Battle of Ytororó On the morning of December 6 , 1868 , Marshal of the Brazilian Army , Luís Alves de Lima e Silva , Marquis ( later Duke ) of Caxias , moved with 13 , 000 men in two columns to take Villeta , a Paraguayan city , as a plan to make further attacks on the Paraguayan Army rear . Nevertheless , Paraguayan president and commander - in - chief of the army Francisco Solano López was aware of the landing the Allies had made in the rear of his army . Taking advantage of the Allies ' slow march , he sent Colonel Bernardino Caballero to stop the enemy at a narrow passage over a stream called Ytororó . Caballero deployed his troops so that Caxias would have to cross the only passage at disposal ( a bridge ) under heavy fire . On each side of the crossing , he located four guns . Another battery of four guns was put on the top of a nearby low - lying hill . The battle started by late morning and was characterized by attacks and counterattacks for control of the bridge . By 1 pm , after a fierce fight , the bridge was taken and the Allies could advance towards Villeta . The Battle . The imperial army Brazilian received a new order : the 48th Corps Volunteers of the Homeland , under the command of Major Secundino Filafiano Melo Tambourine , passed the 9th to the 5th Infantry Brigade of Colonel Fernando Machado de Sousa . 12 From then on , this detachment had the 1st and 13th Infantry Battalion s and the 34th and 48th Corps Volunteer . The Brigade of Colonel Fernando Machado , who was reunited with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Colonel Domingos Rodrigues Seixas , formed the 2nd Infantry Division of Colonel Salustiano Jerome dos Reis , the 2nd Army Corps Marshal Alexandre Gomes de Argolo Stinger Son 13 would be responsible for ensuring security so the army Guard disembark at St . Anthony , more precisely in the rut of the left margin . On December 4 , 1868 , gave up boarding Infantry and Artillery who were housed in the Chaco region . The cavalry , under the command of Brigadier José Luis Mena Barreto , followed by land to the border town of St . Helena , 14 located in the state of Paraná , chosen point for landing on the left bank of the river . The Paraguayan army was commanded by General Bernardino Caballero , with a force of five to six thousand men , divided into sixteen battalions of infantry , six regiments of cavalry , and twelve guns . In command of the infantry was Lt . Col . Herman Serrano , the cavalry was divided into two wings under its command of Colonel Valois Rivarola and Major Juan Lanson . At the top of the hill , just beyond the bridge over the creek was the artillery , commanded by Major Moreno According to José Bernardino Bormann , on the 5th of December , the Marshal Duke of Caxias arrives to inspect the camp , the troops and their willingness to venture . Asked by Duque de Caxias concerning occupation of the bridge over the stream and its surroundings Itororó , General Argolo Ferrao said that was not possible due to lack of sufficient cavalry and even mules to help pull artillery . Although with unpleasant news about the occupation of the stream , Duque de Caxias decided to move forward and occupy the desired position by sending squads Niederauer John Nephew and two infantry battalions , with a promise to increase the strength and firepower with more infantry and artillery when they got animals to carry greater load . The path leading to the edge of the stream was tortuous , with a dense vegetation that hindered the movement of the units , however , when John Niederauer Nephew arrived , the Paraguayans were already entrenched on the other side of the river . By nightfall , the General Argolo Niederauer warns about positioning enemy and therefore awaits further orders Caxias . Already being in darkness and the rugged terrain and little known Marshal Niederauer ordered to retreat , but they tick off the general strategic positions in the advanced forces should remain until dawn . During the wait , it is reported that the troops had a festive air , the soldiers were at ease , dancing and singing around campfires . After a night of joy and festivities to overcome nervousness , Dec . 6 arrives with silence and apprehension . With the touch of dawn , the soldiers begin their chores and ready for the inevitable conflict . To get to the bridge Itororó through the city of San Antonio , Brazilian troops would travel more than two miles , through a difficult road for the cavalry and artillery . For the safety of the group , the Brigade of Colonel Fernando Machado composed of four battalions followed in the rear , making the security of the 2nd Army Corps . The latter ensured the protection of the first group , the Squadron Cavalry Brigade Colonel Niederauer Nephew . When the task force came together to bridge Itororó the army commanded by Colonel Serrano was already in place , waiting for the clash with the Brazilians . By order of Marshal Argolo Stinger Son , the Brazilian Imperial Army began the attack , while the 1st Battalion followed in the rear of the Brigade of Colonel Fernando Machado to ensure their safety . The Colonel ordered further that cavalry brigades and fire - hydrants to follow the bridge to face . On the Paraguayan side , Colonel Serrano strengthened the defense of the land occupied , knowing that the fight on the bridge would be difficult , swelling the number of soldiers on the bridge with only the troops that were closer . The struggle depend more on dexterity of his men than the amount of fighters on the river . In addition , a word - of - fire had been placed strategically next to the bridge to eliminate any soldier who exceed the other side . The first encounter was with Lieutenant Colonel João Antônio de Oliveira Valporto , 16 which progressed with five companies of the 1st Battalion line toward the mouth fire - posted by the Paraguayans . His onslaught was positive because could take her , however , was faced with a great line of enemy infantry and also four more mouths - of - smoke , which struck with devastating power . Accordingly , the Companies Lieutenant Colonel retreated in a confused way to the other side . Noticing that the battalion retreated , Colonel Fernando Machado advanced on the bridge with the bodies 34 and 48 of the Volunteers of the Homeland , thrusting against the enemy , leaving the 13th Corps line of protection for your artillery . However , his attack was a failure , because the enemy artillery opened heavy fire on his group , hitting him so deadly in the middle of the bridge . John Niederauer Nephew crossed the bridge with 6 ° Group Lancers and flanking Battalions Brazilian Imperial Army , stormed the Paraguayan troops , which retreated hastily . With this , Niederauer was able to take the four fire - mouths of the enemy , which had managed to disband the ranks of the allied battalions . The Brazilian Imperial army was weakening , losing many men and leaving many others out of the fight due to injury or bruising . The delay in the appearance of General Osório to combat , as determined previously by Marshal Duke of Caxias , made the latter , at 65 years of age , marched toward the enemy , cheering and calling the emperor Brazilians for what seemed to be the " all or nothing " this first episode of the War of the Triple Alliance . Soldiers weakened , but touched by the bravery of his marshal , followed him for a showdown with redoubled spirit and took the position permanently .