Retreat from Laguna

Retreat from Laguna
	Part of the Paraguayan War
	; Expedition of the Imperial Army to Mato Grosso do sul
Date	May 8 - June 11, 1867.
Location	Bela Vista, Mato Grosso do Sul, Empire of Brazil
Result	Paraguayan victory
Belligerents
Paraguay Paraguayan Army;	Empire of Brazil Imperial Army; Terena people;
Commanders and leaders
Vicente Barrios; Isidoro Resquín;	Manuel Pedro Drago; Carlos Camisão;
Strength
5,000 soldiers	3,500 soldiers ; hundreds of indigenous warriors
Casualties and losses
Unknown	2,800

The Invasion of the then province of Mato Grosso by the forces of the Paraguayan Army in December 1864, the war declared, one of the first Brazilian reactions was to send a military land contingent to fight the invaders in Mato Grosso.

In April 1865, a column left Rio de Janeiro, under the command of Colonel Manuel Pedro Drago, receiving reinforcements in Uberaba, in the then Province of Minas Gerais, covering more than two thousand kilometers by land until reaching Coxim, in the Province of Mato Grosso, in December of that same year, which she found abandoned.

The same was repeated when they reached Miranda in September 1866. In January 1867, Colonel Carlos de Morais Camisão assumed command of the column, then reduced to 1,680 men, and decided to invade Paraguayan territory, where he penetrated to Laguna, in April . Too distant from Brazilian lines, and without food for the troops, affected by cholera, typhus, and beriberi, the column of the Brazilian Army was forced to withdraw under the constant attacks of Paraguayan cavalry, portrayed in a reliable manner in the literature viscount of Taunay, inflicting severe losses on Brazilians.[1]

Participation of the Terena people

An often overlooked fact is that the Amerindians were instrumental in Brazil in this episode. When Brazilian troops withdrew, the Terena and Guaicurus-Kadiweus Indians were the only ones to defend Brazilian territory, and, using guerrilla tactics, they managed to stop the Paraguayan advance until the Brazilian army could compose itself.

In gratitude for the defense of the homeland, the Kadiwéu Indians won an indigenous reserve of Dom Pedro II, located in the municipality of Bodoquena (Mato Grosso do Sul) with an area of approximately 350 thousand hectares.[2]

References

Taunay, Alfredo d'escragnolle (2003). A retirada da Laguna. São Paulo- Brasil: Martin Claret. pp. pág. 164 (notas de rodapé).
"Tekoha" (PDF). Ministério Público Federal em Mato Grosso do Sul. April 2012.

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[1] Taunay, Alfredo d'escragnolle (2003). A retirada da Laguna. São Paulo- Brasil: Martin Claret. pp. pág. 164 (notas de rodapé).

[2] "Tekoha" (PDF). Ministério Público Federal em Mato Grosso do Sul. April 2012.