The Chileans were taking possession of the Antofagasta (Litoral) Province, then a part of Bolivia. The few Bolivian troops decided to make a stand in the town of Calama. On their way to occupy Calama, 554 Chilean troops, including cavalry and with two Krupp rifled guns, were opposed by 135 Bolivian soldiers and civilian residents led by Dr. Ladislao Cabrera, a civilian and a political authority in the region.[1]
The Bolivians fought next to the Topáter ford, which runs outside the city. Cabrera dug in at two destroyed bridges; calls to surrender were rejected before and during the battle. Outnumbered and low in ammunition, most of the Bolivian force eventually withdrew except for a small group of civilians, led by Colonel Eduardo Abaroa, that fought to the end.
The Bolivian national hero, Abaroa, died in the battle. Further ground battles would not take place until the war at sea had been completed.
ReferencesEdit
^"Batalla de Topater: primer enfrentamiento de la guerra del Pacífico | Museo de Antofagasta". www.museodeantofagasta.gob.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-08-19.
This article about a battle is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
battle, topáter, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, august, 20. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Battle of Topater news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Battle of Topater or Battle of Calama was fought on March 23 1879 between Chile and Bolivia It was the first battle of the War of the Pacific Battle of TopaterPart of the War of the PacificEduardo Abaroa and the defenders of TopaterDate23 March 1879LocationCalama Bolivia22 27 53 61239 S 68 54 18 45763 W 22 4648923306 S 68 9051271194 W 22 4648923306 68 9051271194ResultChilean victoryBelligerents Chile BoliviaCommanders and leadersEleuterio RamirezLadislao CabreraStrength554 soldiers135 militia and soldiersCasualties and losses7 killed6 wounded20 killed3 wounded24 capturedclass notpageimage Location within ChileShow map of ChileBattle of Topater South America Show map of South AmericaBattle of Topater America Show map of America The Chileans were taking possession of the Antofagasta Litoral Province then a part of Bolivia The few Bolivian troops decided to make a stand in the town of Calama On their way to occupy Calama 554 Chilean troops including cavalry and with two Krupp rifled guns were opposed by 135 Bolivian soldiers and civilian residents led by Dr Ladislao Cabrera a civilian and a political authority in the region 1 The Bolivians fought next to the Topater ford which runs outside the city Cabrera dug in at two destroyed bridges calls to surrender were rejected before and during the battle Outnumbered and low in ammunition most of the Bolivian force eventually withdrew except for a small group of civilians led by Colonel Eduardo Abaroa that fought to the end The Bolivian national hero Abaroa died in the battle Further ground battles would not take place until the war at sea had been completed References Edit Batalla de Topater primer enfrentamiento de la guerra del Pacifico Museo de Antofagasta www museodeantofagasta gob cl in Spanish Retrieved 2022 08 19 nbsp This article about a battle is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte nbsp nbsp This article about the history of Chile is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte nbsp nbsp This Bolivian history related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Topater amp oldid 1163621901, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
