Battle of Callao

For the 1838 battle during the War of the Confederation, see Battle of Callao (1838).
Battle of Callao
Part of the Chincha Islands War

Spanish ships exchange fire with Peruvian coastal defenses at the Battle of Callao.
DateMay 2, 1866
Location
Callao, Peru
12°2′52″S 77°9′13″W / 12.04778°S 77.15361°W / -12.04778; -77.15361
Result Inconclusive
Spain withdraws from South America
Belligerents
 Spain  Peru
Commanders and leaders
Spanish Empire Casto Méndez Núñez Peru Mariano I. Prado
Strength
1 ironclad
5 frigates
1 corvette		 2 small ironclads
3 gunboats
52 shore-based guns
3,000 infantry and cavalry
Casualties and losses
43 killed;
83 wounded;
68 lightly wounded;[1][2][3]		 Sources vary:
180–200 killed and wounded[4][5]
83 [6]– 90 killed; 260 wounded[7]
+350 killed[8]
2,000 killed and wounded[9]
Battle of Callao is located in Lima
Battle of Callao
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Location within Lima
Battle of Callao is located in Peru
Battle of Callao
Battle of Callao (Peru)
Battle of Callao is located in South America
Battle of Callao
Battle of Callao (South America)

The Battle of Callao (Spanish: Combate del Dos de Mayo, as it is known in South America) occurred on May 2, 1866, between a Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez and the fortified battery emplacements of the Peruvian port city of Callao during the Chincha Islands War. The Spanish fleet bombarded the port of Callao (or El Callao), and eventually withdrew without any notable damage to the city structures, according to the Peruvian and American sources; or after having silenced almost all the guns of the coastal defenses, according to the Spanish accounts and French observers. This proved to be the final battle of the war between Spanish and Peruvian forces.

  1. ^ Bleiberg, Germán (1986). Diccionario de historia de España (in Spanish). French & European Publications. p. 644. ISBN 978-0-7859-5724-9.
  2. ^ Rodríguez González 1999, p. 99.
  3. ^ del Campo Rodríguez 2003, p. 200.
  4. ^ "Washington News" (PDF). The New York Times. 23 May 1866. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
  5. ^ "The Dos de Mayo Combat". Jeffrey Kraus Antique Photographs. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
  6. ^ Valdivia, Juan Gualberto (1958). Las revoluciones de Arequipa: crónica (in Spanish). Vol. 5. Librería Editorial Ibero Americana. p. 226.
  7. ^ "Washington News" (PDF). The New York Times. 1 June 1866. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
  8. ^ García Martínez 1999, p. 177.
  9. ^ de Novo y Colson 1882, p. 461.