Francisco Bolognesi Francisco Bolognesi Cervantes ( 1816 - 1880 ) was a Peruvian military hero . He is considered national hero in Peru and was declared patron of the Army of Peru by the government of Peru on January 2 of 1951 . Early life and education . Francisco Bolognesi was born in Lima on November 4 , 1816 . He attended the Seminary of Arequipa until he was 16 and then entered into a career in commerce . His father , Andrés Bolognesi was of Italian - Peruvian background and was a violin player for the court of the Viceroy . Francisco Bolognesi had a son called Mariano who gave birth to Federico Bolognesi ( 2nd Vicepresident of Peru ) . Federico Bolognesi had a daughter called Ana Maria Bolognesi who had two daughters called Ana Mamie and Selina Raguz Bolognesi . Military career . He was involved with the military in July , 1844 , in an action at Carmen Alto , a local district of Arequipa . While offered a position in the military , he elected to remain in civilian life . However , in 1853 , he enlisted and was selected as second in command of a cavalry regiment during a period of tension between Peru and Bolivia . While no armed conflict with Bolivia ensued , Bolognesi elected to remain in the military and took part in the revolution against then - President Echenique . After the successful revolution , Bolognesi was a Lieutenant Colonel on the General Staff . In 1856 , Bolognesi commanded the artillery involved in suppressing the revolt of General Manuel Ignacio de Vivanco , centered in the city of Arequipa , and was promoted to Colonel . After several missions to Europe to help acquire weapons for Peru ( especially artillery ) , Bolognesi returned to Peru in May 1866 . He fell afoul of President Don Mariano Ignacio Prado and was imprisoned briefly in 1867 . After the fall of Prado , Bolognesi returned to military service , commanding various artillery units of the Peruvian army , retiring in 1871 as Commander - in - Chief of the Artillery . War of the Pacific . When the War of the Pacific began in 1879 between Chile and the alliance of Peru and Bolivia , Bolognesi , now 62 , rejoined the Peruvian Army and was active in actions against the Chilean forces , including the Battles of Dolores and Tarapacá in November , 1879 . In April , 1880 , he was placed in command of the Peruvian port of Arica . He commanded the Peruvian forces surrounded in Arica by Chilean troops following the Chilean victory at Tacna . He organized and led a spirited defense of the port city by about 1 , 600 men against over 5 , 300 Chilean troops with extensive naval support . When Chilean messengers demanded surrender of Arica because of their 3 to 1 numerical superiority , he replied , " Tengo deberes sagrados que cumplir y los cumpliré hasta quemar el último cartucho " ( " I have sacred duties to fulfill , and I will fulfill them until I fire the last round " ) . The expression " " hasta quemar el último cartucho " " ( " Until the last round is fired " ) has passed into the Spanish language . On June 7 , 1880 , a Chilean assault took Arica at a cost of 474 troops . Almost 1 , 000 of the Peruvian defenders , including Colonel Bolognesi , were killed in defense of the town . Bolognesi ' s sons Enrique and Augusto also fought in the War of the Pacific , and died later , during the Battle of San Juan and the Battle of Miraflores in Lima .