November 19, 1879 · Tarapacá desert, Peru Theater
November 19, 1879
The Chileans dug in on the hill of San Francisco around a vital water source and beat off the uncoordinated assaults of a larger allied Peruvian-Bolivian army parched for water in the waterless desert. Allied cohesion broke down and the Bolivian units began to withdraw from the campaign.
Commanders