The Pacific War was the greatest and bloodiest war ever fought in the Andean region, and is one of the most important conflicts in South American history. It is also known as the 'Saltpeter War' or the 'Guano War' because the possession of these two highly profitable nitrates was the main cause of the conflict.
By the 1870s Chilean military superiority and expansionist policies exploded into full scale conflict. This book examines the troops, uniforms and equipment used by the Chilean, Peruvian and Bolivian forces and traces the events of the war from the early naval blockades, through major pitched battles, to the final guerilla campaign in occupied Peru. The war ended in total victory for Chile, and that country's military emergence thereafter as 'the Prussia of South America', while it cost Peru some lucrative provinces, and Bolivia its outlet to the Pacific coast.

GABRIELE ESPOSITO is a professor of modern history, a freelance researcher and an author of military history books, specializing in uniformology. His interests range from ancient civilizations to modern postcolonial conflicts including 19th-century Italian, Spanish and Latin American wars. His books and essays have been published by Pen & Sword, Winged Hussar and Libreria Editrice Goriziana and he contributes to a variety of specialist military-history journals. He has written various titles for Osprey including MAA 499 Armies of the War of the Triple Alliance 1864-70 and MAA 541 Armies of the War of the Grand Alliance 1688-97.

Introduction - the importance of the war for South American history, and its political and military consequences for the nations involved /The road to war /Chronology /The land campaigns: first - Chilean occupation of Peruvian province of Tarapacá, 1879 ; second - Arica and Tacna campaign, January-May 1880; third - Lima campaign, November-December 1880; fourth - Peruvian guerrilla resistance in the Sierras, 1881-83 /Navies and naval operations - Iquiquique and Antofagasta /The Chilean army - organization, uniforms, weapons, tactics and performance /The Peruvian army - organization, uniforms, weapons, tactics and performance /The Bolivian army - organization, uniforms, weapons, tactics and performance /Conclusion /Bibliography /Plate Commentaries