The Recapture of Corumbá was a battle in 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 ...

, fought in the city of

Corumbá Corumbá () is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, 425 km northwest of Campo Grande, the state's capital. It has a population of approximately 112,000 inhabitants, and its economy is based mainly on agriculture, ani ...

Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...

Empire of Brazil The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and Uruguay until the latter achieved independence in 1828. The empire's government was a Representative democracy, representative Par ...

. The

Imperial Brazilian Army The Imperial Brazilian Army ( Portuguese: Exército Imperial Brasileiro) was the name given to the land force of the Empire of Brazil. The Brazilian Army was formed after the independence of the country from Portugal in 1822 and reformed in 1889, ...

under the command of had launched an attack on the

Paraguayan Army The Paraguayan Army () is the ground force branch of the Armed Forces of Paraguay. It is organized into three corps and nine divisions, and several commands and direction. It has gone to war on many occasions, notably in the War of the Triple A ...

detachment occupying the city, under the command of Hermógenes Cabral. Corumbá was under the control of

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

since January 1865, in the first phase of the Paraguayan War.

Background

On 30 December 1864, a Brazilian garrison of 154 men lead by Hermenegildo Portocarrero retreated from a Paraguayan attack on the

New Coimbra Fort The New Coimbra Fort, also known as Fort Portocarrero or simply Fort Coimbra, is a Brazilian military fortification on the Paraguay River, strategically located near the border with Bolivia and Paraguay in Corumbá, in the state of Mato Grosso d ...

. The garrison had exhausted their munitions defending the fort, and withdrew up the

Paraguay River The Paraguay River (''Ysyry Paraguái'' in Guarani language, Guarani, ''Rio Paraguai'' in Portuguese language, Portuguese, ''Río Paraguay'' in Spanish language, Spanish) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bol ...

on board the gunship ''

Anhambaí ''Anhambaí'' is a museum ship and former gunboat operated by the Imperial Brazilian Navy, navies of the Empire of Brazil and Paraguayan Navy, Paraguay. It is on display in the , located in the municipality of Caraguatay, Paraguay, Caraguatay, Cor ...

'' to the city of Corumbá. The Paraguayans continued their advancement, and eventually overtook the city in January 1865. The Paraguayans would control the city for two years until 1867. The ''Anhambaí'' had also been captured by the Paraguayans on a separate retreat by the Brazilians from

Cuiabá Cuiabá () is the capital city and the largest city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America and also forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várz ...

in January 1866.

Invasion

The preparations for the invasion in 1867 were made in Cuiabá. The president of Mato Grosso,

José Vieira Couto de Magalhães José Vieira Couto de Magalhães (1 November 1837 - 14 September 1898) was a Brazilian politician, military officer, writer and folklorist. Magalhães began his studies at Mariana Seminar. He studied mathematics at the Military Academy of Rio d ...

, had decided to retake the city using three troop bodies. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel , the 1st Provisional Battalion of the Brazilian Army led by Lieutenant Colonel Antônio Coelho departed for Corumbá from Cuiabá on May 15, 1867, with 2,000 men on land and 1,200 men in the river squadron. The attack force had approached in the steamer boats ''Antonio João'', ''Alfa'', ''Jaurú'' and ''Corumbá'', down the

, Canabu and São Lourenço rivers to a settlement called Alegre. The troops then used canoes to approach Corumbá via the Paraguay river. At the time, the defending Paraguayan garrison of Corumbá had a force of 313 men, as well as the captured Brazilian ''Anhambaí'' gunship, and the Paraguayan '' Rio Apa'' warship. Suspicious that the Paraguayans knew of their arrival, Coelho launched a surprise offensive of the town with 400 men on June 13, 1867, capturing the city within the day. During the fighting, Paraguayan Captain Hermógenes Cabral was killed in action. 500 Brazilians who had been taken prisoner since February 2nd were released once fighting ceased. A total of 152 Paraguayan soldiers were killed or wounded, a further 27 taken as prisoners, and the loss of six cannons and a flag. A total of 30 Brazilian soldiers had been killed or wounded in the fighting. On June 23rd, 1867, Couto de Magalhães had entered the city with the 800 men of the 2nd Provisional Battalion of the Brazilian Army after the city had been captured by Brazilians. Couto de Magalhães had ordered the evacuation and abandonment of Corumbá shortly after, as an outbreak of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

had affected the city, and reports that a large Paraguayan force was approaching.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corumbá

History of Mato Grosso do Sul