Forgotten Battle 28

Welcome back viewers

This month's Forgotten Battle is...

The battle of Tuyutí 

Intro

The Battle of Tuyutí occurred on May 24, 1866. It was fought within the Tuyutí Marsh in the southwest corner of the country of Paraguay between the armies of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay against the army of Paraguay. This battle (which many historians would call the, "Latin Waterloo") was bloodiest event of the worst war fought in the history of South America and would change the fate of one nation forever.

Part I

In the year 1865, the political situation on the continent of South America had reached a breaking point. A series of civil wars and coups had plunged the entire southern part of the continent into one of the most destructive wars of the 19th century. The country that was at the center of this conflict was the nation of Paraguay. The leader of Paraguay was Francisco Solano Lopez. Lopez had succeeded his father as President of Paraguay in 1862. After touring Europe, he returned to his country with the very latest in military technology. He brought with him, thousands of guns, ammunition, and several dozen steamships which he used to bolster the Paraguayan Army and Navy into a lethal fighting force that could rival its much larger neighbors (Brazil and Argentina).

In the year 1864, civil war had broken out in the nation Uruguay. On one side, was the reigning Blanco Party headed by President Atanasio Aguirre. The other side was the rebelling Colorado Party led by Venancio Flores. To Lopez's anger, he noticed that the nations of Brazil and Argentina were backing Flores and the Colorado Party. Believing that this would threaten Paraguay, Lopez pledged his support for President Aguirre and demanded that the Brazilian Emperor Pedro II cease his intervention in Uruguay. When his demand fell on deaf ears, the Paraguayan Army launched an incursion into the Brazilian province of Mato Grosso in December of that year. They defeated the Brazilians stationed there and by January of 1865, the southern border of Mato Grosso was under Paraguayan occupation.

After this, President Lopez sent a demand to Argentina's President Bartolomé Metre for permission to cross the Argentine province of Corrientes with his army to aid the Blancos in Uruguay. President Mitre declined this demand so Lopez declared war on Argentina and sent 20,000 soldiers into the Corrientes province in March of 1865. Unfortunately, the civil war in Uruguay was now over. Aided by Brazilian troops, Venancio Flores and his Colorado Party entered the capital city of Montevideo, defeated the Blancos, and forced them into exile. With Flores now the president, Uruguay along with Brazil and Argentina signed the Treaty of the Triple Alliance and declared war on Paraguay.

Part II

Almost immediately, the tide of the war turned against the Paraguayans. The Allies destroyed most their navy at the battle of Riachuelo on June 11, 1865. Two months later, the Paraguayan Army was decisively defeated at the battle of Yatay Creek on the banks of the Uruguayan River. These defeats coupled with the massive numbers of Allied troops massing to the north and south of Paraguay, forced President Lopez to pull his armies back to the mainland and prepare for an invasion.

In April of 1866, the Allies launched an incursion into Southern Paraguay. After a month of marching and fighting, the Allied Army camped a few miles north of the Paraná River in a marshy swamp called, Tuyutí (Guarani for: white mud). Upon learning this, Lopez ordered the Paraguayan Army to launch an attack on the Allied camp. Led by General Alexandre Argolo, the Paraguayans advanced in four columns and numbered more than 27,000 infantry and cavalry. By contrast, the Allied Army was made up of 22,000 Brazilians (led by General Manuel Osório), 11,800 Argentines (led by President Mitre), and 1,200 Uruguayans (led by President Flores). Their entire force consisted of 35,000 infantry, cavalry, and 48 artillery guns.

General Argolo divided his force into four columns. His plan was to launch a pincer movement against the Allied position and catch them by surprise. However, during the night of May 23, many Paraguayan soldiers got lost in the thick marsh and struggled to get through them. By noon the next day, only one of General Argolo's columns had made it through to the Allied camp. To make matters worse, the Allies had spotted the Paraguayans struggling to get through Tuyutí and were ready to meet the attack. In spite of these setbacks, the sole Paraguayan column (led by Colonel Jose Diaz) decided to launch their assault.

Part III

The first to attack were Colonel Diaz's cavalry units. At 11:55 AM, they charged at full gallop toward the first Allied line of defense (manned by the Uruguayans). When the attackers were at grapeshot range, the Allied artillery opened fire and ripped through the cavalry lines with deadly accuracy. When they got within 180 meters, the Uruguayan infantry opened fire and mowed them down. The few horsemen who survived abandoned the assault and pulled back. At this point, Colonel Hilario Marcó arrived on the battlefield with four infantry regiments. With Colonel Diaz's infantry on their right, they launched another assault on the Allied camp (once again, against the Uruguayans).

