The frigate ''Monteagudo'' was involved in important events of the first decades of the Republics of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. As in many other cases, the origin of the ship is unknown, although it is known that she was named ''Las Caldas'' and later ''Milagro''.

Capture by the First Chilean Navy Squadron

On 24 July 1824 Commander Thomas Crosby of the

First Chilean Navy Squadron The First Chilean Navy Squadron was the heterogeneous naval force that terminated Spanish colonial rule in the Pacific and protagonized the most important naval actions of in the Latin American wars of independence. The Chilean revolutionary gover ...

captured the Spanish ships ''Milagro'', (property of Vicente Benito Larriva), ''San Fernando'' and ''Resolución'', during the

Blockade of Callao The Blockade of Callao was a military operation that occurred during the War of the Pacific or the Salitre War and that consisted of the Chilean squadron preventing the entry of ships to the port of Callao and the neighboring coves between 10 A ...

by the ships of the

Freedom Expedition of Perú The Liberating Expedition of Peru ( es, Expedición Libertadora del Perú) was a naval and land military force created in 1820 by the government of Chile in continuation of the plan of the Argentine General José de San Martín to achieve the in ...

. ''Milagro'' was in service for the Chilean Navy until José de San Martín ordered to return the ship to its owner. But Cochrane stopped the frigate until the full payment of $5,000 for the prize. Later she was renamed ''Monteagudo'' and was commissioned by the

Peruvian Navy The Peruvian Navy ( es, link=no, Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Addit ...

Career in the Peruvian Navy

''Monteagudo'' was used as transporter for the troops of

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...

. In 1836

Andrés de Santa Cruz Andrés de Santa Cruz y Calahumana (; 30 November 1792 – 25 September 1865) was a Bolivian general and politician who served as interim president of Peru in 1827, the interim president of Peru from 1836 to 1838 and the sixth president of B ...

created the Peru-Bolivian Confederation and challenged the status quo in South America. Allegedly due to exhausted finances, the ships of the Peruvian Navy ''Monteagudo'' and the brig ''Orbegoso'' (as well as the corvette ''Libertad'') were advertised on 4 May 1836 in ''"El Redactor Peruano"'', Nº 54, a Lima newspaper, and chartered in a dubious operation to unknown ship brokers. They handed over the ships to Ramon Freire, a Chilean exiled head of state in Lima who pretended his return to the presidency of Chile. He was also furnished with men, arms, and ammunition in a conjoint scheme of General Orbegoso and Santa Cruz against the existing administration of Chile.

Ramon Freire's Expedition to Chile

On 3 July 1836 sailed bound to Chiloé the brigantine ''Orbegoso'' under the command of Freire, and on 7 July ''Monteagudo'' under the command of Puga. During the voyage, ''Monteagudo'' crew rose against Freire's partizans on board and proceeded to

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

to deliver the ship and the prisoners to the Chilean authorities. Freire on ''Orbegoso'', ignorant of what had happened, continued the route to Chiloé where the authorities surrendered to Freire without resistance. The Chilean government had been informed about the plot, and

Diego Portales Diego José Pedro Víctor Portales y Palazuelos (; June 16, 1793 – June 6, 1837) was a Chilean statesman and entrepreneur. As a minister of president José Joaquín Prieto's government, he played a pivotal role in shaping the state and po ...

, defense minister of the government ordered ''Monteagudo'' manned with loyal crew and troops to Chiloé. As she arrived, Freire, assuming the ship was still under the command of Puga, ordered Puga to land with his men. This was executed and thus admitted into the fort. The troops of the fort, informed of the situation returned to the Chilean authorities and Freire was arrested. Simultaneously to the capture of Freire in Chiloé, Portales ordered and to capture the naval ships of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation anchored in Callao, without a declaration of war. They captured on 21 August 1836 the ships ''Santa Cruz'', the brig ''Arequipeño'' and the schooner ''Peruviana''.

The War of the Confederation

On 30 August 1836 the Chilean plenipotentiary

Mariano Egaña Mariano Egaña Fabres (Santiago, 1793 – Santiago, 1846) was a Chilean lawyer, conservative politician and the main writer of the Chilean Constitution of 1833 The Constitution of 1833 was the constitution used in Chile from 1833 to 1925 when ...

arrived to Callao with the ships ''Monteagudo'', ''Colo Colo'', ''Valparaíso'', ''Aquiles'', and ''Orgeboso'' to negotiate a treaty based on several points: the payments of the outstanding international debts owed by Peru to Chile, the limitation of the outstanding armies, commercial agreements, compensation to Chile for the Freire Expedition, and the dissolution of the Confederation. Santa Cruz agreed to everything but the dissolution. Chile responded by declaring war on 28 December 1836. ''Monteagudo'' participated in the

Battle of Islay The Battle of Islay (Spanish: ''Batalla de Islay'' or ''Combate Naval de Islay'') occurred on January 12 and 13, 1838, during the War of the Confederation between Chile and the Peru–Bolivian Confederation. Background After the Treaty of Pauc ...

, The result was mostly a stalemate that did not affect the course of the war. She sunk in a gale off Valparaiso on 24 July 1839. Her crew were rescued.

References

External links