- Battle of Curupayty
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Battle of Curupayty Part of the War of the Triple Alliance 
Date September 22, 1866 Location Curupayty, Paraguay Result Paraguayan victory Belligerents 
Paraguay
Argentina
Empire of Brazil
UruguayCommanders and leaders José E. Díaz Bartolomé Mitre
Marquis of TamandaréStrength 5,000 20,000 Casualties and losses 92 killed 4,000 killed and wounded Paraguayan WarMato Grosso – Corrientes – Riachuelo – Paso de Cuevas – Yatay – Uruguaiana – Pehuajó – Estero Bellaco – Tuyutí – Curuzú – Curupayty – Humaitá – Piquissiri – Ytororó – Avay – Campaign of the Hills – Acosta Ñu – Cerro CoráThe Battle of Curupayty was a key battle in the War of the Triple Alliance.
On the morning of September 22, 1866, the joint force of the Imperial (Brazilian), Argentine and Uruguayan armies attacked Paraguayan fortified trenches on Curupaity. The Paraguayans were led by General José E. Díaz. This position was held by 5,000 men and 49 cannons, some of them in hidden places out of the attackers view. The Brazilian Navy gave support to the 20,000 assailants, but the ships had to keep some distance from the guns at the fortress of Humaitá, which led to the lack of accuracy and impact of the ship's fire. The Brazilian Navy failure was crucial at the later ground battle result. The Paraguayans were also successful in misleading their foes: a trench drew most of the Brazilian fire, but the Paraguayan troops were located elsewhere. Around 20 percent of the almost 20,000 allied (Brazilian and Argentine) troops involved in the attack were lost; Paraguay lost less than a hundred men. The utter failure resulted in the change of the allied command. Paraguay's biggest success in the ultimately disastrous War of the Triple Alliance was limited because its military leader Francisco Solano López didn't counterattack the defeated allies. Not even a general as celebrated as Díaz would attack without López's orders. Ultimately, the battle of Curupayty was merely a sidenote and temporary success in what would eventually become a near-extermination of the Paraguayan people.
References
- Scheina, Robert L (2003). Latin America's Wars: The Age of the Caudillo, 1791–1899. Dulles, Virginia: Brassey's. ISBN 1-57488-451-4.
Coordinates: 27°6′47″S 58°34′28″W / 27.11306°S 58.57444°W
Mato Grosso campaign · Battle of Riachuelo · Battle of Jataí · Battle of Estero Bellaco · Battle of Tuyutí · Battle of Curupayty · Passagem de Humaitá · Piquissiri maneuver · Battle of Ytororó · Battle of Acosta Ñu · Battle of Cerro CoráCategories:- Battles of the Paraguayan War
- Battles involving Argentina
- Battles involving Brazil
- Battles involving Paraguay
- Battles involving Uruguay
- Conflicts in 1866
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