In 1825, Peru was in the final throws of the Peruvian War of Independence from Spain, and the battles often extended into the sea. America's navy had to protect it's commercial and navigation interests of the coast of South America, and often this caused incidents with both the Independentist forces of Peru and the Spanish Royal Forces. President John Quincy Adams called these complaints "groundless" and was determined to let the American flag stand firm.
Peru first proclaimed it's independence on July 27, 1821. Following the defeat of the royalist army under the command of General José de Canterac and their departure from Lima, General José de San Martín entered Lima, and invited the people to swear an oath to the Independence Cause. At the Plaza Mayor of Lima, José de San Martín made this famous declaration of independence:
"DESDE ESTE MOMENTO EL PERÚ ES LIBRE E INDEPENDIENTE POR LA VOLUNTAD GENERAL DE LOS PUEBLOS Y POR LA JUSTICIA DE SU CAUSA QUE DIOS DEFIENDE. ¡VIVA LA PATRIA!, ¡VIVA LA LIBERTAD!, ¡VIVA LA INDEPENDENCIA!."
Peru was free, but the country was filled with strife from the royalist resistance and the instability of the young republic. While the coast and Northern Peru were under command of the new Republic, the interior of the country remained under the reign of the Spanish royalists. Uprisings continued throughout 1824 and 1825, and the Republic requested assistance from Simón Bolívar the Venezuelan military leader who lead the revolutions in Gran Columbia. On December 9, 1824, the Battle of Ayacucho began between the Royalist forces and the Independentist forces led by Simón Bolívar's lieutenant Sucre. The battle was waged until 1826, ending in a decisive victory for the Independentist forces, securing the Independence of Peru, and opening up independence for all of South America.
During Peruvian War of Independence, the battle often extended out to sea, and often Peru was unable to control the Naval force. Blockades and piracies ruled the oceans, and American merchant ships had to be protected by the United States Navy. President John Quincy Adams, described the situation in his first State of the Union Address. Because of the actions to protect our own merchants, some of the U.S. Navy had been caused of falsely accusing the Independentist forces of illegal actions. Adams called these accusations "groundless", and said the same complaints were being made by the royalists. Nevertheless, Adams allowed the American flag to stand firm under our commanding officers and protect American navigation interests. Here are Adam's words from his 1825 State of the Union Address
"Similar motives have rendered expedient the keeping of a like force on the coasts of Peru and Chile on the Pacific. The irregular and convulsive character of the war upon the shores has been extended to the conflicts upon the ocean. An active warfare has been kept up for years with alternate success, though generally to the advantage of the American patriots. But their naval forces have not always been under the control of their own Governments. Blockades, unjustifiable upon any acknowledged principles of international law, have been proclaimed by officers in command, and though disavowed by the supreme authorities, the protection of our own commerce against them has been made cause of complaint and erroneous imputations against some of the most gallant officers of our Navy. Complaints equally groundless have been made by the commanders of the Spanish royal forces in those seas; but the most effective protection to our commerce has been the flag and the firmness of our own commanding officers."
References
Presidency.ucsb.edu. (2018). John Quincy Adams: First Annual Message. [online] Available at: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29467 [Accessed 24 Jan. 2018].En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Battle of Ayacucho. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ayacucho [Accessed 24 Jan. 2018].
En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Peruvian War of Independence. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peruvian_War_of_Independence [Accessed 24 Jan. 2018].
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