The Shasta courier., 1865-11-25
The War between Brazil and Paraguay,

The New York Evening Post thus sums
up the battles and arrives at the g situation
of the contending forces of Brazil and
Paraguay:
Fierce conflicts occurred in August be-
tween the opposing forces Of Brazil and
Paraguay. On the 18th Of that month the
allied forces OF Brazil, Uruguay and the
Argentine Confederation, eight thousand
five hundred strong under Generals Flores
and Paunero encountered three thousand
four hundred Paraguayans, under Major
Dnarte, on the right bank Of the Uruguay
river. The Paragraphs were unprovded
| with artillery. and were outnumbered more
| than two to one. A summons was seLt to
them to surrender but they replied by shoot
inc the messenger. For an hour and a
Quarter the Paraguavans met the fierce
assaults of the allies with a desperate re-
siStance, neither asking nor receiving the
quarter which their assaiants were little
| disposed to accord to them. AT the end of
that time they broke and fled to the river
pursued by four thousand cavalry. Here
| slaughter took place, which one of the vic
torious Generals characterlzes as regular
| butchery.
Scarcely one of the army escaped. They
| left one thousand five hundred dead on the
| field, and only three hundred wounded-a
conclusive proof of the fearful nature of the
struggle Their leader, Duarte, and twelve
hundred of bis troops, fell into the hands of
the Brazilians, and all their stores were cap
tured. The Allies state their loss at only
two hunered and fifty killed and wounded.
| Another detachment of the Paraguyan
army, seven thousand strong. on the opposite
| side of the river, was prevented by the
Brazilian gunboats from reinforcing Duarte,
and at the time of last advces, were hem.
med in at Uruguayana by an immensely
superior force.
On the other hand an engagement took
place between the Paraguayans batteries
and the Brazilian fleet, in which the fleet
seems to have been severely handled. Fo :
| lowing tie example successfully set during
our own war, the Paraguyans had construct
ed batteries along the banks of the Parana
river to prevent the return of the Brazilian
fleet. In running past these batteries the
| feet suffered considerable damage.
THE NAVAL BATTLE OF LAS CUEvAs.
Stirring news has been received Of another
naval fight between the allied squadron and
the Paraguyan batteries, at place called
| Cuevas. The Squadron seems to have suf
fered very severely when passing the battery
| in question, which mounted some fifty heavy
guns some on the beach and others on the
barranca. A body of five thousand Para
guayans, lying fat on their bellies on the
summit of the cliff which commanded the
pass, poured destructive fire on each vessel
as she passed.
A letten written on board the Argentine
vessel Quarda Naconal gives the following
details:
The Cuevas batteries were in this order ::
First-four guns "a fleur d'eau )" second
fourteen on the baranca; third-Sixteen
heavy guns fourth-sixteen spread out in
! line with five thousand infantry, who opened
IN us CALLING calling fire, while they lay ?a their
faces ranged along the cliff. Our men be-
haved well, even the starboard gunners dis
daining to go below. The fight lasted forty.
five minutes, between our six guns and the
enemy's fifty pieces and five thousand in.
fan:ry. Thanks to Muraturi and Py, our
own cockle-shell has succeeded in passing
The Brazilian surgeons, on our arriving at
Goya. kindly came on board to look after our
wounded.
Admiral Muraturi also writes to the Tri-
bune. under date Goya, 18th inst, stating
that his war-steamer is verv much cut up
with twenty shots in the hull and the rig
gng damaged, but she covered herself with
| glory.