Irene Morales

Irene Morales
Photograph by Eugenio Courret, 1881
Birth name	Irene Morales Infante
Born	(1865-04-01)1 April 1865 Santiago, Chile
Died	25 August 1890(1890-08-25) (aged 25) Santiago, Chile
Buried	Cementerio General de Santiago
Allegiance	Chile
Service / branch	Chilean Army
Years of service	1879–1883
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	3rd Regiment of the Line 4th Division
Battles / wars	War of the Pacific Battle of Pisagua Battle of San Francisco Battle of Tacna Battle of Chorrillos Battle of Miraflores
Spouse(s)	? (1877) Santiago Pizarro (1878)

Irene Morales Infante (1 April 1865 – 25 August 1890) was a Chilean soldier who served in the War of the Pacific. She was born in a barrio of Santiago, and lived in poverty throughout her life, working as a seamstress from an early age. When the War of the Pacific began she was only 13 years old, and had been orphaned and twice widowed. Her second husband was executed by the Bolivian military for killing a soldier.

She fought alongside the troops of her unit in the battles of the Tarapacá Campaign in late 1879, at Pisagua and San Francisco. Her valor in these battles and her care for wounded comrades drew the attention of Chilean commander-in-chief Manuel Baquedano, who provided her with official recognition and the rank of a sergeant. She continued to serve in the army for the duration of the war and was famously courageous at the Battle of Tacna in 1880. After the war, she returned to civilian life and died in obscurity, aged only 25. Now considered one of Chile's greatest heroes of the war, her service only became widely known after her death.