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

" THE BATTLE OF JACAIIE.

" 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 enemyoutnumbered,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 Correntino politics, should he oblivious
of the necessity of sending an official report to his
Government of this battle. The letter; 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 correspondence 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 driven back, and numbers of
wounded had arrived at Corrientes. The few
facts which we have at our command 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-
tering 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, and report the general
aspect of the country. General Mena Barreto was
selected to command this expeditionary force,
and for fully a month before the division started
preparations on the most gigantic scale were
adopted by Marshal Callas to insure success ; the
men were mounted on the best horges the army
could afford, and supplied with rifles of the most
unerring precision ; some of the best regiments
were picked 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, but
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 beEigerents 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
coming 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 a
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 succeeded 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,
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

Id.
STAMPED
.51

river. •The Allies lost some men in fording the
stream ; but as yet we have no figures given us of
the losses on either side ; probably by next mail we
may have the required details. An Englislonan
resident at Corrientes has promised to send us all
particulars, which the English doc`or in charge of
the wounded is collecting. As impartial observers we
cannot omit to point to the error of the Allied Com-
mander in sending so small a force into the enemy's
country; but it appears that Marshal Caxias had been
led to believe that the enemy was not iu force this side
of the Tebicuari. Rad the Commander-in-Chief
despatched say 10,000 men the result of the
engagement would have been far different ; thus
realising the truth of the old saying— " Never
send a boy on a man's errand." There are let-
ters at hand which state positively that the bulk
of the enemy's forces that took part iu the fight
were women, it is said commanded ,by Brigadier-
General Eliza Lynch, an Englishwoman, and that
Lopez himself was not far off when the fight oc-
curred. The Paraguayan officer displayed very
poor generalship in attacking before the whole
allied force had crossed the jacare ; but the stream
was too deep and rapid for the infantry to crows,
even the cavalry got across with the greatest diffi-
culty and had to swim their horses. The force was
destitute of bridges or floats. It is not surprising,
therefore, that the first great expedition attempted
by the Allies to march into the interior of the enemy's
country should have come to an unlooked-for finale.
The expedition to the Tebicuari, it appears, con-
sisted of 6,000 cavalry well mounted and equipped,
and the only result that was known at the time the
Wasp left was that a number of dead horses had
come floating down the river past Curupaity. The
Chaco is all overflown on account of the great
floods. The Brazilians attempted to avail them-
selves of the great rise in the river to send a small
steamer over the chains, loaded with coal for the
ironclads above llumaita ; she, however, struck the
chain, and the batteries having opened upon her
she made a precipitate retreat. Humaita seems
to have no lack of ammunition, and the fire
they at times keep up against the ironclads
and enemy's batteries is perfectly terrific. 1,500
Brazilians, it is reported, have fallen into the
hands of the Paraguayans, besides a large number
of horses and quantities of ammunition. The diffi-
culties between the United States Minister, Mr.
Washburne, and the Brazilian Comm ruder-in-
Chief have not been settled as yet. Mr. Wash-
burne, American *Minister, refuses to leave Asun-
cion until the Admiral sends up a vessel for
him ; he will not come down to Curupaity,
but awaits a gunboat in the harbour. The
Brazilian Commander-in-chief refused point-blank
to allow the Wasp to pass up, and now the
question has become a diplomatic one. Brother
Jonathan insists on his light, shows that during
the American war he allowed British vessels to
enter Charleston for her Consuls, and now insists
that Brazil must either fight or let the Ameri-
can vessels pass. We are also happy to see
it mentioned that Messrs.' Valpy and Burrill,
two English civil engineers, for whose safety some
anxiety was felt by their friends at home, have been
peacefully engaged in finishing the railway from
Asuncion to Villa Rica.