Paraguay War, 1864 To 1870

By André Geraque Kiffer

The three countries (population 11 million) historically arrayed against Paraguay (population 450,000) were so superior in numbers that we can conclude that López never had a real chance of defeating the Alliance. Thus, victory in the historical simulation was based on the overall performance of each player when measured against that of their counterparts in the real war. In other words, the Allied player strive to bring Paraguay s defeat sooner and less costly than historically, primarily through strategic engagement; while his opponent tried to delay that decision beyond that date, mainly by limiting his initial strategic objectives, hoping, perhaps, for the announcement of some extra-continental support.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clube de Autores
• Release date: Feb 3, 2024

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ANDRÉ  GERAQUE  KIFFER

Paraguay  War,  1864  to  1870.

A  historical  simulation

Author's  Edition Rio  de  Janeiro

2022

---  Kiffer,  André  Geraque.

Paraguay  War,  1864  to  1870.  A  historical  simulation. André  Geraque  Kiffer.

Author’s  Edition,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  2022. Bibliography:  144  p.  57  im.  21  cm..

1.  History.  2.  Art  of  War.  3.  Science  of  War.  4.  War Games.  I.  Author.  II.  Title.

ISBN  978-65-00-45946-3

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3 PROLOGUE

As  a  Military  Historian  I  rely  on  a  summary  of  the historical  fact,  I  analyze  and  highlight  the  decisive factors,  before  simulating  hypotheses  what  if… hypotheses  through  a  board  game.  In  the simulation,  all  possibilities  of  the  purpose  of  the study  are  completed,  when  the  past  of  history  is analyzed  based  on  the  theory  of  the  present  and projected  for  similar  situations  in  the  future.  Since 2010  I  have  published  the  following  series  of simulations:  I.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  Wars  of the  First  Empires;  II.  Historical  Simulation  of  the Wars  in  Classical  Greece;  III.  Historical  Simulation of  the  Roman  Wars;  IV.  Historical  Simulation  of Wars  in  the  Medieval  Era;  V.  Historical  Simulation of  Wars  in  the  Modern  Era  (1453  to  1774);  VI. Historical  Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Age  of Revolutions  (1775  to  1860);  VII.  Historical Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Industrial  Age  (1861  to 1913);  "VIII.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  First  World

War;  IX.  Historical  Simulation  of  World  War  II;  X.

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Historical  Simulation  of  the  Cold  War  (1917  to 1991);  and  XI.  Historical  Simulation  of Contemporary  Wars  (1991  to  ...)". Keywords:  History.  Art  of  War.  Science  of  War.  War

Games.

5 SUMMARY

HISTORICAL  FACT.…...……………….....……....…6 HISTORICALANALYSIS……………....…....….….22 HISTORICAL  SIMULATION.….………………....…34 ANNEXES........…………………………………….141

REFERENCES...…………………………………..143

6 HISTORICAL  FACT

The  Paraguayan  War  or  War  of  the  Triple Alliance,  called  by  the  Paraguayans  War  Guasú (Great),  was  a  conflict  in  which  the  Triple  Alliance  - coalition  formed  by  the  Empire  of  Brazil  plus  the republics  of  Uruguay  and  Argentina,  fought  against Paraguay  between  1864  and  1870.

There  are  several  theories  about  the  triggers  of war.  In  essence,  a  revisionism  of  Argentine  origin and  a  traditional  Paraguayan  vision  assigns  a preponderant  role  to  the  interests  of  the  British Empire,  while  a  more  classic  historiography emphasizes  the  aggressive  policy  of  Marshal Francisco  Solano  López  in  relation  to  the  affairs  of the  River  Plate.

In  the  period  immediately  after  America's independence  process,  Paraguay  was  governed  by a  severe  26-year  dictatorial  regime  headed  by Gaspar  Rodríguez  de  Francia,  a  Paraguayan intellectual,  considered  one  of  the  most  enlightened in  South  America,  but  also  known  for  his  despotism

and  tyranny.

