Battle of Jataí
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Yatai was fought on August 17, 1865 between the troops of the Triple Alliance
(Argentina
, Brazil
and Uruguay
) and the soldiers of Paraguay
near Paso de los Libres
, now Paso de los Libres Department
Corrientes Province
, Argentina.
The Battle of Yatai was the first major land battle of the war, and most important of the war's second phase, the battle was fought in the territory of Corrientes.
In response, on May 1 a military alliance
was signed between Argentina, Uruguay and the Empire of Brazil.
Following the successful capture of Corrientes, Argentine General Wenceslao Paunero
launched a daring attack – on May 25 – which recaptured the city. But, given the enormous numerical superiority of the enemy he chose to evacuated 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 mking progress on the Uruguay River.
Argentine President Bartolomé Mitre
instructed general Urquiza
, governor of the province of Entre Ríos,to face the Paraguayan column. Urquiza called on his aid Paunero, who had retreated to Corner. These forces were joined by a battalion of volunteers from Corrientes, led by Colonel Desiderio Sosa, who had participated in the reconquest of Corrientes, in the battalion there were many future heroes of the History of Corrientes Province such as Santiago Baibiene and Plácido Martínez.
Meanwhile, the naval Battle of Riachuelo
took place, during the course of the battle the Brazilian fleet destroyed the Paraguayan squadron near the city of Corrientes. This loss prevented the Paraguayan column Paraná River
fom providing support to the forces on the Uruguay River.
Estigarribia advanced unopposed to the south, taking on São Borja
and Itaqui
. In the meantime,the Estigarribias's column was attacked and partially destroyed on the outskirts of São Borja, in combating Mbuty. Some of the Paraguayan forces were stationed in Sao Tome 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, because they considred them allies against Brazil which Argentina had frayed relations with, were disbanded.
GeneralVenancio Flores
, president of Uruguay fresh from his triumph over the white party
or "blancos", marched to join Urquiza with 2 750 men. Also the Brazilian forces, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Joaquim Rodrigues Coelho Nelly, composed of 1,200 men, were heading their way. They met on July 13. At the 1st meeting Flores was given the Line Cavalry Regiment "San Martín", with 450 men, plus the artillery squadron East with 140 men. In total, Flores had 4,540 men,not nearly enough to confront the Paraguayan columns
Flores, Duarte and Estigarribia marched slowly to meet and make battle, while with 3,600 men Paunero began a rapid march through swamps and rivers, rapidly crossing the southern province of Entre Rios to join Flores. In addition 1,400 of correntina cavalry under General Juan Madariagajoined their forces. Finally, Colonel Simeon Paiva, with 1,200 men, followed closely by the column of Duarte.
Estigarribia had a chance to destroy all his enemies one by one, but missed. He also disobeyed orders from Lopez, who ordered him continue on his way to Alegrete
: On August 5 he went to Uruguayana and ordered his troops to reorganize and supply themselves. Brazilian forces of General David Canabarro
, too few to attack the column of 5,000 men 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 Restoration, now the town of Paso de los Libres
. A week later, he advanced and was defeated suffering 20 casualties in the battle of Chap Kish. Given the news that all enemy forces were in pursuit, Duarte sought help from his superior, General Estigarribia, who sent him to answer:
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 position on the banks of the stream Yatay, 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.
Duarte forces consisted of 1,980 infantry and 1,020 cavalry, with no artillery. The Allies had in total 5,550 foot soldiers, 5,000 cavalry and 32 pieces of artillery. Among the leaders of the allied army chiefs were experienced commanders flores and Paunero, Lion Palleja, Ignacio Rivas, Enrique Castro and Gregory Smith
and Argentines Juan Bautista Charlone, José Miguel Arredondo, José Giribone Ignacio Segovia, Joaquin Viejobueno, Leopoldo Nelson, Simeon Paiva and Madariaga.
