South American News 1900

[Darman]

November 1899
Rio de Janiero, Brazil
The son of the ambassador from Chile sneaks into the bedroom of the daughter of the President-for-life of Brazil for three nights in a row.  The girl is promised to another man. 

[KWorld]

Hmmmm.  Brazil vs Chile, with Argentina in the middle going "leave me out of this, not my problem"?

[Darman]

7 January 1900
Rio de Janiero, Brazil
The President of Brazil discovers that his daughter is pregnant.  He demands to know who the father is.  She refuses.  Upon further investigation several servants saw the son of the Chilean ambassador sneak into her room at night.  When presented with the evidence she admits that it was him.  The President is furious.  He summons the Chilean ambassador and accuses his son of seducing his daughter.  The Chilean ambassador and his son both deny the girl's story and the Chilean ambassador insults the girl and her father, prompting the President of Brazil to withdraw the Chilean ambassador's diplomatic credentials and gave him 24 hours to leave the city. 

[Darman]

12 January 1900
Santiago, Chile
The triumvirate that rules Chile, one sitting as president, another as minister of treasury, and another as minister of war, sat at a table.  They had before them the former Chilean ambassador to Brazil.  They had just listened to his story, how he and his son had been insulted and then banished from the Brazilian capital, which they had promptly fled, fearing for their lives.  After dismissing the disgraced former ambassador (his son's reputation being what it was the rumors of why the father and son had been banished and discredited was widely believed to be the truth), the triumvirate conferred about their options, finally deciding that only a war against Brazil would assuage their honor.  However, they shared no land border with Brazil and the Brazilian navy was considered stronger, so a suitable ally would be needed.  Argentina had three times refused an alliance with Chile against Brazil, however, Bolivia had lost several border towns a few years earlier in a land dispute with Brazil, and was champing at the bit to try and get them back, especially Caceres, an important border town with a small fortress that sits on the eastern bank of the Paraguia River, which is approximately 900ft wide at that point, and is about 45 miles from the border with Bolivia.  It was decided to send a mission to Bolivia to discern their willingness to participate in such a war. 

[Walter]

... at least the citizens of Iberia are behaving properly. :)

[Darman]

20 January 1900
San Matias, Bolivia
Here on the border with Brazil only 3 miles away and a dirt road leading to Caceres about 50 miles distant, the army that is about to invade Brazil prepares for its march.  Expecting to cover about 15 miles a day they hope to be outside Caceres on the morning of the 4th day.  The army gathered here consists of the Chilean 8th Militia, 9th Militia, and 10th Militia divisions along with the 4th and 7th Bolivian Militia divisions.  More Bolivian divisions are enroute to garrison the conquered territories (1st and 6th Militia divisions) while an additional Chilean Regular division was enroute to provide reinforcements (the 3rd Regulars).  The Chilean and Bolivian declaration of war was supposed to be delivered early in the morning on the 21st.  That night "lights out" was played two hours early so the men could get more rest, however, most didn't sleep at all. 

[Darman]

