Francisco Bolognesi

Francisco Bolognesi y Cervantes (né Boloñesi; November 4, 1816 – June 7, 1880) was a Peruvian military colonel known for his participation during the War of the Pacific, where he was killed during the Battle of Arica defending the city from an opposing army superior in both numbers and firepower following a promise to "fight until the last cartridge is spent" (hasta quemar el último cartucho). He is considered a national hero in Peru and was declared patron of the Peruvian Army by the government of Peru on 2 January 1951.

Born in Lima to Genoese composer Andrea Bolognesi Campanella and Juana Cervantes y Pacheco, he moved to his mother's native Arequipa at the age of eight, studying at the Colegio Nacional de la Independencia Americana and later being transferred to the Seminario Conciliar de San Jerónimo at his mother's request. He worked as a bookkeeper from 1832 to 1840 and ventured into the very profitable business of cascarilla and coca, traveling for this purpose to the mountains of Carabaya, in Puno.

He joined the Peruvian Army in 1853, during a period where a war between Peru and Bolivia was expected, specialising in artillery. Shortly after, he joined the revolution headed by Ramón Castilla against the government of José Rufino Echenique. He remained loyal to Castilla during the civil war that began in 1856, participating in the March 1858 siege of Arequipa, where he was wounded in the thigh. He was elevated to colonel and immediately participated in the Ecuadorian campaign from 1859 to 1860, being later sent to Europe to acquire military equipment and cannons for the fortresses at Callao. For this reason, he was not present at the Battle of Callao of May 2. In 1868, he became a commander-general of artillery.

When the War of the Pacific broke out in 1879, he was already retired from service, but he requested readmission and was assigned as head of the 3rd Division in the South, at the head of which he distinguished himself in the battles of San Francisco and Tarapacá. As the remnants of the Peruvian Army retreated towards Tacna, he was entrusted with the defense of Arica with 2,000 men, which was then besieged by Chilean forces far superior in number and firepower. When the opposing command, through Major Juan de la Cruz Salvo, demanded his surrender, he refused, giving his famous reply. The assault on Arica was carried out, during which Bolognesi was killed in action.