Pedro Lagos Marchant (1832 – 18 January 1884) was a
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 ...
an
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
commander. He is best remembered for commanding the assault and capture of the city of
Arica
Arica ( ; ) is a Communes of Chile, commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The ...
during the
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...
.
Early life
He was born in
Chillán
Chillán () is the capital city of the Ñuble Region in the Diguillín Province of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of the new Ñuble Region since 6 Sept ...
in 1832 to Manuel Lagos y de la Jara and Rosario Marchant. The family moved to the countryside after the 1835 earthquake destroyed the city. Pedro was the first-born of 15 brothers of very poor background, and he started his studies at the first school opened in rebuilt Chillán. Soon afterwards, he continued them at the school founded by the Spaniard, José Martínez. In 1846, at the age of 14, he joined the Military School, where he obtained the rank of 1st Corporal in February 1847. He married his cousin Juana Marchant Lagos, and had a single daughter, Isabel.
Military career
In March 1849, he enlisted in the Chilean Army with the rank of 2nd Sergeant. He was assigned to the Chacabuco battalion, which rebelled against the government on 29 April 1851 under the command of Colonel Pedro Urriola. He did not become involved in the rebellion as the event surprised him in
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 ...
; much to the contrary, he embraced the pro-government side, which won him a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant. In March 1852, he was promoted to Adjutant Major and, by 1854, he was Captain, serving with the garrisons of Chillán and
Concepción until 1857. During the Revolution of 1859, he supported the government of
Manuel Bulnes
Manuel Bulnes Prieto (; December 25, 1799 – October 18, 1866) was a Chilean military and political figure. He was twice President of Chile, from 1841 to 1846 and from 1846 to 1851.
Born in Concepción, he served as the president of Chile bet ...
and participated soon in the siege of
Talca
Talca () is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, Chile, Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region (7th Region of Chile). As of the 2012 census, the ...
and, in the North, in the Battle of Los Loros. These actions won him the promotion to the rank of Sergeant Major.
Campaigns in the Araucanía
Towards 1860, he actively participated in the campaigns of occupation of
Araucanía. The actions against the Pehuenche communities of
Bio Bío, achieved him his promotion to lieutenant colonel in 1866. In 1867, he became commander of the forces established in
Malleco, and was designated commander of
Angol
Angol is a commune and capital city of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile. It is located at the foot of the Nahuelbuta Range and next to the Vergara River, that permitted communications by small boats to the Bío-Bío ...
. At this time, he married his cousin, Juana Marchant, and like most of the officials in the Araucanía he was awarded land, in his case in the
Mulchén
Mulchén is a city and commune in Bío Bío Province of Bío Bío Region, Chile. It was first settled in 1871 by soldiers during the so-called Pacification of Araucania. In 1875 Mulchén was officially founded.
The city is surrounded by a meand ...
area. In 1869, he retired from the army to work his farm near Chillán.
War of the Pacific
The second stage of the military career of Pedro Lagos defined its passage into history. In 1875, President
Federico Errázuriz Zañartu
Federico Marcos del Rosario Errázuriz Zañartu (; April 25, 1825 – July 20, 1877) was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile between 1871 and 1876.
Biography
He was born in Santiago in 1825, of Basque descent.
He studi ...
appointed him Intendant of
Ñuble, and, in 1878, he was commissioned as commander in
Mulchén
Mulchén is a city and commune in Bío Bío Province of Bío Bío Region, Chile. It was first settled in 1871 by soldiers during the so-called Pacification of Araucania. In 1875 Mulchén was officially founded.
The city is surrounded by a meand ...
. In 1879, he participated in the War of the Pacific. He fought in the campaigns of
Antofagasta
Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669.
After the Spanish American wars ...
,
Tocopilla
Tocopilla is a city and commune in the Antofagasta Region, in the north of Chile. It is the capital of the province that bears the same name.
Every year Tocopilla celebrates its anniversary on 29 September with a big show the day before, which ...
,
Pisagua and Jaspampa. In January 1880, he was named chief of the general staff, a position to which he resigned due to differences with general
Erasmo Escala
Erasmo Escala Arriagada (June 2, 1826 – March 3, 1884) was a Chilean soldier who served as commander-in-chief of the army during part of the War of the Pacific.
He was born in Valparaíso, where he also completed his first studies. He joined ...
, Army Commander-in-Chief in campaign. Again, he retired to the South. In the middle of 1880, he took up arms again, as aide to general
Manuel Baquedano
Manuel Jesús Baquedano González (; January 1, 1823 – September 30, 1897) was a Chilean soldier and politician, who served as Commander-in-chief of the Army during the War of the Pacific, and briefly as President of Chile during the civil war ...
, and, as such, he participated in the campaign of
Tacna
Tacna was known for its mining industry; it had significant deposits of sodium nitrate and other resources. Its economic prosperity attracted a wave of immigrants from Italy. Today, their Italian Peruvian descendants live in the city and many of t ...
, the
Battle of Campo de la Alianza (the Alliance Field) in the Intiorco hill, on May 26, 1880 which meant ''the end of the Peru-Bolivian Alliance''. There, at the head of the Amunátegui division, he managed to disperse the allied forces, that until his arrival were defeating the Chileans.
Capture of Arica
![Captura arica](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Captura_arica.gif)
The battle that made him into a Chilean hero was the assault and capture of the
Morro de Arica
Morro de Arica is a steep hill located in the Chilean city of Arica. Its height is 139 metres above sea level. It was the last bulwark of defense for the Peruvian troops who garrisoned the city during the War of the Pacific (1879–1883). Morro d ...
(Arica Cape), that took place on June 7, 1880. General Baquedano just ordered him to capture this city, and left him to plan the attack on his own . Lagos decided on a frontal assault with only 4,000 infantrymen, divided into three groups. The targets were the 3 main defenses of the city: the East fort, the Ciudadela (Citadel) fort and finally the Cape fort. The defeat of the Peruvian defenders at the first two forts, caught by surprise, was very quick. The Peruvians then retreated towards their main defense, bravely fighting back and trying to reorganize their lines. At that point, Lagos' idea was to wait for reinforcements before finally storming the Cape. Nevertheless, an unidentified soldier shouted "''¡Al morro muchachos!''" ("To the Cape, boys!"), causing the mass assault. This action altogether - from the initial attack to the capture of the Cape - took only 55 minutes. The feat was heroic, but it was marred by the lack of control over the assaulting troops, that led to a widespread killing of the surviving Peruvian soldiers and the citizens of the already surrendered city, which was looted.
Aftermath
A military man until the end, Pedro Lagos also had a valuable participation in the Lima Campaign, where he fought at the battles of
San Juan and
Miraflores. In March 1881, he was named Commander in Chief of the Occupation Army, to replace General Baquedano, who returned to Chile. His short stint as head of the Chilean forces in Peru was highly controversial, due to his strict disciplinary measures against the citizens of Lima. On 18 June 1881, the Chilean Senate promoted him to Brigadier General, sent him back to Chile and appointed him chief of the Service Examination Commission. Finally, he was named Commander-at-Arms of the Santiago garrison on 23 November 1881. He died on 18 January 1884, in the city of Concepción.
External links
Icarito - Grandes Biografías de la Historia de Chile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lagos, Pedro
1832 births
1884 deaths
Chilean military personnel of the War of the Pacific
Chilean people of French descent
Chilean Army generals
People from Chillán
People of the Occupation of Araucanía