the Peruvians. This redoubt was mounted with two heavy Rodman guns from Callao, and was called the Alfonso Ugarte fort, in honor of an officer who fell in the defence of Arica. General Caceres commanded this fort, while General Pierola was in a redoubt on the left.
The battle began at 2.45 p.m. The Chilians opened with artillery on the Ugarte fort, which was enfiladed by the Chilian fleet, consisting of two ironclads and three corvettes. They speedily dismounted the Rodman guns and rendered the fort untenable by their well-directed fire, but the Peruvians continued the defence until, after a long bombardment, the Chilian 3d division advanced against them. At 4.30 p.m. the Peruvians had exhausted their ammunition and fell back to join the centre, thus yielding the Ugarte fort to the Chilians. The Peruvian left was defended with such vigor that at one time the Chilians wavered, but, reinforcements coming up, they carried the redoubts with the bayonet, and the last hope of Lima was gone. The centre redoubt was carried at 5.45 p.m., and thus ended the battle of Miraflores for the defence of Lima. When the last redoubt was carried, General Pierola rode from the field and retired to the village of Canta in the mountains. By 6.45 Miraflores was in flames and nearly all the houses in it were destroyed.
On the 16th the municipal alcalde surrendered the city to the Chilians, and on the 17th the army entered and took possession. The foreign ministers interfered to prevent further destruction of property, and were backed in their intervention by the foreign fleets in the harbor of Callao. The dangerous classes threatened to run riot during the night of the 16th, and would have caused great damage to the city had it not been for the foreigners, who formed a volunteer corps for the preservation of order and property. The Chilian losses in the capture of Chorillos and Miraflores were reported at 1,299 killed and 4,144 wounded.
