The Battle of Locumba was a battle of the

Tacna and Arica campaign The Tacna and Arica campaign is known as the stage of the War of the Pacific after the Chilean conquest of the Peruvian department of Tarapacá, ending with Chilean domination of the Moquegua department in southern Peru. During this campaign Bo ...

of the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific (), also known by War of the Pacific#Etymology, multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru), Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Atacama Desert ...

that took place on April 1, 1880, between the Chilean cavalry and the Peruvian garrison at the town.

Background

After the Chilean landing in Ilo and Pacocha, the Chilean command ordered to take positions towards the interior of

Moquegua Moquegua (, founded by the Spanish colonists as Villa de Santa Catalina de Guadalcázar del Valle de Moquegua) is a city in southern Peru, located in the Department of Moquegua, of which it is the capital. It is also capital of Mariscal Nieto Prov ...

and

Tacna Tacna, officially known as San Pedro de Tacna, is a city in southern Peru and the regional capital of the Tacna Region. A very commercially active city, it is located only north of the border with Arica y Parinacota Region from Chile, inland f ...

, in order to ensure communication routes with the interior and to guard against movements of the Peruvian army, as well as disorienting its command over the immediate objective of the Chilean expeditionary army. In March 1880, Baquedano sent 60 men to Chironta, 30 to Locumba, and 60 to Cinto. In November 1879, Rear Admiral

Lizardo Montero Juan Lizardo Montero Flores (May 27, 1832 – February 2, 1905) was a Peruvian military officer and politician who held the provisional Presidency of Peru from 1881 to 1883, replacing President Francisco García Calderón, during the Chilean occ ...

took command of the Peruvian army in Tacna and once the Chilean landing was known, he sent Colonel Gregorio Albarracín in command of the Flankers of Tacna to carry out reconnaissance and harassment actions against the Chilean troops. According to the diary of Alberto del Solar:

The Battle

After the

Battle of Los Angeles The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, is the name given by contemporary sources to a rumored attack on the continental United States by Imperial Japan and the subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which ...

, an outpost composed of 30 men, under the command of Commander

Diego Dublé Almeyda Diego Dublé Almeyda (1841 – May 6, 1922) was a Chilean Army officer. From 1874 to 1878 he was governor of governor of Punta Arenas in the Straits of Magellan. In 1876 he travelled on board of ''Chacabuco'' to Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands ...

, left Pacocha on March 31. In Camiara, he met some Chinese workers who had risen up and it was reported that

Albarracín Albarracín () is a Spanish town, in the province of Teruel, part of the autonomous community of Aragon. According to the 2007 census (INE), the municipality had a population of 1075 inhabitants. Albarracín is the capital of the mountainous Si ...

was east of Locumba. He then arrived at a neighboring farm to Locumba and meets an Italian who tells him that there were no Peruvian forces in the town and that they could occupy it without resistance, which was later verified by Captain Rojas Almeida. This allowed the men of Dublé Almeyda to initially enter the town. The Chilean author Vicuña Mackenna states that they agreed to have lunch with an individual who called himself the local priest, and some neighbors who also verified that the Chileans were free to occupy the town. They left their horses in the plaza in the charge of a sergeant, and having lookouts posted, they entered the house. Shortly after entering, shots were fired at the officers and soldiers who were residing in the square. Colonel Gregorio Albarracín's report indicates that on April 1 Juan McLean informed him that a Chilean column was in Chironta and that Celestino Vargas had been captured, so Albarracín decided to go to the town of Locumba where he attacked the Chileans that stationed in the town. Dublé Almeyda and three soldiers managed to mount and evade the confrontation, managing to reach

. Eight Chileans were killed and the rest were prisoners of war who were sent to

and then

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

Aftermath

On April 10, a force of 750 Chileans set out to look for Gregorio Albarracín, but couldn't find him in Locumba. Other battles were fought with the local guerrillas. On May 2, 1880, the town of Locumba was set on fire by Colonel Lisandro Orrego, head of the Santiago regiment. Commander Dublé surrendered to the Chilean high command to be tried in a court martial but got acquitted of the charges thanks to the efficient defense made by his brother Baldomero.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Locuma, Battle Of Battles involving Chile Battles involving Peru Battles of the War of the Pacific History of the Department of Tacna Conflicts in 1880 1880 in Peru April 1880