Andrés Avelino Cáceres

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Andrés Avelino Cáceres Dorregaray
Interim President of the Republic of Peru
In office October 28, 1883 – August 3, 1885
President of the Republic of Peru
In office June 3, 1886 – August 10, 1890
Preceded by	Miguel Iglesias
Succeeded by	Remigio Morales Bermúdez
Born	November 10, 1836 Ayacucho
Died	October 10, 1923 Lima
Political party	Constitutional Party
Spouse	Antonia Moreno

Andrés Avelino Cáceres Dorregaray (November 10, 1836 – October 10, 1923) was twice President of Peru during the 19th century, from 1886 to 1890, and again from 1894 to 1895. In Peru, he is considered a national hero for leading the resistance to Chilean occupation during the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), where he fought as a General in the Peruvian Army.

[edit] Early years

Cáceres was born on November 10, 1836, in the city of Ayacucho. Cáceres began his primary studies at the National School of Ayacucho and, in 1853, entered the local San Cristóbal of Huamanga University in Ayacucho.

[edit] Military career

[edit] Peruvian Civil War

One year later, he abandoned his studies and joined the Ayacucho Battalion as a cadet. As part of this unit, he participated in the rebellion led by General Ramón Castilla against President José Rufino Echenique, which ended with the victory of the former at the Battle of La Palma (January 5, 1855).

Afterwards, he quickly ascended through the military, obtaining the rank of Second Lieutenant later that year and that of Lieutenant in 1857. Between 1857 and 1859 he actively supported Ramón Castilla's government against a rebellion by former president Manuel Ignacio de Vivanco. During the combats, Cáceres was severely wounded in the left eye.

[edit] War against Ecuador

When war broke out between Peru and Ecuador in 1859, he was still suffering from this wound, but, even so, he took part in the campaign. After the conflict ended in 1860, Cáceres was sent to France by Castilla to serve as military associate of the Peruvian delegation to France and, also, to receive treatment for his eye. Cáceres returned to Peru in 1862 and joined the Pichincha Battalion in Huancayo.

[edit] War against Spain

The Battle of Callao, 1866

During this period, he became known for his outspoken opposition to President Juan Antonio Pezet, who had allowed the Spanish occupation of the Chincha Islands in the Vivanco-Pareja Treaty of 1865. For his criticism he was exiled to Chile with several other officers but they managed to escape, landing at the southern port of Mollendo.

They joined the Revolución Restauradora del Honor Nacional (National Honor Restoring Revolution) led by Mariano Ignacio Prado against Pezet's government. Cáceres participated in the occupation of Lima and later, with Prado as president, in the Battle of Callao on May 2, 1866 which forced Spanish naval forces to retreat from Peruvian waters and the Chincha Islands.

[edit] Prado's Presidency

In 1868, Cáceres decided to end his military career and return to Ayacucho to live as a farmer. However, he returned to the political arena in 1872 opposing colonel Tomás Gutierrez's coup against president Manuel Pardo y Lavalle. Pardo was the first civilian President of Peru and founder of the influential Civilista Party which played an important role in Peruvian political history.

His support for Pardo's Presidency earned him support from Civilista Party leaders and he was appointed head of the Zepita Battalion. As such, in 1874, he suppressed a rebellion led by future Peruvian President Nicolás de Piérola in Moquegua. For this action, he was awarded the rank of colonel and later named prefect of Cuzco.

[edit] War of the Pacific (1879-1883)

[edit] Southern Campaign

After the start of the War of the Pacific, (April 5, 1879), Cáceres was sent with his Zepita Battalion to the province of Tarapacá. There, he fought against the Chilean Army in the battles of San Francisco and Tarapacá. In the latter, his intervention was decisive to achieve a Peruvian victory against heavy odds.

Despite this victory, the Peruvian Army proved incapable of stopping the invasion of Tarapacá and was forced to retreat north to the province of Tacna. Chileans landed north of this position, at Ilo, from where they attacked the main Peruvian position.

Cáceres played a mayor role in the reorganization of the Peruvian Southern Army. This Army was deployed around the city of Tacna with the objective of join forces with a newly created Bolivian Army lead by the President of Bolivia itself, General Narciso Campero. However, the political instability that Nicolás de Piérola created after his successfully overthrown of Mariano Ignacio Prado only hampered Cáceres actions, delaying the actions of this Allied Army against the Chileans.

Thus, on May 26, 1880, the Battle of the Alto de la Alianza was fought, where the invaders defeated the combined Bolivian-Peruvian Army. Cáceres had a notable participaction in this action and then retreated to Lima.

[edit] Lima Campaign

Chilean charge during the Battle of San Juan. Piérola's rivalry with Andrés Avelino Cáceres was the main reason behind the defeat of the Peruvian Armies in the defense of Lima

Piérola ordered what was left of the Army to protect the capital, Lima. In this way, the renmants of the Peruvian Army and poorly armed citizens were called to the fight. Cáceres was then put at the command of the 5th division of the Reserve. Fooled by the enemy, Piérola expected a Chilean assault from the north of the city, and marched with a large contingent of troops to the city of Ancón, weakening Cáceres's Army.

With no reinforcements available, and with the Chilean assault force deploying from the south, the Peruvian forces were defeated in the Battles of San Juan and Miraflores. Cáceres was wounded in the first battle, and was taken to Lima. When the city fell in January 1881 and was being occupied by the Chilean Army, he escaped to Jauja in the mountainous hinterland of Peru.

[edit] La Breña Campaign

As the senior officer in the region, Cáceres was named Political - Military Chief of the departments of the center (April 26, 1881). He dedicated himself to organizing resistance against Chilean occupation, conducting a guerrilla war for which he mobilized the peasant population. Thanks to the local support, the difficult terrain and his own military skills, Cáceres defeated several Chilean expeditions sent against him at the battles of Pucará, Marcavalle, Pucará again and Concepción.

For this feats, he was nicknamed as the Brujo de los Andes (Wizard of the Andes). But in spite of all his talent and resolve, he was finally defeated by the better armed and trained Chilean forces in the Battle of Huamachuco (July 10, 1883). Even though he tried to regroup, a Peruvian government headed by Miguel Iglesias signed the Treaty of Ancón (October 10, 1883), recognizing defeat and bringing an end to the war with Chile.

[edit] First Presidency (1886-1890)

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[edit] Second Presidency (1894-1895)

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[edit] Legacy

Peruvian Nationalist Party Logo.

In Peru, Cáceres is regarded as a nationalist figure. His image symbolizes resistance to influence from foreign colonial forces for his opposition to the Spanish occupation of the Chincha Islands and, more importantly, for organizing the resistance against Peru's traditional enemy Chile during the War of the Pacific.

In recent years, in acknowledgement of this symbolism, militant groups composed of Peruvian military veterans have organized and adopted the name etnocacerista after Cáceres.

The ethnocaceristas now compose the bulk of the support for the Peruvian Nationalist Party.

[edit] Sources

• Tauro del Pino, Alberto, Enciclopedia Ilustrada del Perú. Peisa, 2003.

[edit] External links

• Andrés Avelino Cáceres Military Museum
• Biography from Peruvian Army
• Biography from Biografias y Vidas (in Spanish)
• Biography from Ayacucho site (in Spanish)