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Andean Tragedy

Fighting the War of the Pacific, 1879-1884

William F Sater author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:University of Nebraska Press

Published:1st Jul '09

Should be back in stock very soon

Andean Tragedy cover

Richly detailed history of the War of the Pacific (1879-1884), fought between Bolivia, Peru, and Chile

1879 marked the beginning of one of the longest, bloodiest conflicts of nineteenth-century Latin America. The War of the Pacific pitted Peru and Bolivia against Chile in a struggle initiated over a festering border dispute. Employing the primary and secondary sources, William F. Sater offers the definitive analysis of the conflict's naval and military campaigns.The year 1879 marked the beginning of one of the longest, bloodiest conflicts of nineteenth-century Latin America. The War of the Pacific pitted Peru and Bolivia against Chile in a struggle initiated over a festering border dispute. The conflict saw Chile’s and Peru’s armored warships vying for control of sea lanes and included one of the first examples of the use of naval torpedoes. On land, large armies using the most modern weapons—breech-loading rifles, Gatling guns, and steel-barreled artillery—clashed in battles that left thousands of men dead on the battlefields. Eventually, the warring parties revamped their respective military establishments, creating much needed, civilian-supported supply, transportation, and medical units. Chile ultimately prevailed. Bolivia lost its seacoast along with valuable nitrate and copper deposits to Chile, and Peru was forced to cede mineral rich Tarapaca and the province of Arica to the victor. Employing the primary and secondary sources of the countries involved, William F. Sater offers the definitive analysis of the conflict's naval and military campaigns. Andean Tragedy not only places the war in a crucial international context, but also explains why this devastating conflict resulted in a Chilean victory.

"A well-researched and serious study that both scholars and casual readers will learn from."—Thomas L. Whigham, Hispanic American Historical Review
"A fine example of the new vision of battle history as the author discusses arms, strategies, and tactics, as well as descriptions of encounters and the conduct of soldiers. . . . This is a well-written, well-researched work on a crucial event in the history of the west coast of South America and highly recommended to those interested in this region as well as to military history buffs."—Jerry W. Cooney, The Americas
"This is an outstanding study of an important later nineteenth-century South American war."—Christon I. Archer, Journal of Military History

ISBN: 9780803227996

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 669g

458 pages