title: Battle of Curuzú
text: # Battle of Curuzú
  
  vteParaguayan War :
  
  Mato Grosso campaign
  
  Marquês de Olinda
  
  1st Corumbá
  
  Fort Novo de Coimbra
  
  Feio River
  
  Dourados
  
  Nioaque
  
  Anhambaí
  
  Fort Miranda
  
  Coxim
  
  Laguna
  
  Apa River
  
  2nd Corumbá
  
  Alegre
  
  Corrientes campaign
  
  Corrientes
  
  San Lorenzo River
  
  Rio Grande do Sul
  
  São Borja
  
  Butuí
  
  Uruguaiana
  
  Riachuelo
  
  Salto
  
  Paso de Mercedes
  
  Paso de Cuevas
  
  Yatay
  
  Pehuajó
  
  Jaguarí
  
  Humaitá campaign
  
  Purutué Bank
  
  Paso de Patria
  
  Laguna Sirena
  
  Itapirú
  
  Estero Bellaco
  
  Paso Cidra
  
  1st Tuyutí
  
  Yataytí Corá
  
  Boquerón
  
  Sauce
  
  Palmar
  
  Curuzú
  
  Curupayty
  
  Arroyo Hondo
  
  Hacienda Laguna
  
  Tuyú Cué
  
  1st Passage of Curupayty
  
  Pilar
  
  Ombú
  
  Estero Rojas
  
  Perecué
  
  Tatayibá
  
  Potrero Obella
  
  Humaitá
  
  Passage
  
  2nd Tuyutí
  
  Paso Ipohy
  
  2nd Passage of Curupayty
  
  Laguna Cierva
  
  Cabral and Lima Barros
  
  1st Iasuií
  
  2nd Iasuií
  
  Poí Island
  
  Barroso and Rio Grande
  
  Acayuazá
  
  Fortín Island
  
  Pikysyry campaign
  
  Yacaré
  
  Paso de Tebicuarí
  
  Surubí
  
  Pikysyry
  
  Dezembrada
  
  Ytororó
  
  Avay
  
  Lomas Valentinas
  
  Angostura
  
  San Fernando
  
  Asunción
  
  Cordilleras campaign
  
  Manduvirá River
  
  Concepción
  
  Ybytimí
  
  Tupí-hú
  
  Sapukái
  
  Diarte
  
  Piribebuy
  
  Acosta Ñu
  
  Piribebuy River
  
  Hondo River
  
  Itapytangua
  
  Tacuaty
  
  Curuguaty
  
  Hucuratí
  
  Loma Rugua
  
  Caguijuru–Caraguataí
  
  Iguatemi
  
  Río Verde
  
  Cambaceguá
  
  Lomaruguá
  
  Cerro Corá
  
  Miranda :
  
  The Battle of Curuzú occurred between September 1 and 3, 1866 during the Paraguayan War. After the first Battle of Tuyutí, won by the Allies on 24 May 1866, an Allied council of war decided to use their navy to bombard and capture the Paraguayan battery at $Curupayty.^{:60}$
  
  ## Battle
  
  On September 1, five Brazilian ironclads, Bahia, Barroso, Lima Barros, Rio de Janeiro and Brasil began bombarding the batteries at Curuzú, which continued the next day. That is when the Rio de Janeiro hit two mines and sank immediately along with her commander Américo Brasílio Silvado, and 50 sailors.
  
  Simultaneously, 8,391 men of the Brazilian 2nd Corps, under the command of Manuel Marques de Sousa, then Viscount of Porto Alegre, attacked the Paraguayan batteries at Curuzú, south of the main stronghold of Humaitá on the shores of Paraguay $River.^{:61}$
  
  On September 3, the fort, commanded by colonel Giménez, was stormed. The defenders relied on the advantage of the wetlands and bushes around the fort. The fort was conquered after a heavy bombardment, and the Paraguayan army was pursued until the vicinity of $Curupayty.^{:61}$
  
  The Brazilian ironclad Rio de Janeiro had a hole blown in her bottom by a contact mine, and sank almost immediately – the greater part of her crew, together with her captain, being drowned. This was the only ironclad sunk during the war.
  
  ## Aftermath
  
  President Francisco Solano López decimated the 10th Infantry Battalion on 10 September 1866, killing 63 $men.^{:61}$
  
  ## Gallery
  
  * Map of the part of the Paraguay River where took place the fight of the gunboat Ivaí with the Fortress of Curuzú
  * Interior view of Curuzú.
  * The Viscount of Porto Alegre leads the Brazilian forces in the Battle of Curuzú, 1866, by Victor Meirelles.
  * Taking the battery of Curuzú (3 September) by the Brazilian 2nd Army Corps, under the command of lientenant-general Viscount of Porto Alegre (according to a sketch of Mr. Paranhos).
  * Attack on Paraguayan Forts.
  * Bombardment of Curuzú
  * Bombardment of Curuzú (Edoardo De Martino).
  * Rio de Janeiro sunk by a contact mine, painted by Adolfo Methfessel.
  * Rio de Janeiro sunk by a contact mine in front of Curuzú.
  * Naval Warfare in Paraguay: Destruction of the ironclad Rio de Janeiro by a mine.
  * Passage of Curuzú.
  * Brazilian (all blue uniform) and Argentine (blue and red uniform) troops landing in Curuzú
  