The Battle of the Tonelero Pass, also known as Passage of the Tonelero, was a battle fought near the cliff of Acevedo, in the west bank of the
Paraná River,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, on 17 December 1851, between the Argentine Confederation Army commanded by
Lucio Norberto Mansilla and warships of the Brazilian Imperial Navy led by
John Pascoe Grenfell
John Pascoe Grenfell (20 September 1800 – 20 March 1869) was a British officer of the Empire of Brazil. He spent most of his service in South America campaigns, initially under the leadership of Lord Cochrane and then Commodore Norton. He was ...
.
Background
The battle
On 17 December 1851, the Brazilian fleet commanded by Grenfell was near the cliff of Acevedo in the river Paraná, with the intention to break through the Argentine defenses at the Tonelero pass. There were eight Brazilian warships: four steam
corvettes, ''Dom Pedro'', ''
Dom Pedro II
Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, the seventh child of Em ...
'', ''
Dom Afonso'' and ''Recife'', that towed two
sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...
corvettes, ''Dona Francisca'' and ''União'', plus a
brig, ''Calíope''. On board Grenfell's flagship, ''Dom Afonso'', were Brigadier General
Marques de Sousa and the Argentines Colonel Wenceslao Paunero, Lieutenant-Colonel
Bartolomé Mitre and Lieutenant-Colonel
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (; born Domingo Faustino Fidel Valentín Sarmiento y Albarracín; 15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the second President of Argentina. His writing s ...
. The ships ferried half of the troops that composed the 1st Division of Imperial Infantry. The rest of the division was waiting at
Colonia del Sacramento
, settlement_type = Capital city
, image_skyline = Basilica del Sanctísimo Sacramento.jpg
, imagesize =
, image_caption = Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento
, pushpin_map = Uruguay
, subdivisio ...
,
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
.
To oppose the passage, there were 16 artillery pieces and 2,000 soldiers commanded by
Lucio Norberto Mansilla, son-in-law of the leader of the
Argentine Confederation,
Juan Manuel de Rosas. For one hour the Argentines fired more than 450 cannon rounds in the direction of the Brazilian ships, causing little damage to the warships, but killing four sailors and wounding another five. The warships fired back, although they failed to cause any major damage to the Argentine forces, only killing eight and wounding twenty
Other sourcessay that the argentine artillery caused heavy damage to the warships.
The squadron landed the troops at
Diamante
A diamanté (also spelled diamante) is a glittering ornament, such as an artificial jewel (e.g. a rhinestone) or a sequin.
Diamante may also refer to:
Places
Argentina
* Diamante, Entre Ríos, a ''municipio'' in Diamante Department
* Diamante ...
,
Entre Ríos and part of the ships returned to bring the other battalions that stayed behind in Colonia.
Mansilla believed that the Brazilian division was going to land right on his main position. He fled along with his men, leaving all the artillery and other equipment behind.
[Barroso, Gustavo. ''A Guerra do Rosas''. Fortaleza: Secult, 2000, p.113]
Aftermath
See also
*
Battle of Caseros
The Battle of Caseros ( es, Batalla de Caseros) was fought near the town of El Palomar, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, on 3 February 1852, between the Army of Buenos Aires commanded by Juan Manuel de Rosas and the Grand Army (''Ejército ...
*
Platine War
The Platine War (, ; 18 August 1851 – 3 February 1852) was fought between the Argentine Confederation and an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil, Uruguay, and the Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes, with the parti ...
References
{{reflist
Military history of Brazil
Tonelero Pass
Tonelero Pass
Platine War
December 1851 events
Tonelero Pass