The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-12-05
A STRANGE VICTORY.
How Handful of Patagonians Conquered
Five Hundred E;raziIidns.

= IVA
foe to their plundering policy. and for
many years they waged war against
Buenos Ayres, putting forth all their
feeble energies IN operations by LAND
and sea to crush their troublesome
neighbor, until 1928, when they finally
abandoned the contest. During this
war the mperialists conceived the idea
of capturing the Patagonian settle
ment Of FL Carmen, which was known
to be quite unprotected. Three ships
of war, with large contingent of
soldiers, were sent out to effect this in
significant conquest, and in due time
reached the Rio Negro. One of the
ships came to grief on the bar, which
is very difficult, and there it eventually
became total wreck. The other two
succeeded in getting safely into Their river.
The troops to the number of five hun
dred men were disembarked and sent
on to capture the town, which is twenty
miles distant from the sea. The ships
at the same time proceeded up the
river, though it was scarcely thought
that their cooperation would be re-
quired to take so weak place as the
Carmen. Happily for the colonists, the
imperial armada found the navigation
difficult, and one of the ships ran on
to a sandbank about half way to
the town; the other proceeded alone,
only to arrive when it was all over
with the land force. Tidings of the
approaching army soon reached the
Carmen, and all able-bodied men within
call were quickly mustered in the fort.
They numbered only seventy, but the
Patagonians were determined to defend
themselves. Women and children
were brought into the fort; guns were
loaded and placed in position; then the
commander had a happy inspiration,
and all the strong women were made to
display themselves on the walls in male
attire. Dummy soldiers, hastily inn
provisGd from blocks of wood, holsters,
and other materials, were also placed
at intervals; so that when the Brazilians
arrived in sight they were surprised to
see four or five hundred men, as they
thought, on the ramparts before them.
The day had been oppressiyely hot.
without 4 cloud, and that march of
about thirty miles over the waterless
desert had exhausted the men, To the
{ |Io; ,.-f, ~ ,I0 i" .f ti,'m
frino. - ab I,l,t''''0lo 0ii0-lJ i-' "1'l-0'''
Another happy inspiration came to
the aid of the commander, and as soon
the Brazilians had disappeared be-
hind the rising ground, his seventy men
were hastily dispatched to collect and
bring in all the horses pasturing in the
valley. When the invaders had been
s,Ii,.itloss rot,,r,, ,,loVab 40 +bUmdo eo -
fundamentally boaf,, ,,,,, boo.d boLi,,d
+bnr, and iooi-ima, bnaI, tboI. f,oIaId
o,.oa+ a,.,,,,. nc +To,, i,,,,o,inoa y, +boi,.
farro, nbarc.ino jo,,., I,,,on +L 1i
,T,b, - 49,
;,,,,,,o HE Loif - ~ ~ inl I,'e. 20
y;al, +,,, - L IllS iloi-o~ ~
haina. d,.-,,, 1 I,'',+l'4 t, ,,ot;o' 10
No prar;I;a,,s ,.aooi,'o5 tI,ai,. GHu,
1900, liI ei f Jl'.,ilo
L,,t +tora.I ,,,,n,. Gl,..7e ela;,, y,
,,ro,,nJad +,a fra,,tin ,,oIJl IS 40
In, Lem ,1o.I 4I,,,
fnw ,,9o,,on+s hIi,d nIi+h ' no% ['i' th b.
1,,oo +,.o,,,,lii,o, dow, tI F''liaI'
f+ba mnantim1 Tho PatononionS ,yo,o
f,.i,,c, i, ~ H., f,,.,d lf 49,
and mon. and NV Sinnnior cbana 80
n ,oironio Il W.. bnld to no ~ tbo
timnNtba of,icnr non,noondina tbo
imnarisI +ronns was shot Joad NV a
stray bullet. then the men threw down
+boir or,1,s and s,,rra,,Iorad ~ a.
walton , five b1rdrod disniniirod sol
ders Of +bo o,nniro 70 sarontr r'I,fr ,,oo,
Pataronians mo.tl,, farnnrS -, t,,d pIo
,,,oo 9ond wilson's rho Lnnor af 10
annir , ,vos yor,, Ii++ia 70 tboso fon,isb.
inc ,,,rotoIo, or, ..,o, o,+ VIII, fro+bino.
,la6o,,tbS fo,. ,,,,t,r 2;rStnod Of nTor+at:
oaUino tboi,. ,,nsl-n+s ooo+taroa H., ahort
',In;,, +ba,- ,,,ora ,,,,rohoJ Nv, tIoi,.
c c 'i JoIrn 70 tbo r;ror ,,b;ob r,al
obp" ME- for ,,ilos off ,nd roocheJ " %. Of
q noipt irs+ whnro tbo honil .sIan" ,'S
Jo r bo+yUoon thn P,rrot,s wa, %, dma
sido and IG +bo bonso ,.asidod IN on tilo
otbor ''i'' IL 10 Lord nf oattlo r,o a
donnd ,,;+h thirs+ +bo,- ,,sLod ;,,+ ll' ~
wotor t,' oSob nthor u, Down WIN
w +hoir balta g fha+ ,,,nnI, ,,1ora
,Smotbnrod ,yb;,o others nnoIod ZOO
co.. "ilt Nv, +%n l''' s,ro,d. p
y' o" s,o+ fo, ~; Eat h,, +bo ift
o mu.1 nv ,Tpd dTnu.nnd Vbon t +Do,, haJ
drunk their llIi' Uiey were oriNen IKE
CduIlC " INC Cal ilcu anu SlluU up III Ilt