Battle of Pisagua 1879
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 2 November 1879 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1879 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Chile | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | South America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | War of the Pacific | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | -19.5990, -70.2150 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Pisagua ("Desembarco y combate de Pisagua"), was a landing operation of the War of the Pacific, fought on November 2, 1879, between Chile and the combined forces of Bolivia and Peru. The Chilean army commanded by Erasmo Escala, supported by the Chilean Fleet, launched an amphibious assault on the port of Pisagua and successfully drove the defending Bolivian-Peruvian forces, led by Gen. Juan Buendia, back from the shore. They established a beachhead that allowed an initial force of about 1,000 Chilean soldiers in two assault waves to disembark onto Peruvian territory at Pisagua in Tarapacá Department. This region was the principal territory in dispute.
This action marked the beginning of the Tarapacá Campaign, the first stage of the terrestrial phase of the War of the Pacific, which ended with Chilean control of the Tarapacá and of the exportation of saltpetre. This vast territory has never been returned to Bolivia and Peru; it was annexed in perpetuity to Chile by the Treaty of Ancon, signed in 1884.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Pisagua (revision 1370271943), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of San Francisco 1879 · 29 km
- Battle of Pampa Germania 1879 · 50 km
- Battle of Iquique 1879 · 67 km
- Blockade of Iquique 1879 · 69 km
- Battle of Tacna 1880 · 178 km
- Battle of Buenavista 1880 · 198 km
Other battles of the War of the Pacific
- Battle of Angamos 1879
- Battle of Iquique 1879
- Battle of Pampa Germania 1879
- Battle of Quillagua 1879
- Battle of Río Grande 1879
- Battle of San Francisco 1879
- Battle of Tambillo 1879
- Blockade of Iquique 1879
- Battle of Buenavista 1880
- Battle of Locumba 1880
All 16 battles of the War of the Pacific →
Browse more: battles in Chile · South America · 19th century battles