1/72 Battle of Placilla, Valparaiso, Chile 1891
Dated: June 7th, 2011
Hello dear friends from Hat.
These photos are from a Diorama placed at the "Historic Museum of Placilla". Placilla is a little location at 13 kms from the City Port of Valparaiso, Chile, where was fought the final battle of the Chilean Civil War of 1891. You can find figures from many different boxes and manufacturers, but with a lot of conversions trying to get with the Chilean soldiers uniforms from that time.
This is a little local museum made with the effort of the people who live in this place, and they try to keep the heritage and history of this place where happened this important battle and where also have been found archeological mankind pieces that belonged to cultures more than 10.000 years old. The Museum was built over part of the own battlefield as the population has been growing up and covering all the space with houses and buildings transforming all the site.
In this museum are being guarded things found on the battlefield, that the own neighbours, through the time, have being collecting, and now have an ideal space where to keep and show them to the community.
This Battle was the final act of a Civil War in which the Parliament or Congress in January of 1891 raised against President Balmaceda with the support of the Navy. Meanwhile the Army kept loyal to the President. After some battles at the North of the Country, the Congress Army marched to Valparaíso, the second main city and clashed with the President´s Army at this place, Placilla.
On August 28, 1891, the fight started at 7:30 in the morning with artillery firing. Both Armies had about 10.000 men each. The Congress Army attacked the heights where the President´s Army could not resist the strength of three infantry brigades, and the final attack came from the cavalry against the main artillery battery in the center of the defensive line. The Diorama represents this last part of the battle, at about 10:15 in the morning, the Congress cavalry and some infantry reached the cannons and finished with the last defenders, including the Commander in Chief of the President´s Army, General Barbosa, who died fighting. At 10:30, the battle had finished with more than 5.000 casualties from both sides. After this, the President knew it was the end, and finally suicide himself September 18th, 1891.
I hope you enjoy this work.
Many greetings from Chile.
Mauricio Cáceres
Valparaíso, Chile.
Spain
Many thanks to Mr. Cáceres.