Marco Aurelio Arriagada

Marco Aurelio Arriagada Palacios (15 April 1830 – 28 August 1894) was a Chilean Army general who served as Inspector General of the Chilean Army from September 1891 until his death in August 1894. His military career included service during the Revolution of 1851, the Revolution of 1859, the Occupation of Araucanía and the War of the Pacific.

Military career

Arriagada entered the Chilean Army during the Revolution of 1851, when he was mobilized as a second lieutenant in the Santiago Line Battalion. He took part in the Battle of Loncomilla on 8 December 1851.

During the Revolution of 1859, Arriagada participated in the northern campaigns against the revolutionary forces, including the battles of Los Loros and Cerro Grande. He subsequently served for seven years in Arauco Province under Colonel Cornelio Saavedra, before being reassigned to Santiago.

Following the outbreak of the War of the Pacific in 1879, Arriagada was appointed military commander of Antofagasta. In 1881, he became commander of the Chilean occupation forces in the province of Tarapacá, and in 1882 he was appointed chief of staff of the Army of the North.

In 1883, Arriagada commanded an expeditionary force sent into the Peruvian interior in pursuit of forces under Andrés Avelino Cáceres. His column pursued Cáceres from the vicinity of Lima to Yungay in the Callejón de Huaylas. At Yungay, Arriagada turned south after concluding that Cáceres had moved in that direction. Cáceres instead moved north, where his forces were subsequently defeated by a Chilean force under Alejandro Gorostiaga at the Battle of Huamachuco.

In 1887, Arriagada was appointed Inspector General of the Army and, concurrently, director of the Chilean Army War Academy. He held the latter position until 1889, when he resigned his posts.

During the Chilean Civil War of 1891, Arriagada aligned himself with the congressional forces. On 14 September 1891, following the conclusion of the conflict, he was reinstated in the Army with his previous rank and positions. He subsequently held several senior administrative posts, including president of the Commission for the Assessment of Services.

Arriagada remained Inspector General of the Army until his death in Santiago, Chile, on 28 August 1894, aged 64.