The Battle of Avay of 11 December 1868 was one of the last major combat engagements of the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

, fought near the Avay stream in Paraguayan territory between the forces the Triple Alliance and the

Paraguayan Army To win or to die , march= Marcha al Mariscal Lopez , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= War of the Triple AllianceChaco WarParaguayan People's Army insurgency , anniversaries= 24 of July (Mariscal Lopez Birthday) , decorations= , ba ...

Background

The battle was fought during a period of the war where the Allied forces fought and won a number of battles while marching south in an attempt at taking Pikysyry from the rear. In March 1868, most of the Paraguayan forces abandoned the

Fortress of Humaitá The Fortress of Humaitá (1854–68), known metaphorically as the Gibraltar of South America, was a Paraguayan military installation near the mouth of the River Paraguay. A strategic site without equal in the region, "a fortress the likes o ...

, under

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 – 1 March 1870) was President of Paraguay from 1862 until his death in 1870. He was the eldest son of Juana Pabla Carrillo and of President Carlos Antonio López, Francisco's predecessor. ...

's command, in order to set up a defence line in the margins of the Tebicuary river. The fortress was left under command of Paraguayan colonel Francisco Martínez. While the 2nd Corps of the

Imperial Brazilian Army The Imperial Brazilian Army ( Portuguese: Exército Imperial Brasileiro) was the name given to the land force of the Empire of Brazil. The Brazilian Army was formed after the independence of the country from Portugal in 1822 and reformed in 1889, ...

began surrounding Humaitá, the 1st and 3rd Corps, alongside a Uruguayan division, followed the command of the

Marquis of Caxias A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...

, and began chasing the

. López, however, left his new position near the Tebicuary as well, in order to defend the Pikysyry lines, to the south of the capital,

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...

, and to the north of Humaitá. The Allied march was slowed, giving López enough time to reinforce the Pikysyry lines. The week prior to the battle of Avay, the Paraguayan vanguard, under the command of general

Bernardino Caballero Juan Bernardino Caballero de Añasco y Melgarejo (20 May 1839, Ybycuí, Paraguay – 26 February 1912, Asunción) was a Paraguayan War veteran, the President of Paraguay from 1880 until 1886 and founder of the Colorado Party. He was the leadin ...

, clashed with the Brazilian Army in the

battle of Ytororó On the morning of 6 December 1868, marshal of the Imperial Brazilian Army, Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Marquis (later Duke) of Caxias, moved with 16,999 infantrymen, 926 cavalrymen and 742 artillerymen, to take Villeta, a Paraguayan city, as a ...

. After the fight, Paraguayan forces retreated towards

Villeta Villeta is a city of Paraguay in the Central Department, on the banks of Paraguay River. It is an important industrial center and port. Toponymy The city was founded on March 5, 1714, by Juan Gregorio Bazán de Pedraza, with the original name ...

, crossing the

Ypané river The Ypané River (Spanish, Río Ypané) is a river of Paraguay. It is a tributary of the Paraguay River. See also *List of rivers of Paraguay * Tributaries of the Río de la Plata A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into ...

and camping in a fortified spot, where their troops could gather their strength in relative safety and prepare for a new battle.

Battle

The Allied advance stopped where the road crossed the Avay stream. For the Allied army, the vanguard consisted of the 3rd Corps, commanded by general

Manuel Luís Osório Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * M ...

, the 2nd Corps under general

José Luís Mena Barreto José Luís Mena Barreto (24 October 1817 – 10 October 1879) was an army officer, politician and monarchist of the Empire of Brazil. He came from a wealthy family with a tradition of military service. José Luís entered the army in 1836, du ...

formed the center, and the 1st Corps under general formed the rearguard. The Marquis of Caxias also had available the Cavalry Divisions, including the 1st under General

João Manuel Mena Barreto João Manuel Mena Barreto was a Brazilian Brigadier throughout the Uruguayan War and Paraguayan War. He was known for his service at the Battle of São Borja, rescuing the civilian populace from the Paraguayan forces before getting killed at the ...

, the 5th under colonel José Antonio Correia da Câmara, and the 2nd and 3rd under General

Joaquim de Andrade Neves Joaquim de Andrade Neves, the first and only Baron of Triunfo, was a Brazilian general who was known for his service in the Paraguayan War. Biography Early Years Neves was the son of José Joaquim de Figueiredo Neves and Francisca Ermelinda de An ...

. The battle began at noon and lasted for five hours. The flanking attacks by the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Cavalry Divisions into the Paraguayan rear made escape impossible. With the total defeat of general Caballero's forces, Caxias reached Villeta. The Paraguayan survivors, fewer than 50, retreated for Lomas Valentinas, where López had assembled 3,000 troops, plus another 2,000 at Pikysyry, and 700 at Angostura. López ordered the evacuation of Asunción to the provisional capital of

Piribebuy Piribebuy (in Guaraní, ''Pirĩvevúi'') is a town and district in the Cordillera Department of Paraguay. It is of spontaneous origin, though some attribute its founding to Martin Ledesma de Valderrama in 1636. Since its founding documents were b ...

Background

Battle

References

Further reading