agua at Concon on the
21st. The eager infantry of the Congressional army forced the passage of
the river and stormed the heights held by the Gobernistas, capturing 36
guns. The killed and wounded of the Balmacedists numbered 1600, and
nearly all the prisoners, about 1500 men, enrolled themselves in the
rebel army, which thus more than made good its loss of 1000 killed and
wounded. The victors pressed on towards Valparaiso, but were soon
brought up by the strong fortified position of the Balmacedist general
Barbosa at Vina del Mar, whither Balmaceda hurried up all available
troops from Valparaiso and Santiago, and even from Concepcion. Del Canto
and Koerner now resolved on a daring step. Supplies of all kinds were
brought up from Quinteros to the front, and on the 24th of August the
army abandoned its line of communications and marched inland. The flank
march was conducted with great skill, little opposition was encountered,
and the rebels finally appeared to the south-east of Valparaiso. Here,
on the 28th, took place the decisive battle of La Placilla. Concon had
been perhaps little more than the destruction of an isolated corps; the
second battle was a fair trial of strength, for Barbosa was well
prepared, and had under his command the greater part of the existing
forces of the dictator. But the splendid fighting qualities of the
Congressional troops and the superior generalship of their leaders
prevailed in the end over every obstacle. The government army was
practically annihilated, 941 men were killed, including Barbosa and his
second in command, and 2402 wounded. The Congressional army lost over
1800 men. Valparaiso was occupied the same evening and Santiago soon
afterwards. There was no further fighting, for so great was the effect
of the battles of Concon and La Placella that even the Coquimbo troops
surrendered without firing a shot.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.--Lieut. Sears and Ensign Wells, U.S.N., _The Chilian
Revolution of 1891_ (Office of Naval Intelligence, Washington, 1893);
_The Capture of Valparaiso, 1891_ (Intelligence Department, War
Office, London, 1892); Hermann Kunz, _Taktische Beispiele aus den
Kriegen der neuesten Zeit; der Buergerkrieg in Chile_ (Berlin, 1901);
_Revista militar de Chile_ (February-March 1892); Hugo Kunz, _Der
Buergerkrieg in Chile_ (Vienna, 1892); _Militaer Wochenblatt_ (5th
supplement, 1892); Sir W. Laird Clowes, _Four Modern Naval Campaigns_
(London, 1902); _Proceedings o