General José María de la Cruz Prieto (Concepción

Concepción, Chile

Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...

, March 25, 1799 – November 23, 1875) was a Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an soldier.

The son of Luis de la Cruz and of Josefa Prieto Sotomayor, and was a cousin of future presidents José Joaquín Prieto

José Joaquín Prieto

José Joaquín Prieto Vial was a Chilean military and political figure. He was twice President of Chile between 1831 and 1841. José Joaquín Prieto was of Spanish and Basque descent.-Early life:...

 and Manuel Bulnes

Manuel Bulnes

-Sources:* Juan B. Alberdi, Biografia de general Bulnes...

. He joined the Army on October 27, 1811, and participated actively in the battles of Chacabuco

Battle of Chacabuco

The Battle of Chacabuco, fought during the Chilean War of Independence, occurred on February 12, 1817. The Army of the Andes of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata led by General Captain José de San Martín defeated the Spanish force led by Rafael Maroto...

, Maipu

Battle of Maipú

The Battle of Maipú was a battle fought near Santiago, Chile on April 5, 1818 between South American rebels and Spanish royalists, during the Chilean War of Independence...

 and Pangal during the Chilean War of Independence. He married Josefa Zañartu Trujillo, and had a single daughter: Delfina de la Cruz Zañartu who in turn was the wife of future president Aníbal Pinto

Aníbal Pinto

Aníbal Pinto Garmendia was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile between 1876 and 1881.-Early life:...

.

During the War of the Confederation

War of the Confederation

The War of the Confederation , was a conflict between the Peru-Bolivian Confederation on one side and Chile, Peruvian dissidents and Argentina, on the other, fought mostly in the actual territory of Peru and which ended with a Confederate defeat and the dissolution of the...

, he was the under-commandant-in-chief of the Restoration Army, under General Manuel Bulnes

Manuel Bulnes

-Sources:* Juan B. Alberdi, Biografia de general Bulnes...

, having special participation in the victory of Yungay

Battle of Yungay

The Battle of Yungay effectively destroyed the Peru-Bolivian Confederation created by Bolivian Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz in 1836...

.

After the war, he was Intendant of Valparaíso

Valparaíso

Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...

 and later, of Concepción. He ran for president in 1851, but was defeated by Manuel Montt

Manuel Montt

Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861.-Biography:...

. His defeat caused him to revolt in the southern provinces, starting the 1851 revolution

Revolution of 1851

The Revolution of 1851 was an attempt to overthrow the conservative government by Chilean liberals.In the elections of 1851 the conservative candidate José María de la Cruz Prieto lost against another conservative, Manuel Montt in Concepción...

. His cousin Manuel Bulnes crushes the revolutionary attempt and signs the treaty of Purapel with the revolutionaries.

After that he retired from politics, dying in Concepcion at the age of 76.