The Peruvian Legion and Identity during the Wars of Independence, 1821–24

 The Peruvian Legion and identity during the wars of Independence 1821-1824

As soon as José de San Martín entered Lima and declared the independence of Peru in July 1821 he set out to create a Peruvian army reorganising the colonial militias he found in the city. William Miller, who had come with the expedition from Chile, was chosen to train and discipline them. He selected some of the Peruvian officers who had recently changed sides to lead the troops and during the following four years, in spite of operating in a constant state of war and instability, he did his best to instil in the so called Peruvian Legion a sense of purpose. This paper will explore the creation of this army and the way in which during the context of war it began to develop a sense of identity in opposition to the Chilean, Rio Platense and Colombian armies with which they fought against those who defended the King of Spain in Peru.