Summary For Deathwatch

SPANISH-SOUTH AMERICAN WAR (IV):

Let's see here the list of events of this war mini war. In a later entry will discuss the relevant considerations. After the campaign, some data on deaths and destruction.

Papudo Combating

The Chilean navy commander Williams Rebolledo, in the corvette Esmeralda , Valparaiso waited near the English schooner Covadonga , commanding Luis Fery . On 26 November sighted. Rebolledo devised a trick by which exposed the British flag. When they were close, changed the standard for the Chilean. The Covadonga and can not escape and the Chilean captain Manuel Thomson , is responsible for Rebolledonpara take the ship. Trtas hearing the news on the English fleet, Admiral couple fell into a deep depression and commits suicide. Honor was a time of romantic and easy suicide.

Abtao Combating

Peru sent its fleet to Chile. The Chilean fleet was composed of ships: Emerald , Maipú and the newly captured Covadonga. The Peruvian was somewhat better, though incomplete: ships Apurimac, Amazonas , Union and Latin . They hoped the union of two vessels badges purchased in Europe and battleships: Huáscar and Independence. Both ships will not arrive in time to participate in this war.

encuantra

This fleet with the English ships Villa de Madrid and White , commanded by Juan Bautista Topete . The fleet took refuge in the rugged coast of Chiloé Island . The English ships can not enter into an unfamiliar environment. Decide to wait for Méndez Núñez that come with the ironclad Numancia . Went boldly through the reefs and waited for the departure of the fleet in South America. After no reply, and mists and fear of running aground, decided to retire. Captured near the Chilean Package Maule, with a similar number of prisoners at Covadonga. Was the answer to Papudo deception.

Valparaiso Bombing

Because you can not fight in the open, Núñez decide to block off the coast of Chile with bombing of ports. Just made the bombardment of Valparaiso. Nunez would be upset about not being able to fight in the open and not have to please him attacking a defenseless city. After sending an ultimatum to Chile requesting the return of Covadonga and some more points decided to give people time to evacuate the place and verifications white flags on buildings such as churches or hospitals. It bombardarían storage facilities and strategic work. The goal was to hurt no casualties. There were two deaths. Far away from the cowardly bombing was said at the time.

A foreign fleet, American, French and British, anchored in that port and, wishing to avoid the bombing, withdrew just before the refusal of Mendez to suspend the punishment. March 31 ships Villa de Madrid, Winner, White and Resolution , bombarded the city for two hours. The Chilean population tried to lynch the prisoners of Covadonga . The Chilean government decided to expel these to avoid similar incidents.

The English folta decides to head to El Callao to find a real military confrontation.

The battle of El Callao (Lima), on May 2, 1866

Méndez Núñez is presented in the coast of Lima in April. In the San Lorenzo Island (island located about five miles just in front of El Callao, with a smaller still called Fronton) landed to prepare the military operation.

The English fleet is composed of the warships: Numancia White, Resolution, Berengaria, Villa de Madrid, Almansa, Winner, plus some auxiliary vessels of the said fleet. Arranged in three parts, north, south and center, alongside artillery towers organized by José Gálvez . The old Real Felipe, the eighteenth-century English fort, witnessed surveillance against pirates and last bastion of the English resistance in January 1826 after the surrender of Rodil, was again a spectator of a struggle between Peruvian and English.

Fort Real Felipe, now museum of the Peruvian Army.

forces Peruvian possessed a tower system with the fearsome artillery guns Armstrong and Blakely . Ships were also Sachaca , Columbus and Túmbez , but barely made it out of the port to the heavy fire English. There was also a ground force to a hypothetical landing. In the early morning the bombardment began. Núñez now had the chance to fight on equal terms. The previous episodes had to leave you eager to fight. In this century of military honors and Marine case for what would be understood by the mind of Galician marine.

At that time, the English government, realizing the seriousness of the matter and that he had gone too far, decided to send an envoy to Peru via Panama to order Don Casto to retire. When communicating with the ensign Álvarez de Toledo, who brought the order to retreat, Galician replied something like (in the words of Galdós): "Tomorrow 2 bombing Callao. You have not yet come, come the day after tomorrow and as I communicated to the government order, I hasten to obey. " As we see the bombing was obstinacy of Don Casto, one which saw the fight. Pride and Glory of that time. One issue involved stronger and bigger risks: imbalance of forces without the expense of artillery and supplies between Lima and the Philippines! It is seen that Nunez wanted to get into the story. And he succeeded. Mid-morning

opened fire on the towers in Lima. Around 12.30 a grenade hit Nunez. That had to be treated and retreated to the cabin.

Méndez Núñez was wounded in combat

Recreation cabin of Numancia. Furniture

installed at the Museum of Pontevedra

Around 13 hours, the white shoots and hits the tinderbox of the Torre de La Merced, exploiting this. The explosion was very cruel in the amount of illustrious victims, being a control tower. Are calculated about forty dead. Including Minister José Gálvez died and several officers, including (and here the paradox of war) Colonel Toribio Zabala, but Lima native English origin. The funny thing is that Zabala were divided after the war of emancipation, since this Don Toribio chose Peruvian nationality, while her brother, Juan Zabala , opted for English, with hero and general of the Carlist wars and war Moroccan. At this time lived two brothers (English was precisely the Minister of Marine), so that Peruvians knew of the exploits of his brother in Spain and Africa, in addition to his ministry, and Lima, but English residence must have been dismayed to learn of the explosion of La Merced. Paradoxes of two countries that have had little time on their wars of independence. Consider the branch of Goyeneche, divided between English and the new Peruvian republic.

Towards dusk and drizzle Lima, at 16 hours, with the English ships touched, but none collapsed, it was decided to terminate the operation. According to testimony only Torre de Santa Rosa responded.

Combat Final

As usual, both sides exaggerate the fight. Both were won in different newspapers. Peruvians argued that the English had been humiliated and ionvasión aborted. The English claimed they just wanted a penalty and gave the victory to have succeeded.

The U.S. press reports speak of victory in Peru, it shows Americanism. French sources close to the English. is normal, remember that those years France Napoleon III was an ally of the Spain of Isabel II.

Anyway the two sources speak of courage against the dreaded English Peruvian guns and lack of supplies for several months.

Victims May 2

war figures also discussed to minimize or not the mini-war in the Pacific.

A) The Peruvian victims

Peruvian some sources came to accept the figure of eighty dead. Foreign sources speak of between two and four dead and wounded. Estimates of the mismois speak English numbers. the Low must have been somewhat high.

B) The English victims

admitted the number was 43 dead.

acontecmientos So much for the war. In a next post I will discuss the signatures of the different terms with different warring countries, but in reality, actual war was only against Chile and Peru, especially Peru. Ecuador and Bolivia were contentious symbolic. We will also make some final thoughts to discuss with the literary source galdosiana.