Juan Bravo ( Llico, Arauco, 1865–?) was a Chilean Navy sailor of

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who sha ...

origin, hero of the naval

Battle of Punta Gruesa The Battle of Punta Gruesa was a naval action that took place on May 21, 1879, during the War of the Pacific between Chile and Peru. This may be labelled as the second part of the Naval Battle of Iquique, although it is described in many sources ...

during the War of the Pacific. Juan Bravo distinguished himself in the Battle of Punta Gruesa where he, while on board the schooner ''Covadonga'', sniped down numerous Peruvians on board the ironclad ''Independencia''.

Early years

He was born in Llico ( Arauco). His parents were both Mapuches, and the name of his father probably was Manuel Millacura. Juan escaped from home along with his friends when he was 12 years old. He changed his surname to Bravo and enlisted in the Chilean Navy as

Cabin Boy ''Cabin Boy'' is a 1994 American fantasy comedy film, directed by Adam Resnick and co-produced by Tim Burton, which starred comedian Chris Elliott. Elliott co-wrote the film with Resnick. Both Elliott and Resnick worked for '' Late Night with Dav ...

in 1877.

War of the Pacific

In 1879, the War of the Pacific broke out the war 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 ...

against

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and

Perú , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy fo ...

. The Cabin Boy Bravo was part of the crew of the schooner Covadonga, a ship that participated in the blockade of city of Iquique. On May 21, 1879, two Peruvians ships, the

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West Vir ...

and the armored frigate Independencia, arrived to Iquique with the intention of lifting the siege to the port. Both ships fought against the two Chilean ships in charge of the blockade: the wooden-hulled steam corvette and the schooner Covadonga, commanded by Captains

Arturo Prat Chacón Agustín Arturo Prat Chacón (; April 3, 1848 – May 21, 1879) was a Chilean lawyer and navy officer. He was killed in the Battle of Iquique, during the War of the Pacific. During his career, Prat had taken part in several naval engagements, i ...

and

Carlos Condell Carlos Arnaldo Condell De La Haza (August 14, 1843 in Valparaíso – November 24, 1887 in Quilpué) was a Chilean naval officer and hero of the Battle of Punta Gruesa during the start of the War of the Pacific. Possessing a great sense of ...

, respectively. While the Esmeralda faced the Huáscar in the naval

Battle of Iquique The Battle of Iquique was a naval engagement that occurred between a Chilean corvette under the command of Arturo Prat Chacón and a Peruvian ironclad under Miguel Grau Seminario on 21 May 1879, during the naval stage of the War of the Pacifi ...

, the Covadonga headed south and moved towards the Cheurañete Bay, being pursued by the Independence frigate. Finally, the two containers met in the so-called naval combat of Punta Gruesa. Bravo climbed into the top of the mast of the Covadonga and used his

Comblain The M1870 Belgian Comblain was a falling-block A falling-block action (also known as a sliding-block or dropping-block action) is a single-shot firearm action in which a solid metal breechblock slides vertically in grooves cut into the breec ...

rifle to contain the artillerymen of the Independence, killing 16 Peruvian sailors, leaving the cannon of the bow unused until the surrender of the Peruvian ship. Upon arriving in Valparaíso, he was rewarded for his participation in combat. At that time he was only 14 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bravo, Juan 1865 births Chilean people of Mapuche descent People from Arauco Province Chilean Navy personnel of the War of the Pacific 19th-century Chilean Navy personnel 19th-century Mapuche people Military snipers Mapuche sailors Year of death missing Indigenous military personnel of the Americas