The Mato Grosso campaign was an early Paraguayan offensive 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 ...

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 ...

invaded the Brazilian province of Mato Grosso (now Mato Grosso do Sul).

Paraguayan offensive

Paraguay took the initiative during the first phase of the war: invading Mato Grosso in the north on 14 December 1864,Hooker, T.D., 2008, The Paraguayan War, Nottingham: Foundry Books, Rio Grande do Sul in the south in early 1865, and the Argentine 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 ...

Two separate Paraguayan forces invaded Mato Grosso simultaneously. An expedition of 3,248 troops, commanded by Colonel

Vicente Barrios Vicente Barrios Bedoya was a Paraguayan general and politician who was the son-in-law of President Carlos Antonio López. Under López and his successor, Marshal and President Francisco Solano López, Barrios held many positions throughout the ea ...

, was transported by a naval squadron under the command of

Frigate Captain Frigate captain is a naval rank in the naval forces of several countries. Corvette captain lies one level below frigate captain. It is usually equivalent to the Commonwealth/US Navy rank of commander. Countries using this rank include Argentin ...

Pedro Ignacio Meza, up the

Paraguay River The Paraguay River (Río Paraguay in Spanish, Rio Paraguai in Portuguese, Ysyry Paraguái in Guarani) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. It flows about from its headwaters i ...

to the town of Concepción. They attacked the Novo de Coimbra fort on December 27. The Brazilian garrison of 154 men resisted for three days, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Hermenegildo Portocarrero (later Baron of Forte Coimbra). When their munitions were exhausted, the defenders abandoned the fort and withdrew up the river towards

Corumbá Corumbá is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, 425 km northwest of Campo Grande, the state's capital. It has a population of approximately 112,000 inhabitants, and its economy is based mainly on agriculture, anima ...

on board the gunboat ''Anhambaí''. After occupying the fort, the Paraguayans advanced north, taking the cities of Albuquerque, Tage, and Corumbá in January 1865. Barrios then sent a detachment to attack the military frontier post of

Dourados Dourados is a Brazilian municipality, situated in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Southwest of Campo Grande (the state's capital). It has a population of about 225,000 inhabitants, and its economy is based mainly in arable agriculture (particu ...

. This detachment, led by Major

Martín Urbieta Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Aust ...

, encountered tough resistance on 29 December 1864 from Lieutenant

Antônio João Ribeiro Antônio João Ribeiro was a Brazilian Lieutenant who served in the War of the Triple Alliance and was notable for his sacrifice in the Battle for Colônia Militar dos Dourados. Military career He was the son of Manoel Ribeiro de Brito and Rita ...

and his 16 men, who were all eventually killed. The Paraguayans continued to Nioaque and Miranda, defeating the troops of Colonel

José Dias da Silva 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 vernacu ...

Coxim Coxim is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Its population was 33,459 (2020) and its area is 6,412 km². It was founded in 1729. It is located at the confluence of the Coxim and Taquari Taquari is a muni ...

was taken in April 1865. The second Paraguayan column, formed from some of the 4,650 men led by Colonel Francisco Isidoro Resquín at Concepcion, penetrated into Mato Grosso with 1,500 troops. Despite these victories, the Paraguayan forces did not continue to

Cuiabá Cuiabá () is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America. Also, it forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várzea Grande. The city ...

, the capital of the province, where Augusto Leverger had fortified the camp of Melgaço to protect Cuiabá. Their main objective was the capture of the gold and diamond mines, disrupting the flow into Brazil until 1869.

Brazilian counter-offensive

Brazil sent an expedition to fight the invaders in Mato Grosso. A column of 2,780 men led by Colonel Manuel Pedro Drago left the town of

Uberaba Uberaba () is a city in the state of Minas Gerais, southeast Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Highlands at above sea level on the Uberaba River, and away from the state capital, Belo Horizonte. The city status was granted in 1856, and i ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

in April 1865, and crossed the Apa River into Paraguay in April 1867. In January 1867, Colonel Carlos de Morais Camisão had assumed command of the column after the deaths of Drago and Galvão. The column numbered 1,907 men by April. President

Solano López Solano may refer to: Places * California State Prison, Solano * San Francisco Solano, a town in Almirante Brown Partido, Argentina * Solano Avenue, a street in Berkeley and Albany, California, in the United States * Solano castle, a colonial cast ...

sent the 21st Cavalry Regiment to Concepción to reinforce the cavalry under the command of Martin Urbieta. Despite winning the Battle of Baiende, Colonel Camisão was forced to retreat due to lack of supplies, which further reduced his force to 578 men. Though he died of cholera along the way, the remnants of his force reached Canuto on 11 June.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mato Grosso Campaign Conflicts in 1864 Battles of the Paraguayan War History of Mato Grosso do Sul