In 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 ...
, the Battle of Yatay was fought on August 17, 1865, between the troops of the
Triple Alliance (
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
) and the soldiers 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 ...
near
Paso de los Libres
Paso de los Libres is a city in the east of the province of Corrientes in the Argentine Mesopotamia. It had about 44,000 inhabitants at the , and is the head town of the department of the same name.
The city lies on the right-hand (western) sh ...
,
Corrientes
Corrientes (; Guaraní: Taragüí, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12. It ha ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
The Battle of Yatay was the first major land battle 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 ...
, and most important of the war's second phase.
Background
Following the declaration of war by Paraguayan president
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.
...
on Argentina, the Paraguayans immediately attacked with two columns. The original plan was that the first column, commanded by
Wenceslao Robles
Wenceslao Robles was a Paraguayan general of the Paraguayan War who led the Battle of Corrientes and was described as "the oldest and the most forgotten of the generals of the war of 64/70".
Biography
Wenceslao Robles was born at Santísima Tri ...
, would seize the town of
Corrientes
Corrientes (; Guaraní: Taragüí, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12. It ha ...
while a second column of 12,000 men, commanded by
Antonio de la Cruz Estigarribia
Antonio de la Cruz Estigarribia was a Paraguayan Lieutenant colonel who was notable for his service in the Paraguayan War. He served as one of the main Paraguayan commanders during the Invasion of Rio Grande do Sul, organizing the Battle of São ...
, would then advance to the east of Corrientes and capture Brazilian possessions on the
Uruguay River
The Uruguay River ( es, Río Uruguay, ; pt, Rio Uruguai, ) is a major river in South America. It flows from north to south and forms parts of the boundaries of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of La M ...
. The primary focus of this invasion plan was the capture of Brazilian possessions, as this would prevent Brazilian expansion, a great concern of president López. The other column would then capture Corrientes, distracting Argentine forces and creating a lifeline between Paraguay and the Atlantic Ocean. This plan was later revised so that two-thirds of the assault force would attack Corrientes and later divert southeast and invade Uruguay. In response, a
military alliance
A military alliance is a formal agreement between nations concerning national security. Nations in a military alliance agree to active participation and contribution to the defense of others in the alliance in the event of a crisis. (Online) ...
was signed on 1 May among Argentina, Uruguay and the Empire of Brazil.
![Sargento Pedro Duarte](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Sargento_Pedro_Duarte.jpg)
Following the successful capture of Corrientes by the Paraguayans, Argentine general
Wenceslao Paunero launched a daring attack – on 25 May – that recaptured the city. However, given the numerical superiority of the Paraguayans, Paunero chose to evacuate the city and its civilians two days later and head to the southwest of the province. Only after having evacuated Corrientes did Paunero learn that the Paraguayans were advancing on the Uruguay River.
[
Argentine president Bartolomé Mitre put general ]Justo José de Urquiza
Justo José de Urquiza y García (; October 18, 1801 – April 11, 1870) was an Argentine general and politician who served as president of the Argentine Confederation from 1854 to 1860.
Life
Justo José de Urquiza y García was bo ...
, governor of the province of Entre Ríos, in charge of facing the Paraguayan column. Urquiza called on his aid Paunero, who had retreated to Esquina. These forces were joined by a battalion of volunteers from Corrientes, led by colonel Desiderio Sosa, who had participated in the reconquest of Corrientes. Many future heroes of the Corrientes province, such as Santiago Baibiene and Plácido Martínez, were in that battalion.
Meanwhile, the naval Battle of Riachuelo
The Battle of Riachuelo was a large and decisive naval battle of the Paraguayan War between Paraguay and the Empire of Brazil. By late 1864, Paraguay had scored a series of victories in the war, but on 11 June 1865, its naval defeat by the Brazi ...
took place. During the course of the battle the Imperial Brazilian fleet destroyed the Paraguayan squadron near the city of Corrientes. This loss prevented the Paraguayan column on the Paraná River from providing support to the forces on the Uruguay River.
