Chilean Civil War of 1891 breaks out and Britain orders a squadron to Chile

Political Origins. Congress became distinctly hostile to President Balmaceda's administration in 1889, and the political situation grew grave, at times threatening to involve the country in civil war. In 1890 it came to light that Balmaceda had decided to nominate a close personal friend as his successor in 1891. When 1 January 1891 arrived, the president published a decree stating that the 1890 budget would be considered the official budget for 1891. Separately, Balmaceda had alienated the aristocratic classes with his personal vanity and ambition, and soon after his election was irreconcilably at odds with the majority of the national representatives.

Naval Insurrection. On 6 January 1891, the political leaders of the Congressional party embarked on board the armored frigate Blanco Encalada at Valparaíso, and Captain Jorge Montt of that vessel hoisted a broad pennant as commodore of the Congressional fleet. A Balmaceda-source passage dates the sailing from Valparaíso harbor on 7 January, when Waldo Silva, Barros Luco, and a number of senators and deputies, accompanied by the Esmeralda, O'Higgins, and other vessels, proceeded northwards to Tarapacá to organize armed resistance against the president, launching the civil war. The war itself is dated 16 January to 18 September 1891. The Chilean Navy sided with Congress, while the Army remained loyal to Balmaceda.

British Squadron Order. The supplied passages do not support the claim that Britain ordered a naval squadron to Chile on 19 January 1891. The citation source-71d5927fe252a749:19153 is a bibliography entry titled 'The Capture of Valparaiso, 1891', which does not state the date or the order of a squadron. Therefore, this development is excluded from the narrative.