The New York herald., 1868-04-21

| ages to the Third division The nre Of the enemy
o0%eus sse sCs Ss NIX ss Us q
| thousand. Humaita has been passed. the fire OF the
sqIsdro9nt ts destroying nandreds Of Obstacles The
science said IN their writings could not Be forced ~
S,y''Sa for sSe ampsser S'sa ana
receive TrSm me and from the squadron our thanks
for the much you have done for It, Permit me, your
manders and ofcers OF the Third division, and very
especially Lieutenant Maurity also the chief, COM
s 81 m he % NY TSa %as
composed OF Commodore Alvin, Post Captain Fer
nandes Captain IL, Lieutenant saIgadoi my nag cap
Tamborim. The. arst, fourth and SIXTH in the the
Second Grand division, and the others near me- are
worthy Il the greatest praise for the great aid they
rendered % me. Likewise Captain Alfonso Lima did
good service with a small division in Lake Piris or
| time.
l ask your Excellency to have the goodness
Ordinates. N.H
God have your Excelency in care.
To his Exceency, CoNsELHEIRO ALFONSO CEIso DE
AssIs FIduElREDo, Minister and Secretary Of
| BARON DE INHAUMA, Commander.,n.Chief.
The leading vessel, the sarroso, with the Rio
Grande, was struck only four times from Humaita
up Tne snS TheS
ioiowed, were 80 badly mauled that they had to
take ground at Tayi TO prevent their sinking. The
Alag0as was OF course most exposed and received
such battering that several of her plates on both
tower and sides were loosened and some even beaten
the vessels opened upon limbo and Laureles. The
| Bahia BarrOso and Rio Grande, which had suffered
least, took in coal from small deposit brought to
Tayi and proceeded the goth up the river towards
AsuncOn, with the mission OF destroying, as far as
possible, everything which could be OF service to the
Cholera had entirely left the fleet at last dates
| The high ireshet OF the Paraguay had flooded and
m Nno and dNrN-
baby also the road there by which the Paraguayans
had been receiving supplies, in any case Of no fur
ther service In consequence of the rDn-clads having
| possession OF tie river above Humaita.
CAPTURE OF THE WORK CALLED EsTABELEcIMIENTo.
! In connection with the forcing OF Humaita by the
iron clads the Marquis de CaXias had planned an
| attack upon the Paraguayan outw0rk above Humaitd
enng the line of siege and OF giving the army a
triumph more Immediately personal to 1t than that
o. the Meet To conceal the real point of attack
feigned movements and attacks were undertaken.
On the afternoon OF the 18th then about 5000 men,
mlantry, cavalry and artillery, with twelve pieces,
were formed outside the camp Of Tuyucue and after
being reviewed by the Marquis de Caxas returned to
| camp. however, at ten p M. these troops were
5. Soano in the direction of the Estabelecimiento
or Estancia de Santa Anna. On getting close to it
they were put in order Of battle with the cavalry on
the LETT and the approaches and works were recon
noitered These were circled by two deep channeled
covered them to the river leaving but small front
accessible from any points. The first brigade under
command comm OF Colonel Barras Falcao consisting OF the
Thirty first battalion, the Sixteenth and the needle
gun battalion, for the first time brought into action
rushed to the assault but was met with such heavy
IRE or rockets grape and shrapDe that the storm.
ers hesitated at the ditch and turned AT this time
however, two bvtalions of Colonel Pinhero Guima.
win rush the intre%nchment % 'A'VS was ~ Car. caH
ried at that point and the Brazilian flag
| of the Rio Grande cavalry having been dsmounted
these charged the intrenchment lance in hand and
succeeded IN entering @ It almost simultaneously with
about 500 men, with fifteen light cannon, and the
two Paraguayan steamboats, aided greatly In the
defence, their heavy cannon sweeping with grape
the approaches OF the work. After the successful
storming was effected fire opened on the
steamers, but they succeeded in escaping down
were LAS killed, $3.50 wounded and AZ bruised
IN all c29. That OF the Paraguayans about 120
killed and a few prisoners besides Is cannon and
quantity OF arms, munitions and cattle. The action
ton Of resistance The works were however, aban-
doned after being ruined and the camp burned the
only object OF the attack apparently being demon
stration against the enemy and the destruction OF
the brickyards and other establishments used by the
enemy.
An ofrcial report OF the Marquis de Caxias is as
| fOlloNS:-
TO his Excellency the Baron DO HERvAL:-
have the greatest satisfaction In communicating
TO you that to-day, at five A. NJ, ordered attack
to be made by part OF the forces that marched with
| Estabelecimento, which, as you know, lies above
| Laureles, aud was OF the greatest importance to
Lopez because OF Its facilitating his communications
and iavoring the herding OF cattle. The fort
had d two intrenchments with garrison OF
ufteen
pieces Of small calibre planted in the batteries.
Our soldiers attacked with the gaantry and bravery
peculiar to them. The enemy was overcome after q
tenacious resistance fleeing disbanded to the lake
bordering the locality, pursued by'our soldiers who
felled with their blows those who had escaped with
lie from the forihcation. The loss OF the enemy
from 500 to 600 killed. leaving in our power the
fifteen pieces spoken OF by me above considerable
quantity OF arms and munitions which were in de.
posit. On our side We had 900 men hors dc
combat, more or less, between killed, wounded and
a
number OF carts may come hither, even those that
may in any way be obtained from the suffers; this
measure IL rendered necessary because IL will not
do on any account to delay here the prizes taken
from the enemy, This evening, at four O'Clock,
which suffered most the rest of the force remaining
| MARQUEE DE CAxIAS
Two hundred OF the cavalry 700, were Argentnes.
Of February, the Marquis de Caxias announced that
within three days, or as soon a. he would receive
| communications from the iron-clads gone up the
Paraguay strong force would be sent by him. either
under his own command or that OF General Osoro to
march parallel with the river to cooperate with those
vessels. and II found convenient To occupy Asunciou.
! On the 18th the Paragusyans surprised small
force OF Argentines consisting Of eighty infantry and
thirty cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel pipo. These
| were taken unawares by one hundred and my
cavalry, who had concealed themselves in the brush
| and were badly cut up, losing the commander his
| aduant and forty.three men killed and fourteen
wounded. The loss Of the Pariguayans Is given at
! Brazilian cavalry, but IL was vain the Paraguayans
reaching their intrenchents before being attained.
Az the vessels neared the London battery the Para
guayans threw hreballs upon the water, continuing
70 renew them every minute, and on the Chaco
side they 1T up three electric lights at different
points to illuminate the proximities Of the chains OF
the boom. Torpedoes had also been fastened to the
chain but whether the continued rise OF the river
mad sunk them out Of reach or they had got spoiled
| none OF them exploded The heaviest nrng was
| from the new work called limbo situated a little
| abOye Humaita, and which appeared TO have more
cannon than the latter including the thirty-two-
pound Whtworth, captured at Tuyuty.
The ron-cad whicn led The van In the passage or
| Humaita, the Barroso, which was commanded by
Arthur Silviera da Motta Of the senator OF this
name, and the chief pilot was Lieutenant Etchborne
VINO, on previons occasions Of the war had distin-
gnished himself for his skilfulness. and cooness