Casimiro Marcó del Pont

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Francisco Casimiro Marcó del Pont Ángel Díaz y Méndez (Vigo, Spain; 1777 - Luján, Argentina; 1819) was a Spanish soldier and Governor of Chile. He was one of the main figures of the Chilean independence process, being the final Spaniard to rule Chile as a colonial territory, holding the title Royal Governor of Chile from 1815 to 1818, when he was deposed by the patriot forces as they entered Santiago after the Battle of Chacabuco.

[edit] Younger Years

Marco del Pont began a brilliant military career in the Infantry Regiment of Zaragoza. He was quite young, being under 45 years old, when he achieved the rank of Field Marshall. He served with distinction during the Peninsular War against Napoleon.

[edit] Governance of Chile

In 1815 Marco del Pont was named Governor of the then-Spanish colony of Chile, arriving at Valparaíso at the end of the year. Once he assumed the head of the Reconquista government he sent spies to Cuyo in order to obtain information about the Army of the Andes being amassed exiled pro-independence leaders in the Argentine province of Mendoza. This army, under José de San Martín, would later cross the Andes to liberate Chile. Internally, he sought to solidify Spanish control through the brutal repression of all those associated with the independence movement who had remained in Chile. A number of notables were deported to the barren Juan Fernández Islands, and others suffered the depridations of group of soldiers lead by the infamous captain Vicente San Bruno.

[edit] Fall of Government, Exile, and Death

Marco del Pont's rule ended on February 12, 1818, when the defeat of the Royalist forces under the command of Rafael Maroto in the Battle of Chacabuco allowed the patriot forces to enter the capital. The governor Marco del Pont tried to escape to Valparaíso to catch a transport leaving for the Viceroy of Peru, but he was intercepted by an advance column of the patriot army at an hacienda called "Las Tablas". After his capture, he was interviewed by San Martín, who sent him to Mendoza and later San Luis. His days ended after a final move to Luján a city close to Buenos Aires, when he died in prison on May 19, 1819.