Order of Battle at Tacna

The Battle at Tacna was an engagement during the War of the Pacific (1879–1883) between Chile and the Allied Forces of Peru and Bolivia. It was fought on May 20, 1880, with the forces aligned as follows:

Chilean North Operations Army

The Chilean Army was under the command of General Manuel Baquedano Gonzalez, with Colonel Velasquez as his Chief of Staff. The army was divided into five infantry divisions, with three cavalry regiments and thirty seven artillery pieces as it follows:

I Division (Col. Santiago Amengual)

Strength: 2,700 men

• • Esmeralda Infantry Regimient (Col. Santiago Amengual)(8 companies)
  • Navales Infantry Battalion (Col. Martiniano Urriola) (4 companies)
  • Chillan Infantry Battalion (Juan Vargas Pinochet) (4 companies)
  • Valparaiso Infantry Battalion (Jacinto Niño) (3 companies)

II Division (Lt. Colonel Francisco Barcelo)

Strength: 1,858 men

• • 2nd Line Infantry Regiment (Colonel Estanislao del Canto)
  • Santiago Infantry Regiment (Lt. Col Francisco Barcelo)
  • Atacama Infantry Regiment (Lt. Col. Juan Martinez)

III Division (Col. Jose Domingo Amunategui)

Strength: 1,858 men

• • Artillería de Marina Infantry Regiment
  • Coquimbo Infantry Battalion
  • Chacabuco Infantry Battalion

IV Division (Col. Orozimbo Barbosa)

Strength: 2,285 men

• • Lautaro Infantry Battalion
  • Cazadores del Desierto Infantry Battalion
  • Zapadores Infantry Battalion (Lt. Col. Ricardo Santa Cruz)

Reserve (Col. Mauricio Muñoz)

Strength: 2,335 men

• • "Buin" 1st Line Infantry Regiment (Col. Juan Leon Garcia)
  • 3rd Line Infantry Regiment (Col. Ricardo Castro)
  • 4th Line Infantry Regiment (Col. Luis Solo de Zaldívar)

Cavalry

• • Granaderos Regiment (Horse Grenadiers)
  • Cazadores Regiment (Light Cavalry)
  • Carabineros de Yungay Regiment (Light Cavalry-Carabiners)

Artillery

• • 37 cannons and 4 machine guns from the 1st Artillery Regiment

Allies

Strength: 13,650 men

I Southern Peruvian Army

• I Division (Col. Justo Pastor Davila)
  • Lima Nº 11 Battalion
  • Cazadores de Cuzco Battalion

• II Division (Col. Andres Avelino Caceres)
  • Zepita Battalion
  • Cazadores de Misti Battalion

• III Division (Col. Belisario Suarez)
  • Arica Battalion
  • Pisagua Battalion

• IV Division (Col. Jacinto Mendoza)
  • Victoria Battalion
  • Huascar Battalion

• V Division (Col. Alejandro Herrera)
  • Ayacucho Battalion
  • Arequipa Battalion

• VI Division (Cesar Canevaro)
  • Lima Nº 21 Battalion
  • Cazadores del Rimac Battalion

• Nacionales Division (Col. del Solar)
  • Formed by civilians and policemen of Tacna (the latter from the Peruvian Civil Guard)

• Cavalry
  • Husares de Junin Squadron
  • Gendarmes de Tacna Squadron
  • Guias Squadron
  • Flanqueadores de Tacna Squadron

• Artillery
  • 10 cannons and 3 machine guns

Bolivian Army

• I Division (Col. Severino Zapata)
  • Viedma Battalion
  • Padilla Battalion
  • Sucre Battalion

• II Division (Col. Claudio Acosta)
  • Tarija Battalion
  • Chorolque Battalion
  • Grau Battalion
  • Loa Battalion

• III Division (Col. Idelfonso Murgia)
  • Murillo Battalion
  • Alianza Battalion (known as the "Bolivian Colorados") (See also: Bolivian Colorados Regiment)

• IV Division (Col. Alfonso Gonzalez)
  • Aroma Battalion

• Cavalry
  • Husares Squadron
  • Coraceros Squadron

• Artillery

6 cannons and 4 machine guns

Bibliography

• Pelayo, Mauricio. "Battle of Tacna". http://www.laguerradelpacifico.cl/Campanas%20terrestres/Batalla%20de%20Tacna/batalla_de_tacna.htm. Retrieved 2008. 

See also