The Battle of Itapirú took place during the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War (, , ), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance (, , ), was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It wa ...

on April 17, 1866, after Brazil's capture of Purutué Bank a week earlier. The battle marked the beginning of the

Triple Alliance Triple Alliance may refer to: * Aztec Triple Alliance (1428–1521), Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan and in central Mexico * Triple Alliance (1596), England, France, and the Dutch Republic to counter Spain * Triple Alliance (1668), England, the ...

invasion of Paraguay.

The Battle

On April 16, the fort was heavily bombed by the Imperial Navy while 10,000 troops from the Imperial Army crossed the

Paraná River The Paraná River ( ; ; ) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. ...

, and the next day, the confrontation with 4,000 Paraguayans took place under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Benítez, resulting in their withdrawal to Itapirú. The battle resulted in about 500 casualties on the Paraguayan side and 337 on the Brazilian side. Faced with the concentration of Brazilian troops that began the invasion of Paraguayan territory,

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 or 1826 – 1 March 1870) was a Paraguay, Paraguayan statesman, Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay between 1862 and 1870, of which he serve ...

ordered the fortification abandoned, allowing Brazilian troops to occupy it on April 18.

References

Battles involving Paraguay Battles of the Paraguayan War Battles involving Brazil April 1866 Conflicts in 1866 History of Ñeembucú Department {{Paraguay-battle-stub