PERU. 



727 



Bolivian Government imposed a tax on the ex- 

 port of saltpeter. The company refused to pay 

 it, invoking the treaty of 1874; but tho Bo- 

 livian Government answered Chili's protest by 

 ordering the sale by anction of the property 

 of the company on the 18th of February, 1879. 

 The Chilian Government sent at once a man- 

 of-war to Antofagasta and seized the port. The 

 news of the occupation of Antofngasta created 

 a great sensation in Peru. This republic had in 

 1873 entered into a secret offensive and defen- 

 sive alliance with Bolivia against Chili; and 

 the latter republic, having demanded in vain 

 the neutrality of Peru, declared war against 

 her on the 5th of April. Presidents Prado of 

 Peru and Diaz of Bolivia occupied with their 

 troops Tacna and the neighboring port of Arica. 

 A strong force under General Bundia was or- 

 dered to defend the port of Iquique, and a re- 

 serve army of 10,000 men was formed at Lima, 

 the capital of Peru. Two Chilian men-of-war, 

 the Esmeralda and Covadonga, having appeared 

 before Iquiquo, blockading the port, the Peru- 

 vian Government dispatched against them from 

 Arica the frigate Independencia and the moni- 

 tor Huascar. After a desperate combat be- 

 tween the Huascar and Esmeralda, the latter 

 having been attacked both by the heavy can- 

 non of the Huascur and the troops on shore, 

 the Chilian vessel was sunk. 



The war assuming grave dimensions, the Pe- 

 ruvian Government, constrained to raise addi- 

 tional revenue, established a stamp-tax on to- 

 bacco, opium, cigars, wine, and liquors, and 

 authorized the Executive to sell by public auc- 

 tion all immovable property belonging to tho 

 nation not used in the service of the public. 



Chilian men-of-war appeared off Pisagua, 

 which was defended by about 900 Bolivians 

 tinder General Bundia. Two Parrott rifles, 

 mounted on the bluff overlooking the town, af- 

 forded inadequate protection to the port. The 

 fight was heavy and the loss of life great ; and 

 in spite of the spirited resistance of the shore 

 batteries, Pisagua was captured, and Bundia 

 retired toward San Bernardo, and thence to 

 Agua Santa, fifty miles from Pisagua, being grad- 

 ually strengthened by other forces. The lack 

 of generalship and concerted action was soon 

 painfully felt, in spite of the bravery of the 

 troops. On the 18th of November Bundia re- 

 traced his steps with a force of over 8,000 men, 

 and on the 19th arrived in front of a hill called 

 San Francisco, which commands the valley 

 through which the railroad runs. The Chili- 

 ans were intrenched on the hill. The allied 

 forces .attempted to dislodge them, but failed, 

 losing more than a thousand men, while the 

 Chilians also suffered very heavily. The men 

 were hurled against the impregnable position 

 of the Chilians, stationed on the top of the high 

 hill with precipitous sides, covered with artil- 

 lery and mitrailleuses. The attacking party 

 behaved nobly, the heights being gained once 

 by two Peruvian regiments ; but the fresh 

 troops of their enemy, instantly brought for- 



ward, drove the attacking column back, killing 

 and wounding a large number, after a hand- 

 to-hand fight lasting three hours. The next 

 morning Bundia, having again been attacked by 

 the Chilians under cover of a heavy fog, retired 

 with one body toward Tarapaca, while Busta- 

 mante with the cavalry took the road for Ari- 

 ca. General Villegas, commanding the Bolivi- 

 an division, was wounded and made prisoner by 

 the Chilians. The movement commenced by 

 Bundia, and terminating so disastrously at San 

 Francisco, was to be seconded by an attack on 

 the Chilians by 4,000 Bolivians under General 

 Diaz, who, hard pressed by want of provisions, 

 on learning of the defeat at San Francisco de- 

 termined to return to Arica. The Chiliana 

 took possession of the position which their ene- 

 my had occupied. About the same time the 

 Blanco met Peruvian vessels off Arica and cap- 

 tured the Pilcomayo. By the 26th of Novem- 

 ber 3,000 of the allies routed at San Francisco 

 reached the town of Tarapaca, where they were 

 joined by the body of 800 Bolivians and Peru- 

 vians who had been in garrison at Iquique. On 

 the 27th the Chilians surrounded the allied 

 troops. Three times the Chilians were driven 

 out of the position they had selected during the 

 night, and as many times did they re-form and 

 charge the Peruvians. After prolonged fight- 

 ing the Chilians were driven up the heights and 

 retired, making another stand a league from 

 their first position ; but they were again at- 

 tacked, and had again to retire. 



After the disastrous defeat at San Francisco, 

 followed by the hardly less costly victory at 

 Tarapaca, President Prado proceeded to Lima, 

 where he resumed the government. He was 

 universally charged with incompetency, and the 

 ruin of the army in the field was attributed to 

 him. His position became untenable, and he 

 fled to Panama, leaving the government to the 

 constitutional Vice-President, who retained the 

 same Cabinet. 



One of the greatest disasters to the Peruvi- 

 ans, and also one of the most memorable ac- 

 tions of naval warfare in modern times, had 

 occurred on the 8th of October, when the Chi- 

 lian men-of-war Cochrane and Blanco attacked 

 the Peruvian monitor Huascar. The command- 

 er of the latter, Admiral Grau, opened fire on 

 the enemy with his turret-guns (two 800-pound- 

 er Armstrong rifles) ; the Cochrane, carrying six 

 guns, instantly replied. From the decks and 

 tops of the two vessels the fire of musketry and 

 Gatling guns was incessant. The other Chilian 

 ironclads arrived soon on the scene, and opened 

 fire on the Huascar with terrible effect. A 

 solid 800-pound shot from the Blanco struck 

 the ram in the stem, destroyed the steering 

 gear, and, passing directly through the ship, 

 killed the brave admiral and many others. The 

 Huascar became unmanageable, and the two 

 Chilian vessels concentrated their fire upon the 

 doomed vessel, which was soon at their mercy. 

 Out of her 216 men, only 86 were alive. The 

 combat took place north of Point Mejillonea. 



