Aboard "Villa de Madrid", Cámara took part in the lone major naval action of the Chincha Islands War, the Battle of Callao, in which the Spanish Navy squadron of Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez bombarded coastal fortifications at Callao, Peru, on 2 May 1866. After a projectile hit "Villa de Madrid", inflicting 35 casualties and destroying her boilers, "Vencedora" towed her out of danger, but "Villa de Madrid" fired over 200 rounds at the Peruvian fortifications during the maneuver. In command of a battery of guns on "Villa de Madrid"′s main deck, Cámara played an active and conspicuous role in the battle, the guns under his command firing until they ran out of ammunition. For his actions during the war, Cámara received the Cross of Naval Merit First Class and was appointed to the post of commander of the Spanish Marine Corps.