There was no significant difference in the combat capabilities between the Argentine and Chilean armies. However, due to the excellent performance of the Chilean Lee-Enfield Rifles, even though the Chilean troops were fewer in number, both sides were in a stalemate for a time.
About ten minutes into the battle, hundreds of bullets had been consumed. Edward Montalvo and his comrades-in-arms looked at the Argentine army at the bottom of the mountain, which had not suffered many casualties, and were momentarily taken aback.
In fact, the Argentine army at the bottom of the mountain was also somewhat taken aback. While the Argentine's standard Rifle did not shoot as fast, due to the advantage of having more troops, the bullet consumption was even higher than the Chilean army's.