The battle began at ten o'clock, with a hasty attack on the paraguayan positions by the Palleja Infantry Division. Duarte took advantage of the mistake and countered with almost all his cavalry, causing hundreds of casualties and forcing them to retreat.Faced with a increasingling bad situation, the cavalry division of Segovia attacked the Paraguayan cavalry, supported by Castro's eastern and Suarez. For two hours the battle was fought exclusively with cavalry.
Duarte ordered a withdrawal maneuver, which finally enabled the Allied infantry into action, and although their (the allies) numerical superiority was overwhelming, the Paraguayans fought back with tenacity. When the battle was almost lost, Duarte tried a desperate cavalry charge, with the result that his horse was killed. Paunero himself demmanded Duarte to surrender, which he finally agreed to do.
A final Paraguayan force of the infantry under Lt. Zorrilla, crossed the stream Yatay and was charged by a cavalry attack of Suarez and Madariaga, who attacked from the rear. A few hundred Paraguayan soldiers swam the river Uruguay, while the rest were killed or taken prisoner. In total, they suffered 1.500 dead and 1,600 prisoners, including 300 wounded.
On September 18, after having assured the representatives of Emperor
that he would not surrender and would rather be buried under the rubble of Uruguayana, General Estigarribia surrendered almost without fighting anyway.
Soon after, the Paraguayan forces occupying the abandoned city of Corrientes, retreated to the north, and soon to Paraguay. Virtually all the rest of the war was fought in the territory of Paraguay until the country's complete defeat in 1870, after losing 70% of its adult male population.
A street in the city of Buenos Aires
, in the district of Caballito, recalls this battle.
Brazil°N conflict=yes°W
Triple Alliance
Triple Alliance may refer to:* Aztec Triple Alliance - Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan; better known as the Aztec Empire* Triple Alliance - England, France and the Dutch Republic...
(Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
) and the soldiers of Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
near Paso de los Libres
Paso de los Libres
Paso de los Libres is a city in the east of the province of Corrientes in the Argentine Mesopotamia. It has about 44,000 inhabitants as of the , and is the head town of the department of the same name....
, now Paso de los Libres Department
Paso de los Libres Department
Paso de los Libres Department is a department of Corrientes Province in Argentina.The provincial subdivision has a population of about 46,329 inhabitants in an area of 4,700 km², and its capital city is Paso de los Libres, which is located around 715 km from Capital...
Corrientes Province
Corrientes Province
Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:...
, Argentina.
The Battle of Yatai was the first major land battle of the war, and most important of the war's second phase, the battle was fought in the territory of Corrientes.
Background
Following the decalaration of war by Paraguayan president/dictator Francisco Solano Lopez on the state of Argentina the Paraguayans immediately attacked with two columns. The original plan was that the first column, commanded by Wenceslao Robles, would seize Corrientes. A second column of 12,000 men commanded by Antonio de la Cruz Estigarribia would then advance to the east of Corrientes and capture Brazilian possessions on the Uruguay river. The primay focus of this invasion plan was the capture of Brazilian possessions because this would prevent alleged Brazilian expansionsionism which was a great concern of President Lopez. The other column would then capture Corrientes distracting Argentine armed force and create 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 latter divert southeast and invade Uruguay.In response, on May 1 a military alliance
Triple Alliance
Triple Alliance may refer to:* Aztec Triple Alliance - Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan; better known as the Aztec Empire* Triple Alliance - England, France and the Dutch Republic...
was signed between Argentina, Uruguay and the Empire of Brazil.
Following the successful capture of Corrientes, Argentine General Wenceslao Paunero
Wenceslao Paunero
Wenceslao Paunero was an Argentine fencer. He competed in the individual and team épée competitions at the 1924 Summer Olympics.-References:...
launched a daring attack – on May 25 – which recaptured the city. But, given the enormous numerical superiority of the enemy he chose to evacuated 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 mking progress on the Uruguay River.
