When a rogue naval officer invaded Buenos Aires, he started a war in the River Plate and ended the reign of the viceroys. In 1806 Sir Home Popham had his eye on prize money. (The rent was due on his grand country estate, Titness Park.) His plan was to capture Buenos Aires and seize a trove of Spanish dollars. At Cape Town, Sir Home received information from a co-conspirator, an American merchant based in the Plata. Now he was ready to sail. In June, Popham landed General William Beresford's small army near the capital and the viceroy fled into the interior. Buenos Aires capitulated, Beresford moved into the palace, and the officers shipped their treasure home. Popham had no authorization for his invasion, but he thrilled Great Britain with his haul of shining silver, paraded from Portsmouth to London. Even more dazzling was his crafty circular. The country cheered Popham's exploits and the rich market he declared open for business. When the ministry sent Sir Samuel Auchmuty to secure the Plata, an army of British merchants followed his expedition south. Chosen to lead the criollos against the invaders, and retake the capital, was the ill-fated officer, Santiago de Liniers. Notwithstanding his shaky leadership, an improvised army and the people at-large reconquered their city. Finding Buenos Aires retaken and Beresford a prisoner, Auchmuty stormed Montevideo. Here the British merchants opened their shops. Meanwhile, back in London, the ministry thought it wise to place John Whitelocke in overall command. Upon arrival this arrogant and insecure officer spent his time punishing subordinates for perceived slights. But more than personal insults, what Whitelocke feared was the rainy season and its tropical diseases. (The man just wanted to go home.) When the time came to attack, this incompetent general and his joyless army found the people of Buenos Aires ready to defend their town. After a day of bloody fighting the hated commander agreed to end his assault and evacuate the Plata. One of the worst generals in British history, the disgraced Whitelocke was quickly court-martialed, cashiered, and nearly hanged. During the successful defense of Buenos Aires - again the work of the people - Santiago Liniers was forced to hide under a bed. Nonetheless the city named him viceroy. The gentle Frenchman was soon conquered by the spirited wife of an absent Irish merchant, Marie-Anne Périchon de Vandeuil. (It was said La Perichona ran the viceroyalty.) In Europe, France had turned on Spain. Liniers' admiration for Napoleon left him poorly placed when Joseph Bonaparte assumed the Spanish throne. Following events in the Peninsula, the victorious Buenos Aires criollos - now militarized and confident - were ready to begin their march to independence. They now formed a local government and expelled the last viceroy. When the British army evacuated the River Plate, the British merchants held their ground. Popham's raid marked the beginning of Great Britain's hundred-year commercial dominance of Argentina. And so, without the need for further military expenditure, the invaders got what they wanted all along. The silver river was wide open, and the pampas were gold themselves. This book is the true story of the historical events known as the British Invasions of the River Plate (Las Invasiones Inglesas al Río de la Plata). Uncovered here for the first time is the conspiracy to invade Buenos Aires for Spanish treasure. This unauthorized invasion triggered a war in the River Plate and set Argentina on her path to independence.