The Revolution of September 4, 1811, also known as Golpe del 4 de septiembre (September 4 Coup) or simply as Primer golpe de Carrera (Carrera's First Coup), was a military movement in Chile. Its main objective was to change the conformation of the nascent National Congress, transforming it into a Congress more inclined to separatist ideas. The movement had as military leaders the Carrera brothers, among them José Miguel, who later became the main character of the so-called Patria Vieja (1810-1814). On the political side, the main instigators of the coup movement were the Larraín family (also called Los Ochocientos or Ottomans) with Fray Joaquín Larraín at their head.
The revolution of September 4 was quickly imposed before the Congress and after that Carrera, presenting a list of petitions on behalf of the people of Santiago, forced the legislators to accede to most of the requests, whose main impact resided in suspending from their positions a group of men considered inclined to the royalist ideas (called Saracens) or in their absence moderates, and changing them for men recognized for their patriotic ideas. This was the first of the four coups d'état that characterized the political life of Carrera, who also resorted to this formula on November 15 and December 2 of the same year, and on July 23, 1814. In addition, this military movement had the peculiarity of being the first successful coup d'état in the history of Chile.
Background
Carrera's arrival in Chile
On April 17, after having fought with the troops of the King of Spain against the French, and aware of the political course that the Kingdom of Chile was taking (his father had been a member of the first Government Junta), José Miguel Carrera embarked on the English warship "Standard" to his homeland, arriving at the port of Valparaíso on July 25. He was received in Valparaíso by Governor Juan Mackenna, who informed him of the events taking place in Santiago, and immediately set sail for the capital city, arriving on the night of the 26.
However, upon his arrival in Santiago, he found the news that a revolutionary movement, led by his brother, Juan José Carrera, was brewing in the coming hours:
That night, after the embrace of my family, I retired to sleep in the company of my brother Don Juan José, who somehow imposed on me the situation of my country. He told me that he was arriving at the time of a revolution that would take place at ten o'clock on the 28th. It was actually scheduled for the 27th. It was aimed at removing some individuals from Congress, Commander of Artillery Francisco Javier Reina, and I don't remember what other things. Those directing the work were Martínez de Rozas and Larraines, joined by Antonio Álvarez Jonte. It seemed to me that the project contained a great deal of ambition and decisions detrimental to the cause and to my brothers, who were the executors. I begged them to postpone that deadline until my return from Valparaíso, where I was to return so that Fleming could come to see the capital. He offered to do so and complied, in spite of the fact that in the morning many of those invited were present for the purpose.
Thus, Carrera left again for Valparaíso to meet with Charles Elphinstone Fleming, who by then expected the payment of a tribute to alleviate the Spanish war effort. Upon his return to Santiago, on August 11 or 12, Carrera began to learn about the revolutionary plans of the until then patriot minority (or exalted), who, encouraged by Antonio Álvarez Jonte, delegate of the Buenos Aires Junta before the Chilean Junta, sought in the Carrera brothers the managers of the military movement. However, at first, José Miguel Carrera, indicated to his brothers to move away from the intentions of the exalted ones, and tried to delve into the motivations of the patriots to carry out the movement, to which they responded:
I asked why and for what purpose such a resounding revolution was intended; I was told: The Congress and part of the troops are in the power of inept men and enemies of the cause. All the sane part of the people clamor to remedy this evil and it is not possible because there is no freedom; it is necessary to resort to the force commanded by the good patriots, which is the only hope that remains. We will all sacrifice our lives to save the motherland.
Attempts to stop the revolution
Upon learning of the intentions, Carrera at first suggested to gather the people together with the Grenadiers to request the corresponding measures, but it was indicated that the people were too timid and would not get together. Then Carrera indicated that the best thing would be for the healthy part of the people to sign the demands to the Congress and that he, in command of the Grenadiers, would support the plan.
In spite of Carrera's commitment to the exalted, he hesitated a lot before launching the coup d'état. As he mentions in his Military Diary, it seemed to him that he should touch all the possible means to avoid a harmful step, and for this he personally went to talk to the president of the National Congress, Manuel Pérez de Cotapos, who however did not attend to his requests to comply peacefully with the demands. José Miguel Carrera warned Pérez for his refusal:
You have compromised me; fear the results of such an imprudent step.
Congress' work prior to September 4
The National Congress, established on July 4, 1811, was formed mainly by parliamentarians who were either adherents to the royalist ideas, or who were indifferent to the actions that were taking place. This led the patriots, led by Juan Martínez de Rozas, to continually challenge their political opponents, the first and main dispute being the modification of the original intention of electing 6 deputies for Santiago to 12, favoring the royalist intentions, since except for the first majority, which was obtained by the patriot Joaquín Echeverría Larraín, the rest of the seats were awarded to royalists and above all to indifferent ones.
Patriot triumphs and defeats in Congress
However, in spite of being in minority, the exalted sector of the Congress tried to obstruct within its capacities the proposals of royalists and moderates, but without obtaining many credits. After the failed military attempt that the exalted had prepared for July 27, which was not carried out due to the absence of Juan José Carrera with his troops who followed his brother's advice, the patriots focused their forces on preventing the election of a new executive board in the Congress, since they knew that they would be defeated again by the majority.
