44 The Charge of O’Higgins’s Brigade

The South American nation of Chile can credit its independence to the military expertise of a herd of sheep, cows, mules, and dogs—and to the brilliant plan of Bernardo O’Higgins, the country’s first ruler.

In 1814, Bernardo O’Higgins was the leader of a small group of Chileans who were rebelling against their Spanish rulers; O’Higgins was surrounded by the Spanish army. By October 1814 the patriots were slowly but surely driven into retreat. When O’Higgins was wounded in battle, morale dropped drastically, and he felt that only a miracle could have saved the surrounded band. So O’Higgins arranged for one.

O’Higgins had his soldiers round up all the farm animals in the area, then arranged his troops directly behind the confused ranks of the animal army. When he suddenly gave the order to charge, the noise, the shouting and the firing of weapons panicked the animals, and they stampeded wildly toward the Spanish lines. The battle-hardened Spanish army was not easily frightened, but the sight of hundreds of stampeding beasts was too much for them. The Spanish lines broke in wild confusion.

O’Higgins and his men charged through the gap in the enemy lines and were safely in the hills before the Spanish recovered from the shock. Their escape provided the patriots with the chance to regroup. Bernardo O’Higgins returned to battle and defeated the Spanish in 1818.

44 奥希金斯旅的冲锋

南美国家智利的独立，要归功于一群羊、牛、骡子和狗的“军事助力”——以及该国首位统治者贝尔纳多·奥希金斯的绝妙计划。

1814年，贝尔纳多·奥希金斯是反抗西班牙统治者的一小群智利人的领袖，当时他被西班牙军队包围。到1814年10月，爱国者们逐渐被逼入撤退的境地。当奥希金斯在战斗中受伤时，士气急剧低落，他认为只有奇迹才能拯救这支被包围的队伍。于是奥希金斯策划了一场“奇迹”。

奥希金斯让士兵们把该地区所有的农场动物都集中起来，然后将部队部署在这群混乱动物的正后方。当他突然下令冲锋时，噪音、呐喊和武器开火的声音吓坏了动物们，它们疯狂地冲向西班牙军队的防线。久经沙场的西班牙军队本不易受惊，但数百头狂奔的牲畜让他们难以招架，西班牙的防线在混乱中崩溃了。

奥希金斯和他的士兵们穿过敌军防线的缺口，在西班牙军队从震惊中回过神之前，安全撤到了山里。这次突围为爱国者们提供了重新集结的机会。贝尔纳多·奥希金斯重返战场，并在1818年击败了西班牙军队。