Second Battle of Tuyutí

Battle of Tuyutí (1867)
Date November 3, 1867 Location Tuyutí, Paraguay Result Paraguayan pyrrhic victory
Belligerents
Paraguay Paraguayan Army	Empire of Brazil Imperial Army  Argentina Argentine Army
Commanders and leaders
Gen. Vincente Barrios	Count of Porto Alegre
Strength
8,000-10,000 men	12,000-17,500 men
Casualties and losses
1,200-2,500 killed and wounded	1,000-3,000 killed and wounded

The Second Battle of Tuyutí was a great combat developed during the War of the Triple Alliance. It took place on November 3, 1867 practically on the same terrain where the First Battle of Tuyutí was fought, considered the largest battle fought on American soil and which was victorious for the Allied Army.

In the Second Tuyutí, 9,000 Paraguayans faced about 15,000 allies. The Guarani had the mission of surprisingly attacking the allied camp, looting the warehouses, taking all the weapons and supplies they could, and fleeing. And although they achieved their objective, many of them remained in the field stealing and consuming food due to the famished state they were in, being counterattacked by the Brazilian troops who took them prisoner.

It was a Paraguayan victory, although insignificant in the long run. The Paraguayans achieved their objectives, with about 2,500 casualties per side, but they did not exploit the strategic possibilities of the incursion, contenting themselves with looting and stealing military supplies, which ended up weakening them further in the long run.

Background[]

Brazilian headquarters at Tuyutí.

With the capture of Tayi on November 2, 1867 in the Paraguayan War, the Allied forces had the Paraguayan encampments of Humaita and Curupayti along the Paraguay river encircled. Gen. Jose Barreto had 5,000 men at Tayi, Gen. Andrade Neves had a Brazilian division at Estancia San Solano, Marshal Caxias had 25,000 troops at Tuyucue, and Gen. Porto Alegre had 16,000 men at Tuyuti. Additionally, the Brazilian Navy had 18 steamers at Curuzu and 5 ironclads opposite Humaita. President Francisco Solano López decided to attack the Allied supply bases at Tuyuti and Itapiru on the River Parana.^[1]: 75

Battle[]

General .

Francisco Solano López understood that the Humaitá Fortress could no longer resist, especially with the shortage of supplies that was being felt in his camp. Bartolomé Mitre and the Brazilian Luis Alves de Lima e Silva, the Duke of Caxias (then Marquis) had a very favorable situation and only needed to adjust some positions. Bernardino Caballero's small raids might do some damage to the Allies, but in the long run, they were not capable of stopping the enemy advance on their own, which was when López devised a much bolder plan.

He ordered 9,000 men commanded by General Vicente Barrios to launch an incursion in force on the allied lines of Tuyutí. The plan was to loot everything that could be found, stock up on enemy weapons and supplies, destroy the camps and cause as much damage as possible, then retreat. Lieutenant Colonel Bernardino Caballero would support them with his famous cavalry charges on the flank of the Allied position.

The surprise was total. The allies, especially those who were at that time led by Bartolomé Mitre himself, were so surprised that the resistance they presented was quite ineffective and they ended up fleeing in terror as they witnessed so many "savages" Paraguayans approaching. Among the Argentine troops were 700 men from the famous Paraguayan Legion, the Paraguayans who fought for the Alliance.

The Paraguayans crossed the first defense trench with almost no resistance, killing those they encountered in cold blood. Some allied nuclei tried to counterattack, but were repulsed beyond the barracks of General Barón de Porto Alegre, who was in the vicinity. Four battalions of Brazilian "Voluntarios da Patria" that had just arrived at the Tuyutí line, seeing the disaster caused by the Paraguayans, abandoned their Argentine comrades who were fighting heroically and escaped to Itapirú, trying to cross to the city of Corrientes.

López's forces then began a terrible looting, destroying all the barracks and facilities they found around, seizing whatever food and liquor was in the vicinity. Many of them, in the midst of hunger and greed, forgot the orders to return with the supplies and gave themselves up to gluttony. A disbandment began and General Porto Alegre saw the opportunity to counterattack. Many Paraguayans had already fled with the captured spoils, but others were left behind and were crushed by the Brazilian cavalry, which was in the Estero Bellaco. Some Guarani soldiers, completely starving, died with their mouths full of food.

The same Baron of Porto Alegre took part in the actions and with unusual bravery killed with his own revolver one of the Paraguayan commanders of the action, the Italian Major Sebastián Bullo, commander of the famous "Battalion 40" of Mariscal López, who tried to hoist the Paraguayan flag in the trench. At that time, the Brazilian troops, imitating the courage of their commander and their Argentine companions, many of them coming from Corrientes and Entre Ríos, who were still fighting, reorganized and charged against the disbanded Paraguayans. Paraguayan Vicente Barrios saw that his men who had been left behind pillaging were in trouble, but he did not send reinforcements. Only the men of Battalion 40, who saw their leader die, rushed to the aid of their almost defenseless compatriots.

The Paraguayans left behind seemed completely lost when Bernardino Caballero's cavalry came to their rescue. His 1,000 horsemen, who were initially stunned by the confusion of the scene, stabbed all the Brazilians they encountered with "Paraguayan machetes." Some of these raised a white flag of surrender, but in the same way the Paraguayan mounted unloaded with them, capturing 240 Brazilian soldiers and 10 officers, among whom was Major Ernesto Augusto da Cunha Mattos.

At nightfall, the destruction of the Tuyutí field was immense. The Paraguayans burned the Brazilian barracks, destroyed the Argentine hospital, and stole several warehouses of weapons and supplies. The entire allied camp was smoking, exploding several tinderboxes. The loot that the Paraguayans took was very important. There were all sorts of items, including rifles, jewelry, battle flags, food, some fourteen pieces of artillery (including a mighty 32-pound Whitworth and a 12-pound Krupp), and even Bartolomé Mitre's correspondence.

Aftermath[]

Although it was a small Paraguayan victory, the Second Battle of Tuyutí ended up having more damaging consequences for Solano López's troops than for the allies. Being able to have exploited the surprise and confusion that was caused in the allied camp to take a precious prize by capturing the trenches of Tuyutí, the Paraguayan president preferred once again a great incursion that brought him a momentary tactical triumph but that in the long run, in the strategic did not help much.

The Argentine revisionists, however, criticize in this action the poor performance of Bartolomé Mitre, whom they accuse of cowardice and ineptitude during the battle. For some, it is an unfounded accusation. For others, only thanks to the heroic action of General Barón de Porto Alegre did the Paraguayan action not turn into a total catastrophe for the allies. Although each side reports different numbers of casualties, it is more logical to accept that there were between 2,000 and 2,500 victims for both the Paraguayans and the allies in the action.

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Doratioto, Francisco (2003). Maldita guerra: nova história da Guerra do Paraguai. Companhia das Letras. ISBN 978-85-359-0224-2. Retrieved 19 June 2015.