Armies
On 5 May, after invading the northwest of the province of Corrientes
Corrientes (; Guaraní: Taragüí, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12. It ha ...
, general Estigarribia sent colonel Pedro Duarte in front of a small advance column to control the bank of the Uruguay River. Duarte took the city of Santo Tomé. Estigarribia's forces followed up and met him there four days latter. The army then crossed the Uruguay River and entered the Brazilian province of Rio Grande do Sul. They left behind them the column of Duarte, with more than 3,000 soldiers to defend Uruguay.
Estigarribia advanced unopposed to the south, taking on São Borja
São Borja is a city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. São Borja is the oldest municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and was founded in 1682 by the Jesuits as the first of the Seven Points of the Missions, and name ...
and Itaqui
Itaqui is a municipality in Brazil, located in the southwestern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, close to the Argentinian border, between Uruguaiana and São Borja. It sits at a mean altitude of 57 meters (187 ft), by the Uruguay Ri ...
. In the meantime, Estigarribia's column was attacked and partially destroyed on the outskirts of São Borja, in the battle of Butuí. Some of the Paraguayan forces were stationed in São Tomé and São Borja while Duarte was heading south.
Urquiza ordered Paunero to join him in Concordia, but the leader delayed the completion of Urquiza's orders. On June 4 the troops of Urquiza, who refused to fight the Paraguayans on the grounds of being considered allies against Brazil (which Argentina had frayed relations with), were disbanded.
Uruguayan president and general Venancio Flores
Venancio Flores Barrios (18 May 1808 – 19 February 1868) was a Uruguayan political leader and general. Flores was President of Uruguay from 1854 to 1855 (interim) and from 1865 to 1868.
Background and early career
In 1839, he was made politic ...
, fresh from his triumph over the Blanco party, marched to join Urquiza with 2,750 men. In addition, the Brazilian forces, commanded by lieutenant colonel Joaquim Rodrigues Coelho Nelly, numbering 1,200 men, were heading their way. They met on July 13. At the first meeting Flores was given the Line Cavalry Regiment "San Martín", with 450 men, plus one Uruguayan artillery squadron with 140 men. In total, Flores had 4,540 troops—not nearly enough to confront the Paraguayan columns.
Flores, Duarte and Estigarribia marched slowly to meet and engage in battle, while Paunero's 3,600 men began a march through swamps and rivers, swiftly crossing the southern province of Entre Ríos to join Flores. In addition, 1,400 cavalry soldiers from Corrientes under the command of general Juan Madariaga joined their forces. Finally, colonel Simeón Paiva, with 1,200 men, closely followed the column of Duarte.
Estigarribia had a chance to destroy all his enemies one by one, but missed. He also disobeyed orders from López, who ordered him to continue on his way to Alegrete. On August 5 he went to Uruguaiana
Uruguaiana is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is located on the eastern shore of the Uruguay River
bordering Argentina. Opposite to Uruguaiana, and joined to it by a road/railway bridge, lies the Argentine city of P ...
and ordered his troops to reorganize and gather supplies. The Brazilian forces of general David Canabarro
David José Martins, known as David Canabarro (born 22 August 1796, Taquari - died 1867, Santana do Livramento) was a Brazilian general.
Biography
Canabarro was born to José Martins Coelho (from Porto Alegre) and Mariana de Jesus Ignacia (fr ...
, too few to attack the column of 5,000 men of Estigarribia, were limited to camp near the city without being attacked by the Paraguayans.
On August 2 Duarte occupied the village of San José de Restauración, now the town of Paso de los Libres
Paso de los Libres is a city in the east of the province of Corrientes in the Argentine Mesopotamia. It had about 44,000 inhabitants at the , and is the head town of the department of the same name.
The city lies on the right-hand (western) sh ...
. A week later he advanced and was defeated, suffering 20 casualties in the Battle of Capí Quisé. Given the news that all enemy forces were in his pursuit, Duarte sought help from his superior, general Estigarribia, who answered:
Insulted, Duarte was prepared to give battle without any help.
