Paraguay campaign

Paraguay Campaign
Part of Spanish American wars of independence
The Argentine armies crossing the Paraná river
Date September 1810 – March 1811 Location Paraguay Result Paraguayan victory. Paraguay achieved independence from Buenos Aires. Months later, it would gain independence from Spain.
Belligerents
United Provinces of the Río de la Plata	Paraguay
Commanders and leaders
Brig. Gral. Dr. Manuel Belgrano	Cap. Gral. Bernardo de Velazco Cnel. Fulgencio Yegros
Strength
Around 1,000 - 2,000 men	Spanish Troops: around 1,500 men Paraguayan Patriots: around 3,500 men
Casualties and losses
Around 500 - 1,000 men (killed, wounded and prisoners)	Around 500 - 1,000 men (killed, wounded and prisoners)

The Paraguay campaign (1810–1811) was the attempt by a Buenos Aires-sponsored militia, commanded by Manuel Belgrano, to win the Intendency of Paraguay for the revolutionary cause. It is also considered for the Paraguayans as their war for independence. The first battles were fought in Campichuelo and Maracana and the Argentines claimed victory in both fields. However, they were completely vanquished in the subsequent battles of Paraguarí and Tacuarí. The campaign ended in a military failure and Paraguay broke its links with the Spanish crown just two months after Belgrano's withdrawal, achieving full independence.

Actions of "la Primera Junta"

Three months after the creation of the Primera Junta, Manuel Belgrano was appointed Chief Commander of an army destined to gather support at Corrientes, Santa Fe, Paraguay and the Banda Oriental. Few days later his goal is made more specific: he must aim for Paraguay. The Junta had been informed that the patriotic party was strong, and a small army would suffice to take control. Trusting such information, Belgrano was destined for Paraguay with two possible goals, get acknowledgment for the Junta in Paraguay or promote a new government that would stay in friendly terms with Buenos Aires.

Belgrano headed for the north with nearly two hundred men, expecting to gather more people on his way to the Paraná River. Soldiers from the Blandengues regiments of San Nicolás and Santa Fe joined them en route, and later the Junta sent reinforcements of other two hundred soldiers. The army was welcomed by most of the population found in their way, receiving donations and new recruits in most villages. Finally, the army gathered was composed of nearly 950 men, among infantry and cavalry, divided in four divisions with one piece of artillery each.

The Paraguayan Congress of July 24th, 1810

"This Congress will not discuss whether it's the sodomite King (of Spain) or his weak son, our ruler. None of them have anymore power upon Paraguay. This Congress must discuss the way of protecting our independence from Brasil, Buenos Aires and Lima... Paraguay is free, is independent and it is a Republic..."

— Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia, phD. Speech in the Paraguayan Congress of July 24th, 1810, according to F. Francisco Xavier de Bogarin.

Paraguay had been a highly isolated region during the colonial times, which made the independentist ideas stronger than in other regions of the Spanish viceroyalties. and for Paraguayans themselves, their independence starts in the Congress of July 24th, 1810. In that event, Paraguayans refuse to pledge themselves to the Junta of Buenos Aires and agreed to remain loyal to the Consejo de Regencia. Yet the process of independence starts here, as most Paraguayans, led by Dr. Francia and other patriots, took control of the situation and started to work for obtaining independence, both from the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata and the Kingdom of Spain. Belgrano ignored all this when he invaded Paraguay, believing that he would find a favourable ambient. There were three main political tendencies in Paraguay: those who supported the Regency Council, those who supported the Junta of Buenos Aires, and those who supported a declaration of independence.

The Campaign

By the end of October, Belgrano's army stopped at Curuzú Cuatiá, where an old border conflict between Corrientes and Yapeyu was solved. Belgrano set the territories that would belong to Curuzu Cuatiá and Mandisoví, and organized their urban layout around the chapel and the school. By November the army reached the Paraná near the Apipé island, and there Belgrano took measures to benefit the natives that were living in missions. With his authority as vowel of the Junta he gave them full civil and political rights, granted lands, authorized commerce with the United Provinces, and lifted the inability to take public or religious office. However, the Junta later requested him to seek authorization for such changes in the future.

