THE PERUVIAN WAR 303 seven men. The Chilean ships were now withdrawn to await the assault on the following day. The plan of the assault was for one regiment to at- tack the northern batteries, three regiments to attack the southern forts, and simultaneously others were to attack the sand-bag defenses along the line. For this purpose four thousand men were selected, and the com- mand assigned to Colonel Pedro Lagos. At daylight on the 7th of June, half of the Chilean force under Lagos made a vigorous assault upon the sand-bag defenses before the Morro ; the defenders fled to the latter place, and the action became general. The three batteries on the beach were carried. The Peru- vians fired a mine, or torpedo, and in retaliation the Chileans massacred four hundred and fifty men, when, at 7 a. m., the Peruvian defenses had all been carried, with the exception of the Morro and east forts. The main body of the assaulting force had rushed up the inclined slope to the Morro on the inland side in the face of a lively rifle fire, scaled the low parapet, and after a gallant struggle, defeated the garrison. The other forts had either been captured or abandoned by this time and the town was in the hands of the vic- torious Chileans. The Chileans lost three hundred and seventy-two men; of the Peruvians, seven hundred were lying dead in pools of blood, " Se forman pantanos de sangre!"* many were wounded and six hundred taken prisoners. The "Manco Capac was blown up to pre- vent her falling into the hands of Baquedano's vic- torious army. The crew went aboard the transport "Itata, " but subsequently gave themselves up. A tor- pedo-boat was also blown up by her crew. The victors permitted the Peruvians to transport their wounded in the "Limeiia" to Callao, where they were placed in the
- Vicuna Mackenna.
