Battles & Campaigns · 1879
Battle of San Francisco (Dolores)
Dolores, Tarapacá, Chile
What happened
In the War of the Pacific, the Chilean army was camped at the San Francisco nitrate works near Dolores. The allied army attacked and nearly captured a Chilean artillery battery, but reinforcements held it. Another allied column was driven back near the Dolores well, and by evening the allied forces had broken up.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was a Chilean victory. The allies lost their chance to push Chile back to the sea and lost cannons and ammunition.
What came next
The surviving allied troops marched to Tarapacá, where they won a victory over Chile on 27 November 1879.
Did you know?
The battle began by accident when a Chilean officer fired a warning shot at scouts, which some allied units took as a signal to attack.
Timeline
- 23 March 1879Battle of Topáter.
- 19 November 1879Battle of San Francisco.
- 27 November 1879Battle of Tarapacá.