Bolívar and the War of Independence: Memorias del General Daniel Florencio O'Leary, Narración

ISBN-13: 9780292707153 / Angielski / Miękka / 1970 / 414 str.

Daniel Florencio O'Leary;Robert F. McNerney

Opis

The overthrow of Spanish rule and the birth of new republican governments in northern South America at the beginning of the nineteenth century were in large part the work of one man-Simon Bolivar. Bolivar was not only the soldier who built a patriot army from a small band of exiles and led them victoriously across Venezuela and down the spine of the Andes as far as Potosi; he was also the statesman who framed the new republics that sprang to life after the defeat of the Spanish and who called the Congress of Panama in hopes of making real his dream of uniting all the South American republics in a single confederation. He was truly the Liberator. The Narracion, or narrative, of the Memorias of Daniel Florencio O'Leary has long been recognized by Spanish American scholars as one of the most important historical sources for a major part of Bolivar's life. O'Leary took an active part in the wars for independence, first as a young officer, recruited in the British Isles to aid the patriot cause, and later as Bolivar's chief aide, often entrusted with diplomatic missions. His firsthand knowledge of the stirring events of the period, his access to relevant documents, and his close association with the major figures in the struggle, as well as his friendship with Bolivar, made O'Leary a particularly valuable chronicler and biographer. Bolivar himself, shortly before his death, requested that O'Leary write the story of his life.