247 years ago today, February 25, 1778 (January 29, 1778 in the lunar calendar), the leader of the South American independence movement, José de San Martín, was born. February 25, 1778 was the birthday of Jose de San Martín, an Argentine national hero and leader of the War of Independence in southern South America. San Martín was born into a family of military officers in the eastern Argentine province of Corrientes. He went to Spain with his father when he was eight years old. In 1808, he participated in the Spanish people's War of Liberation against Napoleon. In 1912, he returned to Argentina and participated in Argentina's anti-colonial rule and struggle for national independence. In 1814, an Andean Corps of 5500 people was formed in the Mendoza region in the Andes. With the cooperation of the people's struggles in other parts of Argentina, the Spanish invaders were finally driven out of Argentina. On July 9, 1816, Argentina declared independence and he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Argentine Liberation Army. But St. Martin knew that Argentina's independence would be guaranteed only if South America was liberated. To liberate South America, he must first destroy the Governorate of Peru, the hub of the Spanish American colony, so he began to prepare for an expedition. In mid-1817, the expedition plan began. He led his army to climb the Andes Mountains, fought against the wind, snow and severe cold for two weeks, and finally completed "one of the most thrilling and glorious Long March in military history." In 1818, he drove out the Spanish army from Chilean soil. In 1819, Chile declared independence. In 1820, he began to march into Peru, captured Lima on July 12, and Peru declared its independence. At the meeting of sages, he was publicly elected as the new head of state of Peru and was crowned with the title of "Protector of the Nation." In 1822, he and another leader of the South American independence movement went to South American countries to establish what kind of political system they would establish after independence. On September 22, 1822, he resigned as the "Protector of the Nation" at the First National Assembly of Peru, returned to Argentina via Chile, and soon went to Europe and lived in France until his death.