title: Battle of Quillagua
text: # Battle of Quillagua
  
  vteWar of the Pacific :
  
  Naval campaign
  
  1st Iquique
  
  Chipana
  
  Pisagua
  
  1st Callao
  
  2nd Iquique
  
  Punta Gruesa
  
  Huáscar
  
  1st Antofagasta
  
  3rd Iquique
  
  Rímac
  
  2nd Antofagasta
  
  Punta Arenas
  
  Angamos
  
  Pilcomayo
  
  Arica
  
  Naval Battle
  
  Rupture
  
  2nd Callao
  
  Land campaigns
  
  Loa Line and Altiplano
  
  Calama
  
  Río Grande
  
  Quillagua
  
  Tambillo
  
  Tarapacá campaign
  
  Pisagua
  
  Pampa Germania
  
  San Francisco
  
  Tarapacá
  
  Tacna and Arica campaign
  
  Ilo and Pacocha
  
  Moquegua
  
  Mollendo
  
  Los Ángeles
  
  Locumba
  
  Buenavista
  
  Tacna
  
  Arica
  
  Tarata
  
  Lynch Expedition
  
  Lima campaign
  
  Chilca
  
  Yerba Buena
  
  Bujama
  
  Humay
  
  El Manzano
  
  Rinconada de Ate
  
  San Juan and Chorrillos
  
  Miraflores
  
  Lima
  
  Chilean occupation of Peru
  
  Sierra campaign
  
  San Jerónimo
  
  Letelier Expedition
  
  Sángrar
  
  Verrugas
  
  1st Purhuay
  
  Calientes
  
  1st Pachía
  
  Cieneguilla
  
  Motupe
  
  Guadalupe
  
  1st Pucará
  
  Acuchimay
  
  Sierralumi
  
  Huaripampa
  
  Llocllapampa
  
  Chupaca
  
  La Oroya
  
  2nd Pucará
  
  Concepción
  
  San Pablo
  
  Tarmatambo
  
  2nd Purhuay
  
  Huamantanga
  
  Crossing of the Andes
  
  Huamachuco
  
  Izcuchaca
  
  2nd Pachía
  
  Arequipa-Puno Line
  
  Arequipa
  
  Titicaca Lake :
  
  The Battle of Quillagua was a battle of the War of the Pacific that occurred on October 10, 1879. It was the first ever land battle between the Peruvian and Chilean infantry.
  
  ## Background
  
  After the Battle of Topáter and the occupation of Calama, the Chilean troops had taken possession of the entire Bolivian coastline. They had some minor encounters with the Bolivian civilian resistance in the area, the last of which had been near the Salado River. Here, with the death of their two main caudillos, the Bolivian guerrillas were defeated. The authority of the Chilean military was strengthened up to the Loa River, which had constituted the old border between Peru and Bolivia. This strategically important place was the "Loa Line", where the Chilean command established an advance camp in Quillagua. Quillagua was at that time a small Peruvian village located near the Loa River on the road to Calama, which the correspondent of the Bulletin of the War of the Pacific described as "a village of 77 inhabitants through whose way they could traffic wagons at half load."
  
  After leaving Pozo Almonte on October 5, the Peruvian cavalry marched through San Pedro de Atacama to Aguada de la Alianza where the Tamarugal desert began. That same afternoon, Belisario Suárez and his hussars arrived at the Pozos de la Soledad where they stopped one day studying the place and preparing a report for the general staff. Understanding the need to examine the Chilean camp of Quillagua, Colonel Suárez took 32 of his hussars and headed down the Remesas road. Following the course of the Loa River, in the early morning of the 10th, the Peruvian column arrived half a league from the Chilean camp of Quillagua where the Peruvian cavalry proceeded to charge towards the camp accompanied by a shot from a reckless soldier thereby giving the alarm to the Chilean troops stationed in the place and made up mainly of the Santiago infantry regiment, a 1350-seater fort, and a detachment of the Cazadores a Caballo cavalry regiment.
  
  ## The Battle
  
  With the Chilean camp on arms, the Peruvian cavalry withdrew being pursued by a squad of 30 horsemen from Cazadores a Caballo under the command of Lieutenant Belisario Amor, under the cover of the dense fog, Suárez's squad reached the Tambillo pampa where his rearguard exchanged some shots with the Chilean horsemen. Faced with the impossibility of continuing the retreat due to the tiredness of the horses, Suárez ordered to dismount. his men and deployed in guerrilla warfare under the cover of a nearby hill from which they opened fire on their pursuers, thereby making them retreat as well. A new attempt to chase another Chilean party was also repelled, with the replacement of the horses, Colonel Suárez was able to continue in the direction of Soledad, where he arrived at around three in the afternoon of the 10th.
  
  Upon entering the mount, the Peruvian horsemen were surprised by the shots of an ambush party of the Desert Explorers squadron. Given the suddenness of the attack, Colonel Suárez ordered his hussars to be deployed in battle and charged on enemy shooters hidden in the Tamarugos forest, whom he managed to disperse after a short combat, capturing 9 prisoners and the seizing of 11 horses, 10 sabers and 10 remington carbines. In the forest, 2 dead and one wounded were also found, which was medicated in the best way that the circumstances and the means allowed. On the Peruvian casualties, Ensign Moyano was bruised, who fell from his horse during the impetuous charge.
  
  After this action, the Peruvian advance withdrew to Lagunas, returning later to La Noria, after being interrogated, the Chilean prisoners were confined in Iquique along with the sailors of the corvette Esmeralda that Miguel Grau had saved after the combat in Iquique, all of whom would be released. when the Chilean squadron occupied the port on November 23 before the withdrawal of the Ríos Division, which marched to join the Peruvian army stationed in Tarapacá.
  
  The list of prisoners captured during the battle were: First Sergeant Norberto Munilla, first corporal Eusebio Cordero, first corporal: José S. Aliaga, first corporal: Hilario Arrieta, second corporal José del D. Avendaño, soldier Vicente Núñez, soldier: Miguel Campo, soldier Gregorio Miranda, soldier Próspero Alavarez, soldier Eusebio Rojas.
  
  