The battle of Curupaytì, War of the Triple Alliance (XIX0047)

Curupaytí, 22 September 1866: The Cost of an Entrenched Position

Four months after their defeat at Tuyutí, the Paraguayans won their most complete victory of the war — and they won it without leaving their trenches. General José Eduvigis Díaz had fortified a line of earthworks between the Paraguay River and an impassable marsh, screened by felled timber and covered by artillery sited to fire along the front rather than at it.

An Assault That Should Have Been Called Off

The allied plan depended on a naval bombardment breaking up the defences first. The bombardment achieved almost nothing — the guns could not be depressed enough to reach the entrenchments — but the assault went in anyway. Roughly 20,000 Brazilian and Argentine troops advanced across open ground against prepared positions and were stopped at the obstacle line, where they were shot down at close range for several hours.

The Result

The allies lost some 9,000 men. Paraguayan losses were around 250. It was one of the most lopsided results of the nineteenth century and it halted the allied offensive for more than a year — though it changed nothing about the war’s outcome, since Paraguay could not replace its losses and the alliance could.

Giuseppe Rava’s Original Work

Giuseppe Rava reconstructs the defenders on their earthworks and the allied columns caught at the abatis, following the surviving accounts of the ground and the equipment of both sides.

This is a limited edition fine art print, hand-signed by the artist, produced in SRA3 format on fine art paper. Ships worldwide.