That same afternoon, Belisario Suárez and his hussars arrived at the Pozos de la Soledad where they stopped one day studying the place and preparing a report for the general staff.

Following the course of the Loa River, in the early morning of the 10th, the Peruvian column arrived half a league from the Chilean camp of Quillagua where the Peruvian cavalry proceeded to charge towards the camp[4] accompanied by a shot from a reckless soldier thereby giving the alarm to the Chilean troops stationed in the place and made up mainly of the Santiago infantry regiment, a 1350-seater fort, and a detachment of the Cazadores a Caballo cavalry regiment.

A new attempt to chase another Chilean party was also repelled, with the replacement of the horses, Colonel Suárez was able to continue in the direction of Soledad, where he arrived at around three in the afternoon of the 10th.

Given the suddenness of the attack, Colonel Suárez ordered his hussars to be deployed in battle and charged on enemy shooters hidden in the Tamarugos forest,[5] whom he managed to disperse after a short combat, capturing 9 prisoners and the seizing of 11 horses, 10 sabers and 10 remington carbines.

[6] when the Chilean squadron occupied the port on November 23 before the withdrawal of the Ríos Division, which marched to join the Peruvian army stationed in Tarapacá.