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 THE CIVIL WAR OF i8gi 359 at four o'clock in the morning, was not known in San- tiago until eight. Necessarily, so sudden and unex- pected a descent, created consternation among govern- ment officials. There had been rumors of such a move, but these were treated at Santiago, as a nephew of Senor Vicuna at the time expressed it, as "Portuguese 3'arns. " Repeated attempts had been made to blow up bridges on the railways leading to the south, but, as we have seen, the manceuvers were frustrated by the vigil- ance of the government. The opposition army landed at Quintero, consisted of eight thousand six hundred infantry, six hundred cav- alry, eight hundred naval brigade men, three batteries of field-artillery and a battery of Gatling guns. To oppose them, Balmaceda's general in Valparaiso, Alzerreca, with a force about equal to that of the insurgents, was ordered forward to Colmo, or Concon, to check the ene- m}''s advance until General Barbosa could join him with the troops from the south. Alzerreca took up a posi- tion on the hills, placing the river Aconcagua between him and the enem)'. Colonel Canto made a feint to cross the river above Alzerreca's position, and allowed the latter to capture a few field-pi.eces. His troops fell back, seeing which the government's advanced regi- ments were moved forward to cross the river. While this was going on. Canto transferred artillery on launches under cover of the hills to the rear of the government army. Then the opposition troops opened fire on their opponents in front, while the artillery poured in a mur- derous fire from behind. They were near the mouth of the river, where the "Esmeralda" and "Magallanes'' had crept in, and they now opened a terrible cross fire upon them. The battle began at eleven o'clock in the morning, the armies having come within artillery range of each