Map of the operations

From that point the army moves to Candelaria, which is used as stronghold for the attack on Paraguay. The terrain of the zone gave a clear advantage to Velazco, who confronted Belgrano: the Paraná River, nearly 1,000 m. wide, was an effective natural barrier, and once it was crossed the patriotic army would have to move for a long distance across a land without supplies. Swamps, hills, rivers and lakes would also force the army to march slowly, making a possible retreat very difficult. The Parana was crossed with several boats on December 19, and a force of 54 Paraguayan soldiers was forced to flee during the battle of Campichuelo. Belgrano saw Velazco's army from the Mbaé hill, and despite being greatly outnumbered he ordered the attack anyway, trusting in the moral strength of his soldiers. When the battle of Paraguarí started, Belgrano's troops had an initial advantage, but eventually Velazco made his numeric superiority prevail, thanks to the intervention of the Paraguayan patriots (around 3,500 men, who completely outnumbered the forces of the brave Argentine general).

Even with 10 deaths and 120 soldiers taken prisoner, Belgrano wanted to keep on fighting, but his officers convinced him to retreat. Belgrano's decision of continuing the fight wasn't based on foolish impressions, but in a very logical criteria about the superiority of his weapons because he knew that the Paraguayans were barely armed while his soldiers had full equipment and supplies.

The army left for Tacuarí, being closely watched by the combined armies of Fulgencio Yegros and Manuel Atanasio Cabañas.Those two armies had nearly three thousand soldiers, while Belgrano was left with barely four hundred. They were attacked from many sides during the battle of Tacuarí, on March 9. Greatly outnumbered and losing an unequal fight, Belgrano is threatened with surrender, but refuses to do so. He reorganizes the remaining 235 men and orders his secretary to burn all his documents and personal papers, to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Belgrano arranges the troops and artillery to fire for many minutes, making the Paraguayan soldiers disperse. When it stopped, he requested an armistice, telling Cabañas that he had arrived in Paraguay to aid and not to conquer, but considering the open hostility found, he would leave the province. Cabañas accepted, on the grounds that the province was left within a day.

Aftermath

The Paraguay campaign was a complete defeat for the Primera Junta from a military point of view. For the Paraguayans, the defeat of Belgrano became the independence from the rule of Buenos Aires and the primal point for their future liberty from the yoke of Spain. That's why both Paraguayans and Argentines consider that, despite the victory of Paraguay and the independence of the Intendencia del Paraguay from Buenos Aires, the actions of Belgrano were very important for the decisive Paraguayan indepdendence from Spain. However, in doing so they also break up with Buenos Aires: they maintained good relations, but were no longer part of the same political entity.

See also

• Manuel Belgrano
• Argentine War of Independence
• History of Paraguay

Bibliography

• Luna, Félix (2004). Grandes protagonistas de la Historia Argentina: Manuel Belgrano (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Grupo Editorial Planeta. ISBN 950-49-1247-8.
• García Mellid, Atilio (1964). Proceso a los Falsificadores de la Historia del Paraguay, Volumen I (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Ediciones Theoria.
• Thompson, George (1869). The War in Paraguay. With a historical sketch of the country and its people and notes upon the military engineering of the war. London: Longmans, Green and Co.
• Bray, Arturo (1954). Hombres y Epocas del Paraguay, Primer Volúmen (in Spanish). Asuncion: Ediciones Niza.
• Mitre, Bartolomé (2011). Historia de Belgrano y la Independencia Argentina, Dos Volúmenes (in Spanish and English). U.S.: Nabu Press. ISBN 9781247596389.
• Vittone, Luis (1976). Dos Siglos de Política Nacional (in Spanish). Asunción: Imprenta Militar.
• Moreno, Fulgencio R. (1926). Estudios sobre la Independencia del Paraguay, Volumen I (in Spanish). Asunción: Ediciones América.