A great triumph was achieved by the patriots when they avoided sending funds to Captain Fleming to send them to Spain with the purpose of sustaining the war that this country was facing against the Napoleonic army. However, they received a clear and convincing defeat when the Congress rejected the proposal of Manuel de Salas to divide the territory and reorganize it, giving Coquimbo the recognition of Intendancy as well as Santiago and Concepción, thus facilitating an eventual representation of Rozas in the area. After the rejection of the Congress to the proposal, and in view of the impossibility of carrying out measures to give the Kingdom a more patriotic course, on August 9, the 12 exalted deputies withdrew from the Congress arguing how scandalous the increase from 6 to 12 deputies to represent Santiago was.
Rozas' sinking and his march to the south
There are many authors who interpret the Chilean political scene at the end of 1810 and the beginning of 1811 as a struggle between rocists and anti-rocists instead of following the traditional interpretation that speaks of a struggle between exalted or radicals against royalists or conservatives. Martínez de Rozas is postulated as the leader of a faction desirous of a strong government, and that in great part, will join the later government of O'Higgins. Opposing them were those who would later become liberals and radicals, in favor of greater popular participation and limiting governmental powers.
However, Rozas was a man not very well liked by the Santiago aristocracy and they questioned a series of actions he had carried out during the last year, such as the Scorpion scandal, his close alliance with Álvarez Jonte and his presumed responsibility in the Figueroa mutiny. However, in the elections for the conformation of the national Congress, the Rocist side was defeated in the crucial election held in Santiago, where the victory was even more resounding due to the increase of representatives that the city of Santiago suffered, going from 6 to 12 members. This motivated the repeated complaints of the faction more inclined to pro-independence ideas, a faction already led by the Larraínes or Ochocientos, who had displaced the defeated Martínez de Rozas in the control of the opposition to the anti-rocists.
Martínez de Rozas fell even more in disgrace after his failed attempt to resort to the realization of a military conspiracy to impose his ideas, but on July 27 only a few individuals had gathered and neither Juan José Carrera nor his Grenadiers had shown up. Seeing all the doors closed, the most radical and rocist deputies withdrew from the legislative assembly on August 9. With the change in the course of the revolution, Martinez de Rozas traveled to the south to carry out a revolutionary movement in Concepcion, which would take place on September 5, without knowing the events that had already taken place in the city of Santiago on the 4th, and which were led by the Carrera brothers.
Military coup
The seizure of the artillery barracks
On Wednesday, September 4, a little before noon, José Miguel Carrera arrived at the Plazuela de la Moneda (today's Plaza de la Constitución). There he had arrived riding a horse and dressed in the garb of a sergeant major of the Hussars of Galicia regiment, he set out to carry out an elaborate plan that he had designed with his brothers and his haranguers. However, nothing went according to plan. According to the account of Friar Melchor Martinez, everything would have started earlier, at 6 a.m:
On the 4th, from 6 o'clock in the morning, seventy Grenadiers entered in parade and in disguise at the house of Carrera, where a plentiful lunch and plenty to drink were served, after which diligence the object of their meeting was discovered, offering them great prizes if they would force and seize the Artillery park; inflaming them with the false species that this corps, united with the four quartered companies of the Regiment of the King, had prepared to assault the Grenadier barracks and put them all to the sword.
However, at about noon, José Miguel Carrera arrived with his brothers outside the artillery barracks with his impeccable and luxurious clothing, riding his horse, which attracted the attention of all the sentries who were on guard. The guards gathered in the western sector of the square to witness the skillful tricks that Carrera performed with his horse, thus neglecting the barracks. At that moment, the Carrera brothers, who had engaged in a jocular conversation with the officer in charge and the rest of the barracks guard, asked the officer of the guard to give them a piece of paper of recommendation to send some horses to the farm of a brother of theirs. Although the officer apologized saying that he did not have an inkwell, the Carrera family begged the officer so much to write the obituary that he agreed to go write it in a nearby room. Moments after the officer entered the room, the artillery captain Luis Carrera, locked the room to leave the officer locked up and together with other officers stood in front of the checkpoint's armament with his sword drawn to prevent any soldier from taking his rifle.
It was at that moment when the clock struck twelve, and, as planned, seventy men of the grenadier battalion came out of their hiding place in the house of Ignacio de la Carrera, which was right behind the artillery barracks. At the same time, artillery sergeant Ramón Picarte, who was part of the conspiracy and acted as a spy inside the barracks, suddenly took his weapon from the sentry at the door of the barracks. Upon noticing what was happening, the sergeant on duty, Juan Gonzalez shouted "Treason! or "This is treason", without being able to do anything else because Juan Jose Carrera shot him dead on the spot. Faced with the defenselessness of the guard and the quick maneuver of the Carrera family, the artillery barracks was taken and with the passing of the minutes, pickets of grenadiers gathered there and formed under the orders of the Carrera family and the officers who had directed the actions. Immediately José Miguel Carrera dispatched Juan J. Zorrilla with 12 men to detain commander Reina, and thus prevent the revolution from being hindered.