The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1895-01-17

w. M/MHNMM: deeds of the civil
81 x,%l%#% war, adding fresh
n laurels for Amer
II ican tars, the Gre
alton Of the white
squadron and the
competition among great naval powers
for superiority in equipment, together
with the unknown destructive power of
modern inventions and appliances, COM
bine to sharpen the appetite for contests
that shall decide something and prove
who and what rules the wave. Is it the
nation with the swiftest ships, or the
toughest armor, or the most powerful
guns, or the one that can command the
best fighting men? A very modern au-
thority, trained to the deck, says that
it all depends finally upon the "man
behind the gun"
This battle on the Yalu has been call
ed by Europeans the greatest Of the oen-
tury. Some of its incidents, it is wide
modern times except in the Paraguay
river in the war between Brazil and Par
aguay. If SO, there are more points than
one of similarity between the Yellow
war and that in South America in the
sixties Brazil invaded Uruguay in 1864
to close the Paraguay and its outlet, the
Rio de la Plata, to the interior coun-
tries, and Paraguay declared war.
It was like the challenge Of David to
Goliath. Brazil, vast in territory, was
also rich in material, men and ships.
Little Paraguay had nothing except
some money, few patriots and cause
Ships, guns and ammunition, ordered
from Europe while the conflict was i'm
pending, did not arrive until Brazil had
a feet in the river and Paraguay under
blockade. In hopes Of raising the block
ade by destroying the Brazilian ships
and possibly capturing them for his
own use, President Lopez, ruler Of
Paraguay, instituted two separate at
tacks, which, because of their boldness
and the desperation Of the fighting, have
become notorious in naval annals. The
stories have not been told in this coun-
try, and readers who have followed the
course of the war in Japan may COM
pare the naval events of these wars with
| those OF the CIVIL war.
The first great battle on the Paraguay
took place on the Riachuelo, an inlet
near the southern border Of Paraguay,
in June, 1865. Early in April Brazil
ian fleet of nine seagoing steamers had
assembled the Paraguay and anchored
below the mouth of the Parana Lopez
decided to capture the vessels by board
ing attacks and gathered force of 800
men, which embarked on river steam
ers, rigged out and manned as gunboats
An English engineer OH board the flag
ship advised Lopez to run his vessels
down at night close to the Brazilians
and at daylight send each of them, nine
in number, to lie alongside an enemy's
ship and board it. Lopez's followers
were the bravest men known to modern
war and would fight to the death every
time, but Lopez ordered his feet COM
mandant to run past the Brazilians,
then turn and attack. After numerous
delays the nine ships steamed past the
Brazilian anchorage ground, effecting a
complete surprise. The Brazilians had
no steam up and could easily have been
run down and overpowered. The gun
ners of the anchored ships. however,
opened fire upon the dauntless enemy
sailing past, exploding a shot in the
boilers of the Igurey which killed 20
men, and also one in the Jejui, which
left her helpless. In passing the Para
guayans returned the fire as best they
could with their small cannon. The
q~o ~ r ,,oJ
Brazilians mounted SO.
The experienced fighting men who
witnessed their maneuvers concluded
that Lopez would lose his own ships in
place Of capturing a new feet One such
spectator was General Bruges, Para
guayan commanding some land batter
les opposite the Brazilian feet. AL
though astounded at the sight Of the
fleets recklessly plunging into Brazilian
waters. he did not lose his head, but
rightly inferred that the enemy would
pursue, and in pursuing run the gantlet
past his guns The Brazilian admiral
mistook the plan Of the Paraguayans en-
tirely and believed that they had run
down below him to cut him off from
the lower feet and friendly forts, so he
made all haste to run through the feet
which had got between him and his
base. In the haste and excitement Of
the passage two of the ships took side
channel under the range of General
Bruges' batteries, which speedily rid
died and sank the Jequitinhonha, Of
eight guns. The other, the Paranahyba,
in trying to escape the fire of the bat
teries, struck bar, and having lost
her wheel by shot was caught by cur
rent and whirled around, SO that she
drifted wildly and collided with the
Tacuari Of the Paraguayan feet. It
then that the real fighting men of the
nnternriRa had THAR chanao With IN