Battle of San Francisco - Prelude

Prelude

The lost of Pisagua takes away the only escape route from the Tarapacá department for the Allies, so Buendía marches to Agua Santa, but Dávila doesn’t concur to the rendezvouz point and stays at Pozo Almonte. Meanwhile, two war councils take place on the Allied headquarters in Perú, the first one on November 6 when it's decided that Bolivian President General Daza would take command of the army and lead it to Tana, where he will join with Buendía. The very next day, the Bolivian Chiefs of Staff prepare two gunned trains to transport the army and supplies to Arica. Daza departs at 8 pm to Tacna in a special train from where will march to Tana. From this point to Tana has to march about 150 kilometres across the desert.

On the Chilean side, on November 3 Gen. Erasmo Escala reinforces the position at Hospicio with a division, attending the rumour of Buendía has regrouped and taken position between Dolores and San Roberto. Lt. Col. José Francisco Vergara proposes to make a reconnaissance, and leaves on November 5 following the railroad to Dolores, finding the water machines working soundly, which Vergara informs to headquarters. The next day, the detachment resumes its exploring mission, finding and annihilating an Allied cavalry squadron at Germania.

The commander of the Peruvian Southern Army sees himself in an unfavourable position. If not rejecting the Chileans to the sea, Pisagua’s taking will put him in a trap. The geography of the Tarapacá department engulfs a 5,400 square kilometres area between the Andes, the Pacific Ocean and the high plateaus of the Altiplano, and the only way out of there are the ports of Pisagua and Iquique, and the first one has been taken by the Chileans and the latter is under blockade. Besides, having his army scattered weaken him even more. Division chiefs Cáceres and Bustamante are at Iquique, while Villegas is at Puerto Patillo; Dávila is at Pozo Almonte, and Bolognesi is between Pozo Almonte and Iquique; whilst Villamil, after losing Pisagua, has retreated to Agua Santa. The Aroma Battalion is at Mejillones, and the Vengadores Battalion coming from Agua Santa, arrives Alto Hospicio on the afternoon of November 2, withdrawing to San Roberto, and later returning to Agua Santa. Buendía, departs from Iquique on November 5 leaving Colonel De los Ríos there, with the Lima, Arequipa, Ayacucho battalions; and by November 9 he’s at Pozo Almonte, guarded by Dávila, where Bolognesi reunites with them; and on the 16 reaches Agua Santa, finding Villamil. With his army regrouped, Buendía marches from Agua Santa and arrives to Negreiros on the 17, after 16 hours of march across the Pampa del Tamarugal. From this point, the Allies march to Porvenir and at 3 pm of November 19 encounters the Chilean army at Santa Catalina.

Meanwhile, after marching stubbornly across the desert on daylight, Daza wears down his army beyond any possibility to fight, and after reaching Camarones, retreats to Tacna without meeting with Buendía.

On November 10, under Col. José Domingo Amunátegui, 3,500 men followed by another 2,500 under Col. Martiniano Urriola move over Dolores seizing control of the water installations. Here War Minister Sotomayor concentrates there all the materiel arrived from Pisagua, plus anything that could be found at Dolores, and sends scouts to Tana and Tiviliche fearing Daza's incoming army. The frictions between General Escala and his staff make these two convoys to depart separately, seeing each other without recognizing and reporting that Daza was incoming. This wrong information makes General Villagrán to transfer 4,500 men from Antofagasta to Pisagua. Whilst Amunátegui has advanced to Santa Catalina, following the railroad; finding himself 12 kilometres south of Dolores and at 10 kilometres from the saltpetre office at Porvenir. Warned of Buendía’s presence at 8 am of November 18, Colonel Sotomayor notifies General Escala. With the newly arrived artillery and reinforced by the 3rd Line Regiment – 1,800 men in total – foresees to organize a defensive position starting at dawn at Dolores, where some vanguard elements will spent the night, without lighting any fires to reveal its positions.