Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos - Prologue

Prologue

After the Chilean victories at the battles of Tacna and Arica, the southern department of Peru was on Chilean hands, so the Chilean government had no desire to continue the war. After all, the Bolivian zone in dispute which started the conflict was under Chilean domain, as well as the southernmost Peruvian department of Tarapaca, which was not in dispute but had started to play a significant role in financing the Chilean war effort. Despite this fact, the public opinion was divided. One side desired to end the war by conquering Lima, and the other one wanted to end the conflict right then, avoiding more casualties. The public debate reached the Chilean Congress, were José Miguel Balmaceda declared: The peace is at Lima, and nowhere else. This political and social climate forced both the Chilean government and its high command to plan a new campaign with the objective to obtain an unconditional capitulation at the Peruvian capital city. Hence, the peace talks on the Lackwanna known as the Conference of Arica were futile.

Meanwhile, Nicolas de Pierola, at that time the dictator of Peru, used these conversations to gather a massive army at Lima and its surroundings, but the defense was organized only when the Chilean army occupied Pisco. Since it became pretty obvious the attack would came from the south, a long line of defenses were set at Chorrillos and Miraflores, under the advisement of the engineers Gorbitz and Arancibia. The line of Chorrillos had 15 kilometres long, lying from Marcavilca hill to La Chira, passing through the acclivities of San Juan and Santa Teresa.