The Conflict

When the Chilean Army landed on Antofagasta on February, 1879 it  easily drove the isolated Bolivian troops out of  the coastal territories under dispute. Peru, as an ally of Bolivia, declared war on Chile on March 1, 1879. Nevertheless, neither side was prepared to wage war by the time the conflict erupted.

The first engagements occurred at sea where the Chilean fleet established the naval siege of Iquique, a major city at the Peruvian Province of Taracapá. There, the Peruvian Army had deployed a 3,000 strong army to face any Chilean attack.

Despite inferior in number, the Chilean Navy had at disposal two brand-new ironclads (the Blanco Encalada and the Almirante Cochrane) along with seven others vessels. Against these the Peruvians offered the frigates Huascar and Independencia. The navy had at total eighteen ships.

On May 21, the Huascar and the Independencia under command of Admiral Miguel Grau launched an attack on two Chilean small ships. One of these ships, the Esmeralda, was capsized by the superior firepower of the  Huascar. Only 60 out of a crew of 180 were pulled from water. The ship's commander Captain Arturo Prat was among the dead. Notwithstanding, the operation failed to achieve success in part because of Independencia's disaster. While trying to pursuit the other Chilean vessel, the Peruvian ship struck on a sand-bar. She became an easy target to the Covadonga and sunk. Despite hit several times, the Chilean ship fled.

After this engagement, Grau became famous for sniping at the Chileans from Valparaíso to Antofagasta. For six months he captured some supplies ships and stung at Chileans land installations. The Chilean fleet was mobilized in order to put an end to the Huascar, which was disrupting the communications by sea.On October 8, the Blanco Encalada and the Almirante Cochrane captured the Huascar in a trap near Iquique. After several attempts, the Chileans established themselves aboard the Huascar. Admiral Grau was killed along with 61 officers and sailors. The captured ship was enrolled by the Chileans, given them total supremacy at sea. From then on the Chileans could place men at will along the coast without exposing them to the heat and hazards of long desert marches.

Blanco Encalada

Meanwhile, the armies were preparing themselves for the coming operations. Bolivia's President Hilarión Daza marched with his army to join the Peruvian Army under command of General Mariano Prado, Peru's President, in an attempt to coordinate the two forces against the Chileans. By June both had 9,000 troops to oppose the enemy in Iquique, Pisaguá and the countryside.

The Chilean General Erasmo Escala had some 16,000 men in the nearby of Antofagasta. With the sea under control, he planned to land a force of 10,000 in Pisaguá port area. With support of the navy, he landed his troops on November 2. The Bolivians had only 1,200 men to face the overwhelming power of the enemy. Notwithstanding, they held the position for five hours before they were forced to leave their position. The Chileans sustained 350 casualties.

After taking control of Pisaguá, General Escala decided to move. His position was not confortable since the enemy was entrenched on the north, south and east of Pisaguá and on his back stood the sea. The Peruvians, however, moved first and attacked the Chileans on the 19th. The Battle of Dolores lasted two hours and was one of the fiercest of the war. At the end, the Peruvians had to withdraw with more than 500 casualties. The superior firepower of the Krupp cannons proved to be too much for the assailants. Despite the victory, General Escala was criticized for letting the enemy escape without persecution.

Admiral Grau

Captain Prat

Fearing a siege, the Peruvians started to leave Iquique (south of Pisaguá), gathering forces in Tarapacá. The Chilean Minister of War D. Rafael Sotomayor disembarked at Iquique few days later.

Believing the enemy was fleeing, the Chileans began to move toward Tarapacá on the 25th with 2,300 men and 8 guns in the vanguard. On the 27th they launched an attack. At first the Peruvians were pulled back by the assailants, but when they recovered from surprise they counterattacked. For the first time since the conflict began, the Chileans were outnumbered. They were facing some 5,000 troops. After four hours Escala's soldiers retreated leaving on the battlefield 687 men dead or captured. They also lost some guns. Nevertheless, the Peruvians left Tarapaca on that same night for Arica.

The Battle of Tarapacá marked the end of first phase of the war. The Chileans reduced their impetuosity. General Escala was removed from command and General Manule Baquedano was appointed to officer.

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