The Final Phase

Facing a increase situation, Daza was replaced by General Narciso Campero as President of Bolivia in January, 1880. He was aware of the menace of the Chilean advance to his troops. He started to improve the condintions of the Bolivian forces to face the enemy. He also tried to coordinate his forces with his allies. For that he began to gather an army and make contact with the Peruvian Army stationed in Arica.

Unfortunately, for Campero, the Chileans did not give him time to prepare his troops. On May 26, the Bolivian Army suffered its deathblow at Tacna.

The battle began when Campero, convinced that his troops were outnumbered (he had 10,000 men, Bolivians at most, against 22,000 Chileans), decided for a surprising attack during the night. He divided his army in two columns to approach the enemy positions from left and right. The fog along with the night made the plan a failure. The columns did not reach the points they were supposed to do. Thus, the Bolivians decided to withdraw. At this moment, the Chileans fell onto one of the columns. Despite desperate fight, Campero's force was routed. By mid-afternoon the fight was over. According to some sources 5,000 men on both sides were killed or wounded that night (2,128 Chileans and 3,150 Bolivians). The Chileans made many prisioners, among them two Generals: Juan José Pérez and Eliodoro Camacho. From this point forth  Bolivia kept fighting sporadically for another two years.

The Chileans kept on the pressure and on 7 June they attacked a Peruvian garrison in Arica. Some 7,000 Chileans  backed by the navy assaulted 1,800 men under Colonel Francisco Bolognesi. The garrison was almost annihilated, the Peruvians suffered 700 casualties among dead and wounded.  Bolognesi, himself, was killed in action. The Chileans had 475 casualties.

The U.S.A tried to mediate the conflict. A conference was held aboard the American battleship Lackawana in October, but Bolivia and Peru rejected the lost of their territories and abandoned the conference. Three months later two major battles ocurred in the vicinity of Lima, Peru's capital. Engaging Peruvian forces in the battles of Chorrillos and Miraflores, in January 1881, the Chilean Army entered Lima on the 17th. The first battle was fought on the 13th, when 23,600 Chileans with 63 artillery pieces under General Baquedano meet in combat 22,000 Peruvians with 80 guns  around Chorrillos perimeter ( the first defensive line around Lima). Some 4,000 Peruvians were killed or wounded and many more were captured. The Chileans suffered 2,000 dead and wounded. Two days later on Miraflores 20,000 Peruvians were attacked by 24,000 Chileans. The Chilean fleet backed the assault. The batteries around Lima were silented by the superior fire power of the Chilean ships.   Baquedano's men suffered 2,000 casualties. The Peruvians losses are not known, but the Peruvian Army fled in disorder. The way to Lima laid open. Nevertheless, only two years later, on October 20, 1883 Peru signed the Treaty of Ancon. Chile was presented Tarapacá, while Arica and Tacna would be seceeded for ten years.

Battle of Arica

At first Campero tried to persuade Peru not to sign a separeted peace with Chile, but he was not successful. Finally, in 1884, Bolivia signed a idefinitive truce with Chile. in 1895 a treaty was signed in which Chile agreed to return to Bolivia one of her former sea ports.

Battle of Chorrillos

Next