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With  the  death  of  Rodríguez  de  Francia,  he  was succeeded  by  his  nephew  Carlos  Antonio  López, who  enjoyed  public  power  as  his  predecessor;  but  - unlike  him  -  he  dictated  a  modernizing  economic policy  based  on  mercantilist  concepts,  breaking decades  of  isolationism  and  fostering  the development  of  Paraguay.

Im  1:  Border  issues.

The  borders  with  its  neighbors  have  been reopened  and  international  relations  have

developed  rapidly.  Paraguay  exported  its

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differentiated  products,  such  as  tobacco  and  yerba mate,  to  Argentina  and  Uruguay,  and  valuable  wood that  traveled  to  Europe.

The  Paraguayan  State  installed  a  railway,  an arsenal  and  shipyards  from  where  it  launched  seven steam  ships  between  1856  and  1870,  in  Asunción. In  the  city  of  Ybycuí,  he  built  the  first  iron  smelter  in South  America.  In  1864,  he  inaugurated  one  of  the first  telegraphs  in  the  region.

British  Richard  Francis  Burton  praised  the Paraguayan  education  system,  saying  that  it  was  in stark  contrast  to  Britainn,  since  free  compulsory education  for  all  young  Paraguayans  was  very different  from  what  happened  with  the  almost  2 million  British  youth  without  access  to  schools  or faculties.

After  the  death  of  the  president,  on  September 10,  1862,  Congress  met  to  elect  a  successor;  on October  16  of  the  same  year,  he  unanimously appointed  Francisco  Solano  López  as  president  of

the  Republic  of  Paraguay.

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Until  1864,  the  Paraguayan  State  only  sought to  increase  its  military  power  and  influence  in  the South  Cone,  which  in  turn  was  one  of  the  reasons for  friction  with  the  Buenos  Aires  government.  Even before  the  death  of  Carlos  Antonio  López,  the Paraguayan  government  already  believed  that  it was  on  the  verge  of  conflict  and,  between  February and  April  1862,  recruitment  began  for  the  entire male  population  between  17  and  40  years  old.

The  real  conflict  broke  out  in  late  1864,  when Solano  López,  president  of  Paraguay,  decided  to

come  to  the  aid  of  the  government  exercised  by  the

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Blanco  Party  of  Uruguay,  specifically  to  help  him defend  Paysandú,  in  the  midst  of  a  civil  war  against the  Colorado  Party,  then  militarily  supported  by Brazil.

López  warned  the  governments  of  Brazil  and Argentina  that  he  would  consider  any  aggression against  Uruguay  as  an  attack  on  the  balance  of  the Silver  States,  however  Brazilian  troops  invaded

Uruguayan  territory  in  October  1864.

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Im  2:  Theater  of  War.

On  November  12,  1864,  in  retaliation  for  the Brazilian  invasion  of  Uruguay,  the  Paraguayan government  seized  a  Brazilian  merchant  ship  and the  governor  of  the  Brazilian  province  of  Mato Grosso,  declaring  war  the  next  day.  The  first  stage consisted  of  the  invasion  of  Mato  Grosso,  in December  1864,  during  which  Paraguayan  forces

occupied  and  sacked  a  large  part  of  that  province.

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Im  3:  Theater  of  Operations  North.

The  Brazilian  reaction  to  the  invasion  would  be very  slow:  a  column  organized  in  São  Paulo  in  April 1865  did  not  reach  Coxim  until  the  end  of  that  year, successively  occupying  the  cities  evacuated  by  the Paraguayans.  It  was  not  until  June  1867  that Corumbá  was  recovered,  the  date  on  which Paraguayan  forces  also  evacuated  São  Joaquim, Pirapitangas,  Urucú  and  the  Albuquerque  prison, which  together  formed  the  Brazilian  Military  District

of  Alto  Paraguay  -  theme  of  our  book  "Campaign  of

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