Siege of Paysandú
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The siege of Paysandú began on 3 December 1864, during the
Uruguayan War The Uruguayan War (10 August 1864 – 20 February 1865) was fought between Uruguay's governing Blanco Party and an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil and the Uruguayan Colorado Party, covertly supported by Argentina. Since its i ...
, when Brazilian forces (under the
Marquis of Tamandaré 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 wi ...
) and Colorado forces (under
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 politi ...
) attempted to capture the city of
Paysandú Paysandú () is the capital of Paysandú Department in western Uruguay. Location The city is located on the banks of the Uruguay River, which forms the border with Argentina. It lies northwest of Montevideo via Route 1 and Route 3, on the ju ...
in Uruguay from its Uruguayan Army defenders. The
siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...
ended on 2 January 1865, when the Brazilian and Colorado forces conquered the town.


Siege

By 3 December 1864 the Brazilian navy enforced a blockade of Paysandú with one corvette and four gunboats. The besieged garrison had 1,254 men and 15 cannons, under the command of Colonel
Leandro Gómez José María Leandro Gómez Calvo, better known as Leandro Gómez (Montevideo, 13 March 1811 – Paysandú, 2 January 1865) was a Uruguayan military officer and politician. A member of the National Party (Uruguay), National Party, he is bes ...
. The Brazilians had 1,695 infantrymen, 195 artillerymen, 320 navy personnel (for a total of 2,210 men) and 30 cannons. The Colorados deploying 800 infantrymen and 7 cannons (3 of which were
rifled In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the proj ...
). Colonel Gómez declined an offer to surrender. From 6 December until 8 December, the Brazilians and Colorados made attempts to storm the town, advancing through the streets, but were unable to take it.See: * ; * ; * . Tamandaré and Flores decided to await Brazil's Army of the South. Meanwhile, Uruguay sent General with 3,000 men and 4 cannons to relieve the besieged town. The Brazilians and Colorados briefly lift their siege while dealing with this new threat. Saá abandoned his advance before encountering the enemy force, and fled north of the Río Negro.See: * ; * ; * ; * . On 29 December, Field Marshal Army of the South reached Paysandú, with two infantry brigades and one artillery regiment under Lieutenant Colonel ; while Brazilian cavalry established camp a few kilometers away. Meanwhile, in Paysandú commander Gómez beheaded forty Colorados and fifteen Brazilian prisoners and "hung their still-dripping heads above his trenches in full view of their compatriots". On 31 December, Brazilians and Colorados recommenced their attack, and after a bitter struggle overran the city's defenses on 2 January 1865.


Aftermath

The Brazilians captured Gómez and handed him over to the Colorados. Colonel Gregorio "Goyo" Suárez shot Gómez and three of his officers. "Suárez's actions were not really unexpected, as several members of his immediate family had fallen victim to Gómez's wrath against the Colorados." The Church of Paysandú was severely damaged at the end of the siege.


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Alves, J. V. Portella Ferreira. ''Mallet, o Patrono da Artilharia''. Rio de Janeiro: Biblioteca do Exército, 1979. * Maia, João do Prado. ''A Marinha de Guerra do Brasil na Colônia e no Império''. 2 ed. Rio de Janeiro: Livraria Editora Cátedra, 1975. {{DEFAULTSORT:Siege Of Paysandu Military history of Uruguay Military history of Brazil Paysandu December 1864 events January 1865 events Battles of the Uruguayan War