ORDER OF BATTLE // March 19, 1818
Second Battle of Cancha Rayada
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 12,000 estimated
Chile
7,000
Medium-confidence figure
Spain
5,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Second Battle of Cancha Rayada resulted in a significant defeat for the patriot forces under Bernardo O'Higgins and José de San Martín, with Chilean casualties reaching 2,000 against a Spanish royalist force some 2,000 troops smaller. The defeat came during Osorio's royalist campaign to reverse patriot gains in Chile and represented a serious blow to the independence effort. However, the setback proved temporary: within weeks the patriot army recovered and confronted the royalists again at the Battle of Maipú, where they secured the rematch that the Cancha Rayada defeat had made urgent.
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