early hours of 21 January 1900
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
"I can't believe this! A joint declaration of war by both Bolivia and Chile!  This must be all the fault of the Chileans, the Bolivians were whipped soundly enough in '91!  They would never dare such an action on their own."  The President of Brazil fumes in front of his assembled cabinet after reading the declaration of war.  He turns to his minister of war, "How soon can we have a naval expedition ready to hit the Chilean coast?  I want landing forces as well.  Say... a brigade of my new marines should suffice. Plus our battleships."  The minister of war looks up, "I should imagine it would be about a week and a half before it was ready to leave port, Mr. President.  Of course it will take another 3 weeks or so arrive off the coast of Chile."  The president pauses for a moment, then looks at his minister of war and says. "Do it". 
5 miles east of San Matias, Bolivia
A patrol of cavalrymen from the 4th Brazilian Militia Cavalry division assigned to patrol the border with Bolivia has been monitoring the increased activity reported in San Matias.  Now the lieutenant in charge notices a column of dust rising from behind the low hill, generally a sign of many ox-carts or wagons travelling in a column.  Or... the lieutenant thinks, it could be a column of marching men.  Outriders appear on the road across the border and the lieutenant tenses as he recognizes the uniform of a Chilean dragoon on one of the riders.  The gleaming helmet reflects the early morning sun.  The Lieutenant knows he may not open fire to protect the border until the border has been violated or war has been declared, little knowing that only an hour early war had in fact been declared.  He sends a rider back to Caceres, knowing it will be 2 days before word gets there, and another 2 before he gets a reply.  Having only a platoon under his command he can't risk sending more than a single rider.  The lieutenant observes the advancing column with a light cavalry screen from under cover and orders his sergeant to take the platoon back to the next treeline to prepare a hot welcome for the invading troops. 

[Darman]

26 January 1900
Road between San Matais and Caceres
For five long days now the platoon of cavalrymen have been harassing the Chilean and Bolivian column as it slowly advanced on Caceres.  Out of the original forty men only 12 now remain, several having been detached as couriers but most having been killed or wounded in the many delaying actions the platoon had been executing, first under their Lieutenant and after he was killed by a stray bullet under their sergeant.  On the third day several additional cavalry patrols of various strengths had joined them, and small units had been gathering ever since.  Now approximately two thousand cavalrymen were contending with the advance guard of Bolivian troops, approximately twelve thousand strong, succeeding only in delaying their advance.  By the fourth day the invaders had expected to be outside Caceres, it was now the sixth day and they are still ten miles away. 
Casualties up to this point:
Brazilian 4th Militia Cavalry: 150
Bolivian 4th Militia: 450
Chilean 9th Militia: 100
Caceres, Brazil
"Hurry it up lads!  These trenches wont dig themselves you know." The officer looks down at his company digging a trench along the bank of the Paraguia River and then he looks up across the river where the distant sounds of cannon-fire can be heard occasionally.  The Captain turns back to look behind him at the walls of the brand new citadel, for which his men were just now beginning to dig its outworks.  An officer on horseback trots over, dismounts and greets the Captain, complimenting him on the fine progress his men were making on the trench.  "Thank you, sir." the Captain replies, then he looks across the river as another brief spurt of cannon-fire is heard in the distance, "It sounds like hot work out there, I'm only too glad we'll have these trenches if what the cavalry are reporting is true.  It sounds like the whole damned Chilean Army has come after us for stealing a little bit of land from Bolivia ten years ago!"  The other officer nods in agreement, "there are quite a lot of them heading this way, we've been stockpiling food and ammunition in the citadel and in the town, but we aren't very afraid of being cut off, the river makes a formidable barrier here as long as we destroy those two old stone bridges across it.  And without cavalry of their own to find the fords further north we should be able to hold them to the far side of the river.  However it is beginning to look a little low, and it will get lower still if we don't get any rain any time soon.  Well, I must be off, I have another company to pay a visit to."  With that the officer takes his leave and rides away. 

[Darman]

29 January 1900
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Brazilian naval officer inspects the recently installed coast defense gun.  He has a writing pad out and is taking notes as he tours around the installation.  As far as coast defense guns go it is nothing special, just a plain 6" rifled naval gun on a disappearing carriage protected by 20 feet of earth and concrete, strategically located to defend Rio de Janeiro's port.  The officer looks over at the other occupant of the gun pit, a grizzled former Italian Army NCO, a specialist in siege artillery.  "Is it possible?" the officer asks.  "Anything is possible given enough time" the NCO responds, "But in only a few days?  Unlikely.  Give me two weeks and I'll have a field carriage rigged up for you.  Until then we may as well dismantle the piece and put it on a train headed west, it'll be useless without a carriage though." 