On August 13 Paunero avoided the army of Duarte and joined Flores, whose forces then numbered 12,000 men, nearly four times the force of Duarte. Duarte moved away from Paso de los Libres and took positions on the banks of the Yatay stream, near the village.
There was a brief encounter on the afternoon of August 16, and at dusk the two armies were facing each other from half a mile off.
Battle
Both the Yatay and Uruguay rivers had recently flooded, leaving much of the battlefield underwater. Most Paraguayan infantry forces were entrenched among trees and ditches in the area of the nearby village estates and protected by mud that protected them from frontal approaches, but the stream behind them made it impossible to retreat in case of a defeat, which was considered very likely by Duarte.
Duarte's forces consisted of 1,980 infantry and 1,020 cavalry, with no artillery. The Allies had a total of 5,550 infantry, 5,000 cavalry and 32 pieces of artillery. Among the leaders of the allied army were experienced commanders such as Flores and Paunero, Lion Palleja, Ignacio Rivas, Enrique Castro
Enrique Castro González (; 23 September 1949 – 27 February 2018), known as Quini , was a Spanish footballer who played as a striker.
In a career totally connected with Sporting de Gijón and FC Barcelona, he was widely regarded as one of ...
and José Gregorio Suárez and Argentines Juan Bautista Charlone, José Miguel Arredondo, José Giribone Ignacio Segovia, Joaquin Viejobueno, Leopoldo Nelson, Simón Paiva and Madariaga.
The battle began at 10:00 am, with an early attack on the Paraguayan positions by the infantry division commanded by León de Pallejas. Duarte seized the opportunity and counterattacked with almost all his cavalry, causing hundreds of casualties and forcing them to retreat. Faced with an increasingly bad situation, the cavalry division of Segovia attacked the Paraguayan cavalry, supported by Castro's eastern and Suárez. For two hours the battle was fought exclusively with cavalry.
Duarte ordered a withdrawal maneuver, which finally enabled the allied infantry to go into action, and although their (the allies) numerical superiority was overwhelming, the Paraguayans fought with tenacity. When the battle was almost lost, Duarte tried a desperate cavalry charge, and in the fight his horse was killed. Paunero himself demanded that Duarte surrender, which he finally agreed to do.
A final Paraguayan force of infantry under lieutenant Zorrilla crossed the Yatay stream and was attacked by a cavalry unit of Suárez and Madariaga, who attacked from the rear. A few hundred Paraguayan soldiers swam the Uruguay River, while the rest were killed or taken prisoner. In total they suffered 1.700 dead and 300 wounded, including 1,200 prisoners.
Consequences
Among the prisoners, Flores found several dozen soldiers from the Uruguayan Blanco Party, supporters who had taken refuge in Paraguay who tried to wrest power in Uruguay from the hands of Flores' forces. He ordered their execution as traitors.
On September 18, after having assured the representatives of the Brazilian Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
that he would not surrender and would rather be buried under the rubble of Uruguaiana, general Estigarribia surrendered with little resistance.
Soon afterwards, the Paraguayan forces occupying the abandoned city of Corrientes retreated to the north, and soon moved on to Paraguay. Almost all of the war following was fought in Paraguayan territory until the country's complete defeat in 1870, which resulted in a considerable loss of the country's adult male population.
A street in the city of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, in the district of Caballito
Caballito (; Spanish for "little horse") is a '' barrio'' (neighborhood) of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It is the only ''barrio'' in the administrative division ''Comuna'' 6.
It is located in the geographical centre of the city, limite ...
, is named after this battle.[Canido Borges, Jorge Oscar,''Buenos Aires, the unknown; its streets, plazas and monuments,''Ed Corregidor, Buenos Aires, 2003. ]
Notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
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*
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External links
La batalla de Yatay, en La Gazeta.com
Batalla del Yatay, en El espacio de la geografía
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yatay
Conflicts in 1865
Battles involving Uruguay
Battles involving Argentina
Battles involving Paraguay
Battles involving Brazil
Battles of the Paraguayan War
History of Corrientes Province
1865 in South America
August 1865 events