Naval Battle Of Riachuelo, 1865

By André Geraque Kiffer

In June 1865, the Brazilian fleet was operating on the Paraná River in support of the incipient Allied operations to repel the Paraguayan invasion, and materialize a riverine blockade of Paraguay. At the end of May 1865, on the 28th and 29, López, in the presence of the Brazilian fleet opposite Corrientes, began to evaluate ideas for attacking it. The Battle of Riachuelo, on June 11, lasted about eight hours and was decisive. The inferiority of the Paraguayan ships was evident and discouraged fire combat from a distance. The ability of Paraguayan soldiers to fight with melee weapons was a factor confirmed throughout the war, so the option for boarding and hand-to-hand assault to capture Brazilian ships was more logical. However, the delay in the Paraguayan movement to the battle area was one of the decisive factors. Our hypothesis will basically test for the Paraguayans an advance on their operation, with the departure from Humaitá at least at 18:00 hours on the 10th. Then Paraguayan fleet would have arrived at the operation area, with enough time to deploy its artillery barges, in a more stable and timely manner. Then, we will prove if, even so, the victory will be Brazilian.

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

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ANDRÉ  GERAQUE  KIFFER

Naval  Battle  of  Riachuelo,  1865.

A  historical  simulation

Author's  Edition Rio  de  Janeiro

2022

---  Kiffer,  André  Geraque.

Naval  Battle  of  Riachuelo,  1865.  A  historical  simulation. André  Geraque  Kiffer.

Author’s  Edition,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  2022. Bibliography:  82  p.  36  im.  21  cm..

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

ISBN  978-65-00-41441-7

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3 PROLOGUE

As  a  Military  Historian  I  support  myself  on  a summary  of  historical  fact,  I  analyze  and  highlight the  decisive  factors,  before  simulating  alternative 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

WAR  OF  THE  TRIPLE  ALLIANCE……………….…6 PARAGUAYAN  FLEET….....……………....….……..9 BRAZILIAN  FLEET………..….……………....….…10 BATTLE  OF  RIACHUELO...………………....….….12 HISTORICALANALYSIS….………………....….….22 HISTORICAL  SIMULATION.….………………....…32 ANNEXES........………………………………………78

REFERENCES….………………………….………..81

6 WAR  OF  THE  TRIPLE  ALLIANCE

Im  1:  The  Theater  of  War.

On  April  14,  1865,  a  Paraguayan  army  of 27,000  men,  under  the  command  of  General Wenceslao  Robles,  invaded  the  Argentine  province of  Corrientes,  conquered  its  capital,  where  it  left  a

garrison  of  1,500  men  and  continued  south.  From

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11  to  20  May  he  advanced  to  Bella  Vista.  On  June  3 he  entered  Goya.

Im  2:  The  Riverine  Theater.

On  May  1,  the  Triple  Alliance  Treaty  was  signed between  the  Empire  of  Brazil  and  the  Republics  of Argentina  and  Uruguay.

On  the  Argentine  side,  while  General  Nicanor Cáceres  assembled  5,000  cavalry  militias  in  the interior  of  the  province,  General  Wenceslao Paunero  with  1,000  regulars  landed  in  Goya  on  May 16.  Realizing  that  his  means  were  insufficient  to

face  the  bulk  of  the  invading  troops  and  prevent

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their  advance,  Paunero  decided  to  operate  in  the Paraguayan  rear.

Im  3:  Paraguayan  uniforms.

On  May  25,  with  two  transport  ships  and supported  by  nine  Brazilian  warships,  he  occupied the  city  of  Corrientes  until  the  following  day,  when he  returned  to  Esquina,  100  km  south  of  Goya.  The Brazilian  fleet  remained  anchored  southwest  of Corrientes,  on  the  Chaco  coast.

On  June  9,  Marshal  Francisco  Solano  López moved  from  Asunción  to  Humaitá,  where  he installed  his  headquarters,  establishing  an