Armies of the War of the Pacific 1879–83: Chile, Peru & Bolivia (Men-at-Arms)

"The Pacific War was the climax of the decades-long Wars of Liberation, and is one of the most important conflicts in South American history. After winning their independence from Spain in 1825, Peru and Bolivia became separate nations - but over the following years repeated attempts to re-unite them were frustrated by the neighboring powers, particularly Chile. By the 1870s Chilean military superiority and expansionist policies exploded into full scale conflict. This book examines the troops, uniforms and equipment used by forces on all three sides of the conflict and traces the events of the war from the early naval blockades to the full-scale amphibious landings undertaken by the Chilean forces. The war ended in total victory for Chile, and that country's emergence thereafter as 'the Prussia of South America', while it cost Peru a lucrative province, and Bolivia its outlet to the Pacific coast."--Publisher description Cover 1 Contents 2 Title 3 Copyright 4 Dedication 4 Acknowledgments 4 Artist’s Note 4 Introduction 5 The three presidents 6 Chronology 7 Military Operations 9 The Naval Campaign 9 The land campaigns – 1879 10 Antofagasta, Pisagua, Dolores, and Tarapacá – 1880 12 Tacna and Arica – 1881 14 Chorrillos, Miraflores, and Lima – 1881–83 17 Sierra/La Breña 17 The Aftermath 20 The Chilean Army 21 Organization 21 National Guard 22 Tactics and performance 24 Weapons 25 The Peruvian Army 26 Organization 26 Resistance forces 35 Tactics and performance 37 Weapons 38 The Bolivian Army 39 Organization 39 Tactics and performance 40 Weapons 41 Select Bibliography 42 Plate Commentaries 43 Index 50 Examines the troops, uniforms and equipment used by the Chilean, Peruvian and Bolivian forces and traces the events of the war from the early naval blockades, through major pitched battles, to the final guerilla campaign in occupied Peru.