[Darman]

31 January 1900
Caceres, Brazil
Elements of the Brazilian 4th Militia Cavalry began streaming across the river's two stone bridges in disorder starting at around noontime.  Officers from the Caceres' garrison as well as several squadrons of the 4th already in Caceres attempted to restore order to the broken and demoralized troops.  After almost 30 straight days of fighting a surprise assault on their flank by a brigade of Chilean infantry had thrown the entire screening force into dissaray, ending up in a complete rout.  Fortunately, apart from one regiment of Chilean infantry mounted on captured horses the Allied army invading Brazil had no cavalry as yet to pursue the defeated Brazilians back to their fortress.  Chaos ruled in the streets for a few hours but by the time Chilean infantry columns began crossing the one bridge still standing across the river around dusk order had been restored.  All units were understrength but all their available men were manning the trenches along the river and in the fortresses incomplete outerworks. 
Casualties up to this point:
Brazilian 4th Militia Cavalry: 600
Bolivian 4th Militia: 900
Chilean 9th Militia: 350

[Darman]

28 January 1900
Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Executive Cabinet of the Argentinean government was in the middle of an emergency meeting.  Under discussion is how to react to the sudden violence taking place between the allied Bolivian and Chilean governments and the embattled Brazilian defenders.  So far the general agreement is that Argentinian forces along the borders with all countries involved should be placed on alert and strengthened.  Additionally, raising several more divisions of infantry along with another cavalry division and a mountain division, all modern-equipped troops, would help the obsolete Argentinian Army move forward into the 20th century.  Orders begin going out, and contacts in the United States are instructed to ask around and find someone willing to allow the Argentinians to build arms under contract. 

8 February 1900
outside Caceres, Brazil
For five days now the 8th Chilean Militia division has been digging trenches by night and engaged in skirmishing with elements of the Brazilian 4th Militia cavalry division trapped inside the town by day.  The 4th and 7th Bolivian militia divisions had completed the encirclement of Caceres the day before and were preparing their siege lines protected by screening elements of the 9th Chilean Militia division.  Staff officers of the Chilean Expeditionary Force estimated that the garrison of the town is approximately 6,000 men, mostly cavalrymen in disarray from their recent rout into town a week earlier. 
Inside Caceres, Brazil
The garrison commander and the cavalry commander had taken to eating breakfast together every morning so they could discuss the day's plans and problems.  At first the garrison commander, an aging former infantry colonel, had disliked the brash cavalry general, thinking him all show and no substance.  but after witnessing the dramatic turn-around the general had made with his demoralized troopers in the town, whipping them back into shape within three days, the garrison officer had to admire the younger man.  Together they had begun piecing together ideas for delaying and harassing the enemy's siege lines.  Intelligence reports were still filtering in, carried through gaps in the Bolivians' lines by brave dispatch riders from the cavalry units monitoring and harassing the besieging Allied infantry forces from outside the siege lines.  the most important information garnered so far was that the Allies had neglected to bring along any heavy artillery with them, a fatal mistake when it comes to attempting to capture a semi-modern fortress equipped with heavier artillery than a mere militia division typically contained in its arsenal.  Just as their orderlies began clearing the breakfast dishes away a soft crump could be heard in the distance.  It was followed a few long moments later by an explosion inside the town.  The shelling had begun. 
Inside the citadel of Caceres a gun crew rapidly load their 150mm howitzer, then step back and turn the carriage as an officer on the parapet above them shouts directions down.  Marks on the wall of the gun pit help the crew align the gun with where the officer wants to hit: a Chilean field gun battery set up in the open on the far side of the river.  These were the guns to fire the first artillery shells of the siege of Caceres.  The defenders had a message to send to their besiegers: We will not give up!  The howitzer fires and a shrapnel shell arcs up into the air as the other 2 guns assigned to defend that quadrant also fire.  Two of the shrapnel shells burst high in the air, showing deadly rain of steel down onto empty ground, wide of their target.  But one shell, the one fired from this howitzer, doesn't explode in the air.  It buries itself into the ground beside one of the Chilean field guns and then explodes, flipping the gun on its side and scaring the gunners of the battery, who fled to find safety in the rear.  Loud cheers erupt from the Brazilian trenches along the river when they see the effect their artillery had on their foe. 

