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| Battle of Tarapacá |
| Part of the War of the Pacific |
|
|
| Belligerents |
 Chile |
.svg/22px-Flag_of_Peru_(1825_-_1950).svg.png) Peru |
| Commanders |
| Luis Arteaga |
Andrés Cáceres |
| Strength |
3,000 infantry
10 field guns |
4,200 |
| Casualties and losses |
516 killed,
176 wounded,
60 captured |
236 killed,
261 wounded,
76 missing |
Following a decesive defeat during the battle of San Francisco at the hands of the Chilean invaders, the remnants of the Peruvian army were scattered, demoralized and almost leaderless. Upon realizing that a column of exhausted Peruvian soldiers under the command of Andres Avelino Caceres had stopped near the town of Tarapaca to rest and obtain water, the Chilean colonel Luis Arteaga decided to take advantage of the situation. Thus Arteaga dispatched a party of five hundred men hurredly in a desperate attempt to crush the Peruvians. However Arteaga soundly underestimated the battle capabilities of his enemies who fought energically and managed to capture many artillery pieces after a series of brilliantly planned ambushes. Despite this unexpected success, Caceres' victory proved Pyhrric for the Peruvians, who were unable to obtain any strategical advantage from the skirmish. Ironically, the Peruvians where forced to bury their captured cannon upon being unable to carry them away due to insufficient logistics. The battle of Tarapaca marks the beginning of Andres Avelino Caceres' career as one of the most distinguished military leaders in Peruvian (and South American) history.
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