Bombardment
At 7 am on March 31, the Spanish fleet took positions in front of their targets. It consisted of the Numancia, Resolución, Villa de Madrid, Blanca, Vencedora and the Paquete del Maule. The frigate Berenguela remained behind to guard against the possible escape of the merchant fleet. At 8.10 AM, the Numancia discharged two shots as final notice and to give opportunity for the people still in town to take cover. The bombardment itself started at 9 am and lasted for three hours without fire being returned, as Valparaíso was totally defenseless.
The Spanish bombarded the town unhindered. The loss in public and private property was estimated at $1,000,000, and in merchandise at $9,000,000, huge sums at the time. One recent account suggests that in today's money the losses amounted to the equivalent of around $224,000,000
The action created an international scandal. While the Spanish were heavily criticized for attacking an unarmed city, so to was the British government for not employing its own naval force to protect the lives and property of its own nationals. A large argument developed in the British Parliament when news arrived in May 1866.
Read more about this topic: Bombardment Of Valparaiso