[Darman]

12 February 1900
Caceres, Brazil
After five days of constant shelling by Allied field guns the Brazilian defenders of Caceres were exhausted and starting to go hungry on their quarter rations.  The cavalry had been organized into 3 makeshift regiments of about 700 men each, 2 dismounted regiments manning trenches on the perimeter of the city and one mounted regiment acting as a reserve for the garrison.  The rest of the horses were being used to replace dead horses from the artillery batteries and supply carts as they moved supplies and guns around the city.  On the outskirts of the city the 9th Chilean division, reinforced by the 10th Chilean militia division, expands its perimeter outwards in the face of constant opposition and harassment by the troopers of the 4th Brazilian militia cavalry division.  Meanwhile the siege lines are slowly moving forward under cover of fire from machineguns and field guns. 
In the western trenches of the city's defenses troopers from the 4th militia cavalry hunker down to avoid the shrapnel whizzing overhead from the occasional shell that falls short.  Suddenly the shells begin falling on the trenches more thickly than before and within a few minutes a full-blown artillery barrage is aimed at a small section of the western trenches.  A whistle blows and up out of the Bolivian trenches rise a line of infantry.  The artillery barrage lifts as the infantry appear and begin crossing the open ground in front of the trenches.  The ground is fairly flat and open with very few shell holes, most of the artillery being field artillery firing shrapnel shells.  The cavalry troopers whoop and line up on their parapet to begin working their carbines with gusto as they mow down the Bolivian infantry calmly walking across the open ground.  A field gun in a concealed position opens up with canister as a machinegun detachment from the fort's garrison open fire.  The Bolivian infantry fall as rapidly as they can clamber out of their trenches and within five minutes the attack was over.
Casualties up to this point:
Brazilian 4th Militia Cavalry: 1,000
Brazilian Fortress Troops: 100
Bolivian 4th Militia: 2,500
Bolivian 7th Militia: 200
Chilean 10th Militia: 100
Chilean 9th Militia: 350
Chilean 8th Militia: 150

[Darman]

19 February 1900
The Brazilian 9th Militia Infantry Division arrived today at the camp of the 3rd and 4th Regular Infantry divisions along with the naval artillery detachment, completing the assemblage of the largest army Brazil had mustered in some years. 

20 February 1900
Caceres, Brazil
The latest Chilean infantry attack being repulsed, the Brazilian commanders had decided to counter-attack with their mounted cavalry reserves, now down to 300 effectives and mounts.  The cavalry trot in a column of twos through the ruined streets of Caceres, bayonets fixed to the ends of their carbines, brightly polished and shining in the sun.  Townsfolk and soldiers cheer when they see them, looking so bright and brilliant by comparison to the dull dirtiness of the rest of the troops.  The horsemen shelter in the street just behind the front lines, the ruined hulks of these houses protecting the men and horses from view and the occasional stray bullet.  The Brazilian infantry assigned to this sector had been slowly working their way forward on the heels of the retreating Chileans and had actually managed to capture the Chilean frontline trench.  A bugle sounds and the cavalry walk out through cleared gaps in the rubble.  Another bugle sounds and the horsemen advance in 4 columns at a walk, winding their way through to the relatively cleared ground beyond the front Brazilian trench.  Trotting across the "open" ground between the opposing trenches, littered with bodies and debris from earlier Chilean attacks, the cavalry run across their first opposition, a few shells land, knocking horses and riders about, dismounting several.  Leaping over the heads of their own infantry sheltering in the captured Chilean trench the cavalry regiment charges forward at the thin line of Chilean skirmishers advancing to retake the trench.  Scattering the skirmish line the cavalry commander decides to wheel left and attempt to capture the Chilean observation post on a nearby hill.  Charging forward he misses seeing a Chilean machinegun crew hurriedly setting up their gun.  Suddenly the machinegun chatters, spewing forth bullets at a prodigious rate, killing and maiming many of the horsemen and their mounts.  The charge broken, the recall is sounded, and as Chilean infantry battalion charges forward the cavalry beat a hasty retreat.  The Brazilian infantry had already fled back to their own trenches when the saw the cavalry reeling back.  By the time the Chilean battalion had reached their own trenches once more the Brazilians were gone.  The Chileans made one halfhearted attempt to cross No Man's Land but gave up after suffering a few casualties. 
Casualties up to this point:
Brazilian 4th Militia Cavalry: 1,800
Brazilian Fortress Troops: 700
Bolivian 4th Militia: 3,800
Bolivian 7th Militia: 2,000
Chilean 10th Militia: 800
Chilean 9th Militia: 700
Chilean 8th Militia: 2,600

