Manuel Bulnes Pinto (July 10, 1842 – April 18, 1899) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

an military and political figure. Bulnes was born in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, the son of President Manuel Bulnes Prieto and of First Lady Enriqueta Pinto Garmendia, who in turn was the daughter of President

Francisco Antonio Pinto Francisco Antonio Pinto y Díaz de la Puente (; July 23, 1785 – July 18, 1858) was a Chilean politician who served as President of Chile between 1827 and 1829. Early life He was born in Santiago, the son of Joaquín Pinto and Mercedes D ...

and sister of future President

Aníbal Pinto Aníbal Pinto Garmendia (; March 15, 1825June 9, 1884) was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile between 1876 and 1881. Early life He was born in Santiago de Chile, the son of former Chilean president General Francisc ...

. He studied at the ''Colegio de los Padres Franceses'' and later moved to Paris, where he completed three years of law before returning to Chile. In 1867, Bulnes joined the

Chilean Army The Chilean Army () is the land arm of the Chilean Armed Forces. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, an army aviation brigade and a special operations brigade. In recent years, and after sever ...

as commander of a civic regiment organized and financed by himself. As the head of his regiment, he waged a continuous warfare against the Araucanian Indians in southern Chile, and in 1874 he joined the regular army ranks as a

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

. He married Elena Calvo Cruchaga in 1877. Manuel Bulnes was elected a deputy for Mulchén in 1879. At the beginning 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 ...

, he organized a cavalry squadron that they named ''Escuadrón de Carabineros de Yungay'', but the transport ''

Rimac The Recreation, Intramural, and Athletic Complex (RIMAC /ˈriːmæk/ ''REE-mak'') is a sports complex in San Diego, California, located on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. Opened in 1995, the complex comprises various ath ...

'' where they were traveling to the theater of operations was captured en route by the Peruvian Navy and they were interned as prisoners of war in the city of

Tarma Santa Ana de la Ribera de Tarma, known as Tarma, is the capital city of Tarma Province in Junín Region, Peru. The city has a population of 43,042 as of the 2017 census. History Pre-Hispanic era Recent archaeological excavations show that pri ...

. He and his squadron were later freed via prisoner exchange, and they fought at the battles of

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 ...

, Chorrillos and Miraflores. After the war, he went on a government commission to Europe, where he was during the

1891 Chilean Civil War The Chilean Civil War of 1891 (also known as Revolution of 1891) was a civil war in Chile fought between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the President, José Manuel Balmaceda from 16 January 1891 to 18 September 1891. The ...

. He supported the congressional side and was rewarded with a promotion to Brigade General. He returned to Chile in 1894, where he became Secretary and later Chief of the Army General Staff. In 1896 he was named Minister of War and Navy by President

Federico Errázuriz Echaurren Federico Errázuriz Echaurren (Santiago, November 16, 1850 – Valparaíso, July 12, 1901) was a Chilean politician who served as the 12th president of Chile. Early life He was son of the president Federico Errázuriz Zañartu and of Eulogia ...

. In the short lapse while he held the post (from September 18 to November 26), he managed to regularize the army lists, giving legal equality to all who had ever served under the colors. He died in Santiago in 1899.

External links and sources

Official biography
1842 births 1899 deaths Politicians from Santiago, Chile Chilean people of Asturian descent Chilean people of Portuguese descent Conservative Party (Chile) politicians Ministers of defense of Chile Deputies of the XIX Legislative Period of the National Congress of Chile Chilean Army generals Chilean military personnel of the War of the Pacific People of the Chilean Civil War of 1891 Bernardo O'Higgins Military Academy alumni Bulnes family {{Chile-Deputy-stub