THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 171 streets of the capital were thronged with the equipages of those preparing to depart the country ; groups of women were everywhere wringing their hands in grief and terror. The greatest anxiety prevailed, as it was several days before intelligence came of the whereabouts of San Martin. He was at San Fernando and the right wing of the army, consisting of about three thousand men, was with him. Manuel Rodriguez, the dashing and enterprising young cavalry officer, then took it upon himself to check the flight of the patriots, called Hijos del Pais (Sons of the Land), assumed the direction of affairs for the time being and organized a better state of things. In an incredibly short time he had organized a regiment, called the Husares de la Muerte (Hussars of Death. ) Six days after the rout, O'Higgins entered the city badly wounded, and was entrusted again with the dic- tatorship. On the following day, San Martin arrived, accompanied by some of his officers. Fatigued and covered with dust his cry of "La Patria triunfa revived the spirits of the patriots. The wreck of the army which came pouring into the capital for several days was collected by the offi- cers and sent to an encampment outside the city at Molina. Ten days after the battle the brave Colonel Las Heras, who had led off the right wing from the rout and conducted it to San Fernando, arrived with three thousand of the troops. He had been enabled to save this division because of the fact that two divi- sions of Osorio's army approaching from different direc- tions had mistaken each other for the enemy and com- menced firing. This created so much confusion that General Osorio was prevented from following up his advantage. Indeed some of his army even retreated across the Maule.
