Bernardo O'Higgins accepted the position instead, and became the leader of an independent Chile. He was granted dictatorial powers as Supreme Director on 16 February 1817. On 12 February 1818, Chile proclaimed itself an independent republic. Throughout the war with the royalists, O'Higgins had engaged in an ongoing feud with José Miguel Carrera. After their retreat in 1814, O'Higgins had fared much better than Carrera, who found little support forthcoming from San Martín, O'Higgins' political ally. Carrera was imprisoned to prevent his involvement in Chilean affairs; after his escape, he ended up taking the winning side in the Argentine Federalist war, helping
Battle of Ochomogo Battle of Ochomogo The Battle of Ochomogo (5 April 1823) was fought in Ochomogo, to the west of Cartago, Costa Rica, shortly after the country became independent from Spain. Republican militia from San José and Alajuela led by Gregorio José Ramírez defeated conservative forces from Cartago, the capital, who supported making Costa Rica part of the new Mexican Empire. The Republicans won and San José became capital of the country, which remained independent within the Federal Republic of Central America. Cartago was the first Spanish settlement in Costa Rica, founded in 1563 by Juan Vázquez de Coronado. It was the