The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-11 00:00:00

7 lIE TVAR IN PARAGUAY.

The news by the Seine from the River Plate
brings full details of the defeat of the Allied forces
sent to reconnoitre the position of the Paraguayans
at Tebicuari. The Spanish and Brazilian news-
papers keep au ominous silence on the subject, but
the Buenos Ayres Standard aad the German
Zeztung of Buenos Ayres give full particulars. The
following is from the Standard :

" THE BATTLE OF JACARE•
" Another battle is added to the history of

the Paraguayan campaign ; and, although a very
guarded silence is observed as to the particulars of the
late fights, sufficient facts have transpired to prove
that the enemy outnumbered,outgeneralled, and out-
witted the Allies. It is difficult to imagine that
for the purposes of future military operation such
silence should be deemed necessary. The public
has a right to know the facts, and
.we confess
astonishment that General Gelley y Obes, who is so
attentive to CJrrontino polities, should be oblivious
of the necessity of sending an official report to his
Government of this battle. The letters which are
at hand from head-quarters speak of this last fight
as a serious affair ; and although we are disposed
to think that much of this corrs.sspondeuce must be

received, cum grano salis,' yet on the steamer
leaving Corrientes it was notorious that a serious
engagement had been fought, the Allied ex-
peditionary force drivel' b tck, and numbers of
wounded had arrived at Corrientes. The few
facts which we have at our corn:nand afford
the following details respecting the battle :
The Allied Commander-in-Chief, on the occupa-
tion of the Chaco finding that the enemy was mus-
ter ing forces close to the river Tebicuari, and gather-
ing from the statements of deserters that the slender
forces which Lopez had drawn off from Humaita
formed the nucleus of an army which each day was
becoming more numerous owing to the time allowed
Lopez to bring fresh recruits from all parts, deter-
mined to despatch an expeditionary force to recon-
noitre the enemy's position, to halt on the banks of
the river Tebicuari, and try if possible to dis-
cover a suitable fording place for the passage of
the army, then to cross the river, push
slightly into the interior, saud report the general
aspect of the country. General Mena Barreto was
selected to command this expeditionary force,
and for fully a mouth before the division started
preparations on the most gigantic scale were
adopted by M trshal Caxias to insure success ; the
men were mounted on the best horses the army
could afford, and supplied with rifles of the most
unerring precision ; some of the best regiments
were Ticked from the army, and officers of
the first rank and family engaged for the
exploit. Long previous to the departure of
this force, Marshal Caxias had learned great
and valuable information from prisoners and
deserters caught by the outposts ; but from the
sequel, as will be seen, Lopez was even better in-
formed of the intended movement of the Allies, by
either spies or deserters. On the morning of the
sth inst., everything being in readiness, the expe-
ditionary force marched from the Allied camp,
fully mounted, equipped, and accoutred ; the van-
guard was exclusively cavalry, some Argen-
tine, some Correntino, headed by Recalde—
the infantry in the rear. The weather was sultry
and the country heavy, but the division marched
with the strictest discipline. The guides led the
forces through an open and swampy country,
belted by an ugly laguna, which spread away into
the interior. Doubling the point of this laguna
they struck into a defile, which offered great diffi-
culties to the advance of the troops. The woods
on either side seemed to be impenetrable, and
solely occupied by birds of the most varie-
gated plumage flying out from the branches
in thousands, uttering wild shrieks, and flee-
ing on the advance of the horsemen. The
road lay for several miles through this treach-
erous forest. Emerging from it, the vanguard
fell in with an estancia where was posted a Para-
guayan piquet numbering some fifty men. Here a
small fight ensued. The Paraguayan soldiers dis-
dained to fly until the place was surrounded ; four-
teen were taken prisoners, one or two killed, and
the rest escaped into the woods. Deploying a
little to the right, the Allied division halted,
and, posting sentinels and outposts, rested for
a while. The position seemed good enough', bat

either the guides were too fast or the Allies too
slow. Right in front lay a deep and rapid
arroyo or stream called the Jacare, which has
received its name from the number of alligators
which infest its banks. The stream flows almost

parallel with the river Tebicuari, which is about
two leagues to the other side. The Jacare falls into
the Paraguay facing a small island of the same
name. The woods through which the Allies had
passed stretch off in angular form in a north-wes-
terly direction, whilst the country which lay be-
tween the Allies and the river Paraguay was less
densely wooded. After some slight delay the expe-
ditionary force prepared to cross the Yacare, and
turning a bend in the path marched to a more
open plateau, which overlooked the canada,'
through which the stream ran. It is difficult,
in the absence of a military map, either to under-
stand the description given by correspondents, or to
explain the position of the belligerents to our read-
ers; but, as far as we can learn, the Allied cavalry
had just crossed the river Jacare, after unusual dif-
ficulties, and were sallying from a wood on the
opposite bank, when the vanguard descried the enemy
coining down upon them. A fight at once ensued,
and the Brazilians, being unable to bring their
whole force into action, were driven back by the
enemy, when suddenly they were attacked in the
rear by a still more numerous force, led on by P.
Paraguayan officer and an Oriental named Laguna.
The ambuscade was so effectually carried out, that
notwithstanding the heroic bravery of the Brazilians,
who fought against such tremendous odds, a body
of Paraguayan cavalry broke in on their left flank,
and sacceeded in capturing the horses. The Brazi-
lian commander, with true military tact, formed in
squares, and kept up such a running fire of muske-
try as to keep the enemy at bay ; but suddenly
fresh forces of the enemy dashed out of the woods
on the right flank with the most unearthly yells,
1 but did not cross the river. The Brazilian squares
formed walls of steel ; and the commander drew off
his men when the vanguard had recrossed the arroyo
with the most admirable precision, although followed
to the water's edge by the enemy. The expeditionary
force retreated and returned to headquarters. It does
not appear that the enemy attempted to cross the