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THE PERUVIAN WAR 311 The main army disembarked at Curayaco from the 22nd to the 25th, and immediately occupied the towns of Lurin and Pachacamac a few miles to the north- ward. Here headquarters was established and the army went into camp. One brigade was thrown across the river Lurin to guard the bridge and approaches from Chorrillos ; Colonel Barbosa pushed on to Manzano in the upper part of the valley and there encountered the cavalry force which had been harassing Lynch on his way north. The commander, Colonel Arostegui, and upward of two hundred men, were killed or taken pris- oners, the remainder making their escape to Lima. Both armies were now actively engaged in preparing for the final struggle and reconnoitering for positions. January 6th, the Chilean commander-in-chief recon- noitered the Peruvian line at Chorrillos with a con- siderable force. On the 9th, Barbosa was sent with his cavalry to At6 to reconnoitre the enemy's extreme left and report on the feasibility of a flank movement in that direction. A skirmish occurred in which several Chil- eans were killed. Pierola the same day strengthened the position of his left with Davila's division, for which reason Baquedano decided to abandon the idea of a flank movement and attack in front. On the afternoon of the 12th, the Chilean army moved by the mountain road of Atocongo toward the Peruvian right; Lynch, however, with two regiments moved by the coast road to attack the Peruvian right near Morro Solar. On the following morning the Chilean army emerged from the mountain road and formed for battle along the whole line. General Sotomayor in the center, Colonel Lagos on the extreme right, the left under Lynch ; the reserves under Colonel Martinez were placed back between the center and left. The Peruvians had Iglesias with five thousand men