BATTLE // July 10, 1882

Battle of La Concepción

Name: Battle of La Concepción
Start: 1882-07-10
End: 1882-07-10
Location: Battle of La Concepción

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Overview

The Battle of Concepción was fought between Chilean and Peruvian forces on July 9 and 10, 1882, during the Sierra Campaign of the War of the Pacific. Heavily outnumbered, the Chilean detachment of 77 men under the command of Captain Ignacio Carrera Pinto was annihilated by a 1,300-strong Peruvian force, many of them armed with spears, commanded by Col. Juan Gasto and Ambrosio Salazar after a 27-hour fight in the small town of Concepción in the Peruvian Andes.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Concepción took place during the Sierra Campaign of the War of the Pacific, a phase of the conflict fought in the Peruvian Andes after Chilean forces had occupied Lima. A Chilean detachment of 77 men under Captain Ignacio Carrera Pinto was annihilated by a Peruvian force of approximately 1,300 after a 27-hour engagement, representing one of the most severe local reverses Chilean arms suffered during the Sierra Campaign. The destruction of the entire detachment underscored the persistent capacity of Peruvian resistance in the highlands even as Chilean forces controlled the coastal capital. The engagement became a significant point of memory in Chilean military tradition, centering on the heavily outnumbered garrison's prolonged defense before its annihilation.

Tactics

The Chilean detachment of 77 men held a position in the small Andean town of Concepción for 27 hours against a Peruvian force of approximately 1,300, many of whom were armed with spears. The engagement was fought within the town itself. After the 27-hour fight, the Chilean detachment was annihilated.