The two commanders exchanged prisoners while their ships were in Valparaíso. Men returning from Essex confirmed the armament reports Hillyar had already received from Dixon, local agents, and his own observations. That redundancy removed any doubt that Phoebe should avoid a close carronade fight. Porter had the same physical opportunity to study the British ships but did not build an equally complete picture of their capabilities. The moment shows intelligence advantage as disciplined confirmation rather than a single lucky report.
Notable Point · 1:51:10-1:52:31
A prisoner exchange confirms Essex's carronade weakness
Returned British prisoners gave Hillyar another independent confirmation that Essex depended on short-range carronades, while Porter made no equivalent study of Phoebe.