[KWorld]

In the United States, the Argentine military attache found no difficulty in finding manufacturers willing to produce military articles for Argentina.  The Winchester Repeating Arms Company, in addition to being willing to produce for contract, was even willing to sell the tooling to produce the M1895 6mm Lee-Navy rifle, because the USN had decided to standardize on the .30-40 Army cartridge even as the US Army searched for a replacement for that round.  Remingon was looking for buyers for it's M1899 Remington-Lee military rifle (which was designed for the .30-40 Army but could be produced in other calibers as the customer desired).

On the artillery front, the attache found manufacturers in a ferment.  The US Army was having, in late summer, a demonstration period where the Artillery was going to be inspecting artillery pieces to replace the current generation of US Army howitzers and field guns.  This meant there was much testing and tweaking going on, but little manufacturing, and an order might well be welcomed.

[Darman]

24 February 1900
Somewhere on the Brazilian Border
The long columns of infantry battalions interspersed with horse-drawn field gun batteries mark the main line of advance of the first army Brazil has put into the field in years.  As the 3rd Regular Division passes by General Manuel Pedro Drago a rider comes galloping down the road from the advance guard.  He reins in in front of the general, dismounts and salutes smartly, "Sir!  I have news from the Colonel leading the vanguard.  He says that they are approaching the outer limits of the enemy's picket lines.  They have been harassed so much by the 4th cav troopers that their pickets are really jumpy.  By tomorrow morning he says he'll have his first battalion in position.  They will attack at dawn and hold their ground as the rest of the brigade passes through.  The 4th cavalry will spend tonight harassing the Chileans as they have every night for the past week."


1 March 1900
Caceres, Brazil
Columns of triumphant Brazilian troops march through the relieved city as behind them wagons full of food and supplies roll in.  Having gotten caught up briefly by newly dug Chilean trenches outside Caceres and accurate fire from the Chilean field guns in support, the stalemate was broken when the two jury-rigged 6" coastal rifles were brought into play.  Outranging anything the Chileans could bring to bear the naval detachment only had to suppress a few batteries before the enemy gunners got the picture.  With the Chilean artillery neutralized the Brazilian regulars rapidly advanced behind a barrage from their own field guns and took the Chilean trenches.  With that the way into Caceres was open. 
The Chilean and Bolivian forces retreat back across the border. 

Casualties up to this point:
Brazilian 4th Militia Cavalry: 2,800
Brazilian Fortress Troops: 1,400
Brazilian 9th Militia: 500
Brazilian 3rd Regulars: 500
Brazilian 4th Regulars: 2,500
Bolivian 4th Militia: 6,700
Bolivian 7th Militia: 3,500
Chilean 10th Militia: 1,900
Chilean 9th Militia: 3,500
Chilean 8th Militia: 5,000