Battles & Campaigns · 1883
Battle of Huamachuco
Huamachuco, La Libertad, Peru
What happened
Chilean forces under Colonel Alejandro Gorostiaga fought the Peruvian army of the Andes under General Andrés Avelino Cáceres. Cáceres kept up resistance in the Andes mountains. His army reached the high mountain town of Huamachuco and found Chilean troops there, who moved to a defensible hill. The Peruvians attacked before dawn, but after about four hours ran low on ammunition, and a Chilean counter-attack broke their lines; Cáceres was wounded but escaped.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was the last major battle of the War of the Pacific. It ended organised Peruvian resistance in the Andes.
What came next
Peru and Chile signed the Treaty of Ancón on 20 October 1883, ending the war.
Timeline
- Early July 1883Cáceres's army reaches Huamachuco.
- 10 July 1883Chile wins the Battle of Huamachuco.
- 20 October 1883The Treaty of Ancón is signed.