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 CHAPTER III BALMACEDa'S position — NAVAL OPERATIONS The president's manifesto on January ist, had started a revolution but poorly prepared to cope with him. Seldom has an insurrection in its inception seemed so unpromising. The insurgents had no army, no mus- kets, no cannon, no munitions of war. The army had not revolted as was expected. A few muskets were captured at Quintero, but even counting those, the congressionalists could only number four hundred, all told. But what was at the outset a drawback to the oppo- sitionists, proved in the end a benefit. Repeating rifles and smokeless powder were soon procured, and before the close of the contest 12,000 men had been equipped with the most modern weapons of warfare. With a repeating rifle, one congressional soldier became a fair match for three government soldiers armed only with the old-fashioned breechloaders. Again the contest was not so unequal at the outset as might at first be supposed. Chile is a maritime country, her towns nearly all being on the seaboard ; thus the possession of a well equipped fleet by the con- gressionalists, gave them a decided initial advantage. It is probably true, too, that the army was not alto- gether whole hearted in its loyalty to Balmaceda. Cer-