The Battle of Purutué Bank (also called Redemption Island, Itapirú Bank, Carayá Island, Carvalho Island, Cabrita Island or Vitória Island) took place on 10 April 1866, during 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 ...

Preparation

Almost in the middle of the Paraná River, bordering the , there was an island - in fact a sand bank - covered by vast grassland, which would later be called ''Ilha da Redenção'', ''Ilha de Carvalho'' or ''Ilha do Cabrita''. 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, ...

decided to occupy the island, important for its position in relation to the fort and the enemy camp, to serve as a point of support against the Paraguayans. On 5 April 1866, lieutenant colonel of engineers

José Carlos de Carvalho 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 ...

was ordered to ship a 12-inch ''La Hitte'' battery and a 4-inch mortar, in addition to the corresponding material to cover them. The garrison of the island, composed of the aforementioned batteries, 100 soldiers of the Battalion of Engineers, the 7th infantry battalion of Fatherland Volunteers and the 14th Battalion of the National Guard, was commanded by lieutenant colonel João Carlos de Villagran Cabrita.

The Battle

At 4 am on 10 April 1866, a Paraguayan force landed on the island trying to dislodge the Brazilian troops from their position. They were repelled with great losses and withdrew under the fire of the Brazilian fleet, which, in turn, was forced to withdraw before the fire of the Itapirú fort. Colonel Villagran Cabrita was killed by a bomb fired from the Itapirú fort when, aboard a boat that contained ammunition for the island's garrison, he dictated the victory report. His name was given to the island. Guerre du Paraguay. - Combat de l’isle de la Rédempcion das le Paraná (10 avril) - la 19ª brigade brésillienne commandée par le colonel Willagran-Cabrita repoussant l’assaut des paraguayens.jpg, Combat of Ilha da Redenção, on the Paraná River (April 10, 1866): the 19th Brazilian Brigade repels the Paraguayan assault. Ataque de los paraguayos á la Isla Carayá.jpg, Paraguayan attack on Carayá Island. Ataque da Ilha do Carvalho e Derrota dos Paraguayos no Dia 10 de Abril de 1866.jpg, Attack on Carvalho Island. Episódio do combate na ilha do Carvalho.jpg, Episode of the combat on the Carvalho Island ('' Semana Ilustrada'', nº 283, 13/05/1866).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purutué Bank April 1866 events Battles involving Paraguay Battles involving Brazil Conflicts in 1866 Naval battles of the Paraguayan War