Battle of Paso de Mercedes

The Battle of Paso de Mercedes was fought on 11 August 1865 during the Paraguayan invasion of the Argentine province of Corrientes.

Battle of Paso de Mercedes
Part of the Paraguayan War
DateAugust 11, 1865 (1865-08-11)
Location
Corrientes Province, Argentina
Result

Brazilian victory

  • Warships successfully pass
Belligerents
 Empire of Brazil
 Paraguay
Commanders and leaders
Francisco M. Barroso José María Bruguez
Strength
12 ships with 60 cannons 3,000 soldiers with 34 cannons
Casualties and losses
20 killed and injured 2 killed and 8 injured

The battle took place at Bella Vista along the Paraná River, west of Mercedes.

History
This graph shows the Paraguayan plan to ambush the Brazilian imperial fleet at the Passage of the Mercedes on June 18, 1865.

Following the Battle of Riachuelo, José María Bruguez, Paraguayan commander, moved his men and Major Aquino's batteries to Punta Mercedes, about 15 miles north of Stonehouse ( Corrientes), to kilometer 1157 of the Paraná River. in attempt to cut the fleet from their supply base downstream. He chose this position on 15 meter cliffs, as it afforded the guns a good angle on the passing fleet, from which he fired canister and grapeshot.[1]: 36 

The Brazilian Navy fleet consisted of the Amazonas frigate (flagship), Apa, 6 gunboats: Ipiranga, Beberibe, Mearim, Araguary, Ivahy and Iguatemy; corvettes: Parnahyba, Belmonte, Maje, and Itajaí. Once past the gauntlet, Barroso continued another 9.6 km downstream, where he stopped for the night. Bruguez meanwhile, backed up batteries and headed once again down river to Punta Cuevas, 25 km south of the town of Bella Vista, where he repeated his action against the fleet in the Battle of Paso de Cuevas.

References
  1. Hooker, T.D., 2008, The Paraguayan War, Nottingham: Foundry Books, ISBN 1901543153

Further reading
  • Caillet-Bois, Teodoro (1944). Historia Naval Argentina. Buenos Aires: Imprenta López.
  • Beverina, Juan (1973). La Guerra del Paraguay (1865-1870). Buenos Aires: Círculo Militar.
  • Theotonio Meirelles Da Silva, Historia Naval Brazileira, BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2008.
  • Mendonça, Mário F. e Vasconcelos, Alberto, Repositório de Nomes dos Navios da Esquadra Brasileira, Río de Janeiro, 1959
  • Andréa, Júlio, A Marinha Brasileira: florões de glórias e de epopéias memoráveis, Río de Janeiro, SDGM, 1955.

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