The Battle of Cerro Corá was fought on 1 March 1870 on a hill-surrounded valley of the same name, in the north-east of

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Background

In February 1870, an

allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

column under the command of colonel Bento Martins de Meneses, learned that the President of Paraguay,

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. ...

, was in the vicinity of Cerro Corá. It relayed the information to general

José Antônio Correia da Câmara José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

on 18 February. Paraguayan 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 ...

was on a foraging expedition with 40 men when, on 1 March, the Allied vanguard under the command of Lt. Col. Francisco Antonio Martins attacked the Paraguayan camp at 1900 along the

Aquidaban River Aquidaban or Aquidabán may refer to: * Brazilian battleship ''Aquidaban'', see Brazilian battleship Aquidabã * Aquidabán River The Aquidabán River (Spanish: ''Río Aquidabán'') is a river in the Amambay Department, in northeastern Paraguay. ...

. Present with President Francisco Solano López's personal guard were a group of women, led by his mistress

Eliza Lynch Eliza Alice Lynch (Cork, Ireland, 19 November 1833 – Paris, France, 25 July 1886) was the Irish mistress-wife of Francisco Solano López, president of Paraguay. The most vilified woman in Latin-American history, she was dubbed as "an ambiti ...

. This group was composed of the soldier's wives, daughters, and others, who supported the soldiers called ''Las Residentas''.

Battle

Vice President

Domingo Francisco Sánchez Domingo Francisco Sánchez Corvalán (20 March 1795 – 1 March 1870) was a Paraguayan politician and statesman who served as the Vice President of Paraguay during the administration of Francisco Solano López from 1865 to 1870. Sánchez w ...

and Secretary of State Luis Caminos were killed trying to flee. López was surrounded by six cavalrymen, and after refusing to surrender by firing his revolver, corporal José Francisco Lacerda, known as ''Chico Diabo'', i.e., "Frank, the Devil", thrust his lance in López's abdomen, mortally wounding him. Assisted by captain Francisco Argüello, López evaded the Brazilians and reached the Aquidabán-Niquil stream, but was unable to climb the steep bank because of his wound. Left alone, he was found by the Brazilians, but refused to surrender again, when João Soares shot him in the back.

Aftermath

After the Brazilian forces killed López, they headed towards the civilians in order to capture them. López and Eliza Lynch's eldest son Juan Francisco, who had been promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

during the war and was 15 years old, was with her. The Brazilian officers told him to surrender, and upon replying "''Un coronel paraguayo nunca se rinde''" ("A Paraguayan colonel never surrenders"),Bareiro Saguier, Ruben; Villagra Marsal, Carlos. ‘'Testimonios de la Guerra Grande. Muerte del Mariscal López. Tomo II'’, Editorial Servilibro. Asuncion, Paraguay, 2007. Page 106. he was shot and killed. Whereupon jumping and covering her son's body, Lynch exclaimed "''¿Ésta es la civilización que han prometido?''" ("Is this the civilization you have promised?"),Bareiro. Tomo I. Page 106 in reference to the allies' claim that they intended to free Paraguay from a tyrant and deliver freedom and civilization to the nation. She then buried both López and her son with her bare hands before being taken prisoner.

In popular culture

*''

Cerro Cora Cerro is Spanish for "hill" or "mountain". Toponyms ;Bolivia: * Cerro Rico, the "Rich Mountain" containing silver ore near Potosi, Bolivia ;Brazil: * Cerro Branco, a municipality of Rio Grande do Sul * Cerro Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, a munici ...

'' is a 1978 Paraguayan film set on the last days of the Paraguayan War.

Gallery

Image:Muerte de López en Río Aquidabán..jpg, Death of

in the

Aquidabán River The Aquidabán River (Spanish: ''Río Aquidabán'') is a river in the Amambay Department, in northeastern Paraguay. It is a tributary of the larger Paraguay River. Its headwaters start in the Amambai Mountains, and the river flows east-to-west ...

(by

Adolfo Methfessel Adolfo may refer to: * Adolfo, São Paulo, a Brazilian municipality * Adolfo (designer), Cuban-born American fashion designer * Adolfo or Adolf Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in Ge ...

) Image:Image-CerroCora DesdeCerroMuralla.jpg, Landscape of Cerro Corá as seen from the top of Cerro Muralla

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Cerro Cora Cerro Corá

March 1870 events