Battle of Callao
Part of Chincha Islands War
Date: May 2, 1866 Location: Callao Result: Inconclusive, but Spain withdraws
Combatants
Spain	Peru and allies
Commanders
Casto Méndez Núñez	Mariano Ignacio Prado; various commanders
Strength
14 ships	several ships, infantry, cavalry, townspeople
Casualties
around 50 dead, 83 wounded	around 200

The Battle of Callao (in Spanish, sometimes called el Combate del Dos de Mayo) occurred on May 2, 1866 between a Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez and a combined alliance of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Ecuador during the Chincha Islands War. It bombarded the port of Callao (or El Callao), but eventually withdrew without any major damage to the city. A Peruvian battery during the Battle of Callao The Chincha Islands War (in Spanish, Guerra Hispano-Peruana) (1864-1866) was a series of coastal and naval battles between Spain and its former colonies of Peru and Chile. ... Image File history File links Battle_of_callao. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... City motto: Chim Pum Callao Districts 6 Mayor Alex Kouri Bumachar Area 146. ... Casto Méndez Núñez (July 1, 1824 — August 21, 1869), Spanish military naval officer. ... Mariano Ignacio Prado was twice president of Peru Mariano Ignacio Prado (1826-1901) was twice the President of Peru, from (1865-68, 1876-79). ... The Battle of Papudo was a naval engagement fought between Spain and a combined Peruvian-Chilean fleet on November 26, 1865. ... The Battle of Abtao occurred on February 7, 1866 between Spain and a combined Peruvian-Chilean fleet sent by Peruvian president Mariano Ignacio Prado, who had rallied the South Americans in defense against Spanish aggression. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (commander of the sea). ... Casto Méndez Núñez (July 1, 1824 — August 21, 1869), Spanish military naval officer. ... A Peruvian battery during the Battle of Callao The Chincha Islands War (in Spanish, Guerra Hispano-Peruana) (1864-1866) was a series of coastal and naval battles between Spain and its former colonies of Peru and Chile. ... City motto: Chim Pum Callao Districts 6 Mayor Alex Kouri Bumachar Area 146. ...

Background

President Juan Antonio Pezet assumed the presidency of Peru in April 1863, at a time when Spain was making efforts to recover its lost American colonies. Spain began its campaign by seizing the Chincha Islands, which were rich in guano, and demanding indemnity as recompense for the murder of two Spanish citizens in Lambayeque. Juan Antonio Pezet Juan Antonio Pezet (Lima 1810 - Lima 1879) was a Peruvian politician and was elected to the positions of Prime Minister, Vice president and President of Peru during his life. ... Look up April in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... The Chincha Islands (Sp. ... The Chincha guano islands in Peru. ... Lambayeque, Peru Lambayeque is a city in the Lambayeque region in northern Peru. ...

Vacillating, President Pezet began removing vast quantities of Peru's guano deposits to give to Spain when Spanish ships threatened Callao and the neighboring coastline. Pezet believed that Peru’s naval forces were much too weak to challenge Spain’s. In November 1865, Colonel Mariano Ignacio Prado seized power from Pezet. Prado organized an effective defense against Spanish aggression that culminated with the Battle of Callao.[1] Look up November in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Mariano Ignacio Prado was twice president of Peru Mariano Ignacio Prado (1826-1901) was twice the President of Peru, from (1865-68, 1876-79). ...

After the indecisive Battle of Abtao in February 1866, Méndez Núñez decided to take punitive action against South American ports, his first target being the undefended Chilean port of Valparaiso. The neutral British and American naval commanders in Chilean waters were unable to prevent this action, and the Spanish bombarded the town and destroyed the Chilean merchant fleet. When Hugh Judson Kirlpatrick, the American Minister to Chile, asked the American naval commander Commodore John Rodgers to attack the Spanish fleet, Méndez Núñez responded with, "I will be forced to sink [the US ships], because even if I have one ship left I will proceed with the bombardment. Spain, the Queen and I prefer honor without ships than ships without honor." The Battle of Abtao occurred on February 7, 1866 between Spain and a combined Peruvian-Chilean fleet sent by Peruvian president Mariano Ignacio Prado, who had rallied the South Americans in defense against Spanish aggression. ... Valparaiso is the name of at least three cities and a village: Valparaíso, Chile Valparaiso, Florida Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso, Nebraska This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Méndez Núñez proceeded with his fleet towards the better-defended Peruvian port of Callao and arrived by April 25.

Battle

The battle was characterized by arduous, long-range combat with ironclads utilized by both sides. Observing were American and British ships. Ironclad warships, frequently shortened to just ironclads, were ships sheathed with thick iron plates for protection. ...

The Spaniards arrived at Callao on April 25 with 14 ships (which included 6 frigates and 1 corvette), with nearly 250 guns of different caliber. The Spanish ships were Numancia (the first ironclad to circumnavigate the world, arriving in Cádiz on Sept. 20th, 1867, and earning the motto: Enloricata navis que primo terram circuivit), Reina Blanca, Restauración, Berenguela, Villa de Madrid, Vencedora, and Almansa.

Prado mobilized the military and the townspeople. The strong Callao forts and batteries, which had once repelled Sir Francis Drake and John Hawkins, he reinforced with heavy British-made guns such as the Blakely. New defenses and forts were built in the city, and the Peruvians had a total of 52 guns and 13 additional guns mounted on harbor warships (Colon, Tumbes, Sachaca). Peru also had the Confederate-style casemated ram ironclads Loa and Victoria, as well as some infantry and cavalry. Sir Francis Drake, c. ... John Hawkins You may be looking for Sir John Hawkins - the friend, attorney, executor and biographer of Dr. Samuel Johnson. ...

The Spanish fleet, forming a V-shaped line of attack, had the Numancia fire the first 2 shots but was hit by a Peruvian grenade. The combat became heavier over time, with Spanish ships suffering from heavy fire. Peruvian guns scored 185 hits on the enemy ships. The Spanish were forced to withdraw to San Lorenzo Island with terrible damages and heavy casualties. Nearly 50 Spanish sailors were killed and 83 were wounded. Commander Méndez Núñez was injured nine times. Peruvians suffered about 200 casualties between dead and wounded but, despite heavy Spanish fire, damages to the port were minor.

Sub-lieutenant Patricio Montojo y Pasarón, later to become an Admiral and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Navy in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, participated in this battle from the frigate Almansa. Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón (1839-1917) was the Spanish naval commander at the Battle of Manila Bay (May 1, 1898), a decisive battle of the Spanish-American War. ... Combatants United States and Cuban rebel forces Spain Casualties 2,446 combat dead or wounded (US only) Cubans and Filipinos not counted. ...

Peru still celebrates the second of May as a holiday.

With Chile prosperous and in the ascendancy, the South American powers subsequently turned against one another in the Guano War (War of the Pacific). Combatants Republic of Peru Republic of Bolivia Republic of Chile Commanders Juan Buendía Andrés Cáceres Miguel Grau Manuel Baquedano Patricio Lynch Arturo Prat Strength Peru-Bolivian Army Peruvian Navy Army of Chile Chilean Navy The War of the Pacific, sometimes called the Saltpeter War in reference to...

External links

• ((English)) Dos de Mayo Combat