Battle of Angamos
1879 CE · Cape Angamos, Bolivia/Chile
The Battle of Angamos was fought in 1879 CE in Cape Angamos, Bolivia/Chile between Chile vs Peru; decisive Chilean victory; Grau was killed, the Huáscar captured and Chile won control of the sea.
Battle of Angamos: quick facts
- Date
- 1879 CE
- Location
- Cape Angamos, Bolivia/Chile
- Belligerents
- Chile vs Peru
- Commanders
- Galvarino Riveros and Juan José Latorre vs Miguel Grau
- Result
- decisive Chilean victory; Grau was killed, the Huáscar captured and Chile won control of the sea.
- Era
- 🌎 Latin American Wars
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Angamos?
The Chilean navy cornered and captured the Peruvian ironclad Huascar at the Battle of Angamos. The Huascar, under Admiral Miguel Grau, had terrorized the Chilean coast for months. Grau was killed during the engagement and the capture of his ship gave Chile naval supremacy, enabling the land invasion that would decide the War of the Pacific.
Did you know?
Admiral Miguel Grau of Peru was known as 'The Gentleman of the Seas' because he returned personal effects of fallen enemies to their families. Even his Chilean adversaries honored him after his death at Angamos.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Angamos on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.