José de San Martín Manuel Rodríguez had returned to Chile before the crossing, and began a guerrilla war in Santiago de Chile against the royalists, in support of the upcoming army. He was supported in the south of the city and the countryside. The strategy was to occupy nearby villages, seize the royalists' weapons and flee. The attacks on Melipilla and San Fernando, and a failed one at Curicó, demoralized the royalists. The columns that crossed the Andes began to take military actions. The column in the north led by Cabot defeated the royalists in Salala, seized Coquimbo and then Copiapó. In the south,
USS Torchwood (AN-55) USS Torchwood (AN-55) USS "Torchwood" (AN-55/YN-74) was an which served with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of operations during World War II. She performed her net laying services until war’s end, and then was given to the Republic of China. "Torchwood" (YN-74) was laid down on 22 June 1943 at Stockton, California, by the Pollock-Stockton Shipbuilding Co., redesignated "AN-55" on 20 January 1944; launched on 19 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Henry F. Bruns; and commissioned at San Francisco, California, on 12 May 1944. After fitting-out, "Torchwood" cleared San Francisco on 3 June 1944 and arrived in