I started these pages with the intention that they should be a quick preamble to a series of plates on the Brazilian troops during this war, but as you can see it just grew, the plates will have to wait until the next issue.

Although the War of the Triple Alliance began on the 3rd of May when the hereditary President of Paraguay, Francisco S. Lopez declared war on the Republic of Argentina. This declaration was brought on by Paraguayan distrust of the foreign policy of Argentina and Brazil concerning the Republic of Uruguay and Paraguay. The latest interference in this area was when the Uruguayan President Venancio Flores was ousted from office on the 28th. August 1855 by the Blanco political party, who then elected Manuel P. Bustamante as President, bringing about a civil war in Uruguay which was to last for nearly ten years.

Flores on the 19th April 1863 crossed from Argentina with an army of Uruguayans who had escaped prosecution and organised themselves into a fighting force under Flores with assistance from like minded Argentinians, this invasion was known as the "Cruzada Libertadora". During the next year a number of incursions were made by the Uruguayan Government forces into Brazil in search of various bands of Guerrillas, whose allegiance was with Flores and the Colorado political party, causing damage to Brazilian property and persons. This prompted the Emperor Dom Pedro of Brazil to send Jose A. Saraiva to demand compensation from the then President of Uruguay Anastasio C. Aguirre with the hidden threat of a naval blockade by the Brazilians, at this point Francisco Lopez advised Aguirre that Paraguay would support Uruguay's defiance of Brazils threat.

For Lopez his only link to the outside world was by the River Plate and if his enemies had control of both sides they could effectively blockade and isolate Paraguay, stifling its internal progress etc. Also on the 30th. August 1864 Lopez notified Brazil that he and his Government disapproved of Brazilian interference in Uruguay and that the Government was disposed to intervene if Brazilian forces were to invade that county. Lopez for good measure had ordered a general conscription in February 1864, boosting his standing army of 28,000 men to 90.000 men by May 1865, although a number of troops would still be at training camps.

When Aguirre refused Brazils demands for compensation, the Brazilian navy began it's blockade of Uruguayan ports, while on the 12th. October a Brigade of the Brazilian Army (sorry I don't know how it was made up, names of units etc.) crossed the frontier and shortly afterwards occupied Villa de Mello, capital of the Uruguayan Province of Cerro Largo.

Lopez received news from his chief agent in Uruguay that the steamer "Marquez de Olinda" was leaving Montevideo heading for the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso having come from Rio de Janeiro with a cargo of arms and ammunition for the Brazilian garrison of that state which bordered with Paraguay, this letter was carried to Asuncion by this steamer. On the 12th November the Paraguayan war-steamer "Tacuari" forced the "Marquez de Olinda" to heave to and return to Asuncion where she had left the previous day, she was later converted into a gunboat for the Paraguayan navy. On the same day the Brazilians were informed that the Rivers Paraná and Paraguay could not be navigated by Brazilian shipping.

A Paraguayan force led by Colonel Isidoro Resquin made up of 2,500 cavalry and a Battalion of infantry, on the 24th. December 1864 landed on the Brazilian State of Mato Grosso to begin the capture of that State while Colonel Vicente Barrios continued further up river spreading panic into the population. Paraguayan troops stayed in this state until April 1868 stripping it of cattle, valuables and it's stockpiles of arms and ammunition.

On the 2nd January the garrison of Paysandú in Uruguay after a bloody thirty five day siege being bombarded by the Brazilian Navy so that no building was left standing and being attacked on land by General Flores with his Brazilian allies. This left only Montevideo to be subdued, but this siege of Paysandú was so bitter and bloody that the majority of the survivors had to be saved from execution on the intervention of an Argentine Colonel. Sympathies in the northern provinces of Argentina turned against Flores and his Brazilian allies, Portuguese Brazil had been their natural enemy (besides the indians of the frontier) for centuries.

On the 14th January 1865 Lopez wrote to the Argentine President Mitre for permission to cross through the State of Corrientes which was the most direct route to Uruguay, this may not have been his only motive. From 1813-20 the Argentine Northern States had joined with the Uruguayan patriot Artigas into a federation, these States were Cordoba, Santa Fe, Entre Rios, Corrientes and Missiones, all of these wanted self government under a Federal format, which was denied to them by the Government in Buenos Aires who still wanted to hold onto the power base that it once held during the Viceroyal days.

Whether Lopez thought that the population would be incited to rebel against Buenos Aires again or that he did choose the quickest way and direct route to relieve Uruguay, although Lopez had been in correspondence with statesmen of these Northern States before asking for permission to cross. This request was refused by Mitre and he was backed by General Urquiza, who came from the State of Entre Rios, (which is next to Corrientes), this General had told Mitre that he would take a tolerant view if either Paraguay or Brazil moved their forces across the practically uninhabited province of Missiones, but not Corrientes or Entre Rios, for he did not like the Uruguayan Colorado Party or the Brazilians, although he was diplomatic enough to mention Brazil with Paraguay as foreign powers.

Meanwhile General Flores with his Brazilian Allies had laid siege to Montevideo during which Flores was induced to sign an alliance with Brazil for helping to regain power, there was a condition in it whereby Uruguay would give "all the co-operation in it's power, regarding as a sacred task it's alliance with Brazil in the war treacherously declared by the Paraguayan Government. whose interference in the internal affairs of the Uruguayan Republic is a bold and unjustifiable pretension." On the 20th. February 1865 Montevideo surrendered making General Flores a virtual dictator, all the principal members of the Blanco Party and senior officials of the old Government had to flee the country.

Without receiving permission from President Mitre, Lopez sent five Paraguayan war steamers to capture the Fort of Corrientes at the junction of the Rivers Paraguay and Paraná, arriving on the 13th. April quickly capturing two Argentine ships "25th. de Mayo" and the "Gualeguay". With 3000 men General Wenceslao Robles landed and invested the Port and City, reassuring the people that "they had come as brothers to free the Corrientinos from the despotism of Buenos Aires and that they and their City would be respected". Knowing the past history of the State of Corrientes against Buenos Aires plus the fact that most of the population were from Guarani Indian stock (the same as in Paraguay) so that the Guarani language was also a common tongue between the two parties. I believe that

Lopez hoped that. these Northern Argentine States would prefer to Govern themselves once again causing a civil war with Buenos Aires, while he could contend with Brazil and the Colorado Party of Uruguay. Projecting himself as the Liberator of the Federalist cause, with a union of these countries (states) for their own protection against Buenos Aires and Brazil. With the Paraguayan invasions of Matto Grosso and Corrientes the three powers Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay signed an alliance to overthrow Lopez, this was on the 1st May 1865. Even at that time the annexation of Paraguay by Argentina was mentioned by Argentine officials to produce a confederation that was to include Bolivia and Uruguay too, bringing about a country that had much the same borders as the old Viceroyalty of the Plate, while Brazil would become less of a power in this part of South America. The Brazilians knowing about both Buenos Aires and Lopez behind the scenes politics knew that the greatest threat to them at this moment was Lopez, President Mitre still had an unstable country, which was to show during the war with supplies of men etc. Lopez on the 3rd May 1865 gave the formal declaration of war to the Argentine President.

This I hope has passed on some insight into the beginning of the Paraguayan (or Triple Alliance) War, I feel that from time to time I will include other articles in El Dorado that will continue with the progress of this war until its climax, including as much relevant information on troops etc. as I can. (maybe two per year so that you don't get bored with too much text)