, 1891-07-11

~ - iCNO1I luCy udI lIlC4A1StuCC l0dC the
garrison Of Santiago had risen as we'll, and so
much did we count upon this that nothing,
absolutely nothing, had We prepared for a
long campaign. When we were convinced
that we could expect nothing from Santiago,
but that everythingiu that city had complete
~ failed, we understood that the salvation of The
country was resting solely ON our own efforts;
that 1t was necessary to fight although We
should be beaten, but there was no dishonour
IN beng crushed by superior forces, and ut
least our sacrifice would be an example that
we had saved the honour of our country. We I'M
derStood only too well that the prosecutions and
rigorous espionage that the dictator would
bring to bear would greatly embarrass the ac-
lions of our Santiago compatriots in their at.
tempt to aid us but we find it very difficult to
excuse the fact that they have up to this date
not helped us with a dollar, with a rife, with a
cartridge, and that they have been unable to
find any way of sending us + and ammuni-
ton from Europe or other foreign countries.
All the arms that We have, have been taken
away from the enemy, and 1t is most discourage
ing to fight in such conditions, especially when
from day to day We looked for help that never
arrived. Happily the yalour and heroism Of a
few youths have succeeded in raising and
making triumph our noble cause at a time
when it appeared most desperate and critical.
AS we only found some 200 "Gros' rifles in
COquimbo, we formed, while there. a regiment
of 250 men, whom we embarked on board the
Amazonas, which, united with the 200 that
there We're ON board the Chachapoal Of Colonel
Canto, made a mall division Of some 500 men,
very badly armed and with these forces and
with the aid Of the sailors of the squadron We
intended to attack I%quique, when we learned
that the Imperial had introduced 500 men,
under the command Of Colonel Robes, by Pa
ulios. This event made our attack impossible
for there were in this place some 500 men. al.
most al regular soldiers, 10 resist our soanty
and badly equipped troops. Meanwhile we re-
celved adyices that the dictator could count in
IIsagua upon solely 80 men, under the COM
mand Of Colonel Marco \. Nalenzuela. We
resolved IN consequence 10 attack at this point,
and on February 8, at 5 o'clock in the morning,
We arrived at Pisagua with the Cochrane,
Oliiggins, Magellaues, and Cachapoal. The
attack was admirably carried out. As the enc
my intrenched themselves in the town and the
forts on the piain, we proceeded to the heights
on the ILLS, where we took the enemy's artil-
lery and remained, commanding the plain in
such a manner from both sa and hills, that
the enemy had no other resource but to turn
and take the hills, a most arduous undertaking
ar to die in the town defending themselves.
It soon appeared that they resolved on the lat
ter course, and they continued firing heavily
and constantly against our infantr Y. and this
at last provoked an assault upon the city, mi
tiated by the sailors, which assault was exc
cuted by all our divisions with a courage and
rapidity that soon lin only a few minutes) con-
quered all Resistance. The cnemy's forces
fell entirely into our power and we took four
krupp guns and some 200 prisoners, including
the commander Of the town, Yalanzuela, and
all lis officers.
We then resolved to continue our expedi-
ton by land towards Iquique. Our reason for
this decision was that we calculated that
the enemy, being compelled to protect the
port Of Iquique, could not withdraw all the
forces in the city in order to fight lis outside
the town, as the squadron would i'll such a
case take possession of tile place, and in this
way we hoped to compel them to give battle
with a portion of their troops only. We in
creased our forces in Pisagua by a force de-
termined by the number Of rifles that we had
taken in the combat. What gives us the
greatest enthusiasm and encouragement is the
fact that for every rifle We can get we can find
two men to use it. In a few days we were able to
form a division of ! 200 men, including a CO.
lumn of 200 men appeltaining to the squadron.
Thus equipped we set out from Altos de Hos
picio by the railway that unites Pisagua with
I~quique. +4Lj au-
Our intention was to advance until such q