San Martín: Argentine Patriot, American liberator

Professor John Lynch assesses the figure of San Martín in the American revolution, stressing San Martín’s personal and leadership qualities in the face of both the liberator’s detractors and those historians who discount the significance of the impact of an individual on the historical scene. This paper reiterates the particular strengths that San Martín brought to the struggle for Independence: clear analysis, firm action and a commitment to the cause over his own self-interest, finally re-evoking Mitre’s tribute: 'San Martín era el hombre americano y el hombre necesario.'