Argentine President Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre Martínez was an Argentine statesman, military figure, and author. He was the President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868.-Life and times:...
instructed general Urquiza
Justo José de Urquiza
Justo José de Urquiza y García was an Argentine general and politician. He was president of the Argentine Confederation from 1854 to 1860.He was governor of Entre Ríos during the government of Juan Manuel de Rosas, governor of Buenos Aires with powers delegated from the other provinces...
, governor of the province of Entre Ríos,to face the Paraguayan column. Urquiza called on his aid Paunero, who had retreated to Corner. These forces were joined by a battalion of volunteers from Corrientes, led by Colonel Desiderio Sosa, who had participated in the reconquest of Corrientes, in the battalion there were many future heroes of the History of Corrientes Province such as Santiago Baibiene and Plácido Martínez.
Meanwhile, the naval Battle of Riachuelo
Battle of Riachuelo
The naval Battle of Riachuelo was a key point in the War of the Triple Alliance. By late 1864, Paraguay had scored a series of victories in the war; on June 11, 1865, however, its naval defeat by Brazil began to turn the tide in favor of the allies....
took place, during the course of the battle the Brazilian fleet destroyed the Paraguayan squadron near the city of Corrientes. This loss prevented the Paraguayan column Paraná River
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
fom providing support to the forces on the Uruguay River.
Armies
Having invaded the northwestern province of Corrientes, General Estigarribia sent May 5 Colonel Pedro Duarte in front of a small advance column to control the bank of the Uruguay River. Duarte took the city of Santo Tome Estigarribia's forces followed up and met him there four days latter. The army then crossed the Uruguay River and entered the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. They left behind them the column of Duarte, with more than 3,000 soldiers to defend the Uruguay.Estigarribia advanced unopposed to the south, taking on São Borja
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 named São Francisco de Borja, in honor of Saint Francis...
and Itaqui
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 , by the Uruguay River. Its population is currently estimated at 42,000.- History :The...
. In the meantime,the Estigarribias's column was attacked and partially destroyed on the outskirts of São Borja, in combating Mbuty. Some of the Paraguayan forces were stationed in Sao Tome 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, because they considred them allies against Brazil which Argentina had frayed relations with, were disbanded.
GeneralVenancio Flores
Venancio Flores
Venancio Flores Barrios was a Uruguayan political leader and general. Flores was President of Uruguay from 1854 to 1855 and from 1865 to 1868.-Background and early career:...
, president of Uruguay fresh from his triumph over the white party
National Party (Uruguay)
The National Party , also known as the White Party , is a major right-wing conservative political party in Uruguay, currently the major opposition party to the ruling Frente Amplio government....
or "blancos", marched to join Urquiza with 2 750 men. Also the Brazilian forces, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Joaquim Rodrigues Coelho Nelly, composed of 1,200 men, were heading their way. They met on July 13. At the 1st meeting Flores was given the Line Cavalry Regiment "San Martín", with 450 men, plus the artillery squadron East with 140 men. In total, Flores had 4,540 men,not nearly enough to confront the Paraguayan columns
Flores, Duarte and Estigarribia marched slowly to meet and make battle, while with 3,600 men Paunero began a rapid march through swamps and rivers, rapidly crossing the southern province of Entre Rios to join Flores. In addition 1,400 of correntina cavalry under General Juan Madariagajoined their forces. Finally, Colonel Simeon Paiva, with 1,200 men, followed closely by the column of Duarte.
Estigarribia had a chance to destroy all his enemies one by one, but missed. He also disobeyed orders from Lopez, who ordered him continue on his way to Alegrete
Alegrete
Alegrete is a town and a municipality in Rio Grande do Sul located in southern Brazil. Its medium altitude is 102 m. Its estimated population in 2008 was 78,984 inhabitants and the total area is 7,803.967 km² . Its inhabitants are called Alegretenses.Alegrete was settled in 1816 and became a...
