding of the modern history of Latin America and one of its most brilliant leaders.