: On August 5 he went to Uruguayana and ordered his troops to reorganize and supply themselves. Brazilian forces of General David Canabarro
David Canabarro
David Joseph Martins, known as David Canabarro was a military Brazil eiro.He had Azorean ancestry: he was the grandson of Joseph Martin and Jacinta Faleiros Rosa Island's natural Third. Installed in Porto Alegre, then their son was born the man who would be Joseph Martins Coelho...
, too few to attack the column of 5,000 men 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 Restoration, now the town of Paso de los Libres
Paso de los Libres
Paso de los Libres is a city in the east of the province of Corrientes in the Argentine Mesopotamia. It has about 44,000 inhabitants as of the , and is the head town of the department of the same name....
. A week later, he advanced and was defeated suffering 20 casualties in the battle of Chap Kish. Given the news that all enemy forces were in pursuit, Duarte sought help from his superior, General Estigarribia, who sent him to answer:
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 position on the banks of the stream Yatay, 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.
The Battle
Both the Yatay and Uruguay rivers had recently flooded, leaving most of the battlefield flooded. Most Paraguayan infantry forces were entrenched among trees and ditches in the area of the nearby village estates, and were protected by a mud that covered the frontal approach, but leaving the stream behind them made it impossible to retreat in the case of a defeat, which was considered very likely Duarte.Duarte forces consisted of 1,980 infantry and 1,020 cavalry, with no artillery. The Allies had in total 5,550 foot soldiers, 5,000 cavalry and 32 pieces of artillery. Among the leaders of the allied army chiefs were experienced commanders flores and Paunero, Lion Palleja, Ignacio Rivas, Enrique Castro and Gregory Smith
Gregory Smith
Gregory Edward Smith is a Canadian/American actor. He began working as a child actor in the mid 1980s, initially appearing in a number of made-for-video and television films...
and Argentines Juan Bautista Charlone, José Miguel Arredondo, José Giribone Ignacio Segovia, Joaquin Viejobueno, Leopoldo Nelson, Simeon Paiva and Madariaga.
The battle began at ten o'clock, with a hasty attack on the paraguayan positions by the Palleja Infantry Division. Duarte took advantage of the mistake and countered with almost all his cavalry, causing hundreds of casualties and forcing them to retreat.Faced with a increasingling bad situation, the cavalry division of Segovia attacked the Paraguayan cavalry, supported by Castro's eastern and Suarez. For two hours the battle was fought exclusively with cavalry.
Duarte ordered a withdrawal maneuver, which finally enabled the Allied infantry into action, and although their (the allies) numerical superiority was overwhelming, the Paraguayans fought back with tenacity. When the battle was almost lost, Duarte tried a desperate cavalry charge, with the result that his horse was killed. Paunero himself demmanded Duarte to surrender, which he finally agreed to do.
A final Paraguayan force of the infantry under Lt. Zorrilla, crossed the stream Yatay and was charged by a cavalry attack of Suarez and Madariaga, who attacked from the rear. A few hundred Paraguayan soldiers swam the river Uruguay, while the rest were killed or taken prisoner. In total, they suffered 1.500 dead and 1,600 prisoners, including 300 wounded.
Consequences
Among the prisoners, Flores found several dozen soldiers from Uruguay, Blanco Party supporters who had taken refuge in Paraguay, and then tried to rest power in Uruguay from the hands of the Flores' forces. Flores ordered their execution as traitors.On September 18, after having assured the representatives of Emperor
Pedro II of Brazil
Dom Pedro II , nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of...
that he would not surrender and would rather be buried under the rubble of Uruguayana, General Estigarribia surrendered almost without fighting anyway.
Soon after, the Paraguayan forces occupying the abandoned city of Corrientes, retreated to the north, and soon to Paraguay. Virtually all the rest of the war was fought in the territory of Paraguay until the country's complete defeat in 1870, after losing 70% of its adult male population.
A street in the city of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, in the district of Caballito, recalls this battle.
Main Bibliography
- Giorgio, Dante A., Yatay, la primera sangre, Revista Todo es Historia, Nro. 445, Bs. As., 2004.
External links
Brazil°N conflict=yes°W