By now however, the Brazilians had moved up on the Uruguayan left flank and fired down upon the Paraguayan infantry. At the same time, the Paraguayan cavalry launched another charge. Both attacks were repulsed with heavy casualties. Even so, the Paraguayans refused to give up and sent more infantry to assault the Allied center. Even though the Brazilian general (António Sampaio) was shot off his horse and killed, each attack was repelled with no attacker getting closer than fifty meters to the Brazilian/Uruguayan lines.

Then without warning, Paraguayan cavalry and infantry under the command of General Vincente Barrios emerged and struck the Brazilians in the left flank. Although the Brazilian Light Brigade was initially pushed back, they were reinforced by two infantry regiments and stopped the Paraguayan advance. The latter was then annihilated by a burst of cannon fire from the allied artillery units. The final action occurred on the Allied right flank, when the last Paraguayan column under General Francisco Resquín arrived on the battlefield.

General Resquín's cavalry charged against the Argentine lines. The Argentine infantry responded by fixing bayonets and forming squares which fended off the Paraguayan attacks. At the same time, the Argentine artillery fired canister rounds into the Paraguayan ranks. After losing an entire regiment of cavalry, General Resquín could see the situation was hopeless and pulled his forces back. By 4:30 PM, all fighting in the swamp of Tuyutí had ceased.

Epilogue

The casualties for the four hour battle of Tuyutí were horrific. The Allied casualties are listed as 996 killed and 3,232 wounded. Although the exact numbers are not known, the Paraguayan casualties are believed to have numbered more than 6,000 killed and over 7,000 wounded (out of 26,000 engaged). It was a disaster that they would never recover from. From this point onward, the Paraguayans would never mount another major offensive against the Allies.

The War of the Triple Alliance went on for another four years. During this, the Paraguayan Army continued to suffer multiple defeats. Even after the Paraguayan capital (Asunción) fell in 1869, President Lopez refused to give up and turned to guerrilla warfare. After another year of brutal fighting, on March 1, 1870, Lopez and what remained of his army were cornered by the Brazilian Army at a hill called, Cerro Corá. President Francisco Solano Lopez was shot and killed during this final battle after allegedly shouting, "I do not surrender nor deliver my sword. I die with it and for my country!". With that, the War of the Triple Alliance was finally over.

For the nation of Paraguay, the war had been utterly devastating. The nation ultimately lost more than a quarter of its territory to Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. In addition to this, more than sixty percent of its population (including ninety percent of its men and boys) had died. To this day, the nation of Paraguay has still not fully recovered. The battle of Tuyutí remains the most iconic battle of this devastating conflict. It  is now remembered as the pretext to the near-annihilation of a whole country in the worst war fought in South America.

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/war-of-the-triple-alliance-bloodbath-in-paraguay/

https://www.grunge.com/1167842/tragic-details-about-the-war-of-the-triple-alliance/

https://www.erroluys.com/paraguayanwar3.html

https://thebattlecast.com/2018/12/30/show-24-the-paraguayan-war-and-the-battle-of-tuyuti/

Forgotten Battle 27

Welcome back viewers

This month's Forgotten Battle is...

The Battle of Wilson's Wharf (Fort Pocahontas)

Intro

The battle of Wilson's Wharf took place on May 24, 1864. It was fought between infantry soldiers of the Union Army of the Potomac against cavalry of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in what is now Charles County, Virginia. This small battle was the first confrontation between black soldiers and the Army of Northern Virginia and would become a major turning point in the war to end slavery.

Part I

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation (aka: Proclamation 95). This declared that all slaves within the Confederate States of America were now free in the eyes of the Union and all slaves who successfully escaped bondage would be permanently free. In addition to this, former slaves would be permitted to serve within the Union Army and Navy. Although this did not include the slaves within the border states (Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware), Lincoln had officially changed the narrative of the Civil War. The war against secession was now a war against slavery.

The impact of Lincoln's proclamation was felt almost immediately. Thousands of slaves across the south soon found the courage to escape from their plantations and enlist in the Union Army. This in turn, caused the Confederacy to lose a large percentage of their workforce and also deprived them of international recognition from the countries of France and Great Britain.

In May of 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant launched his Overland Campaign against Confederate General Robert E. Lee. During this campaign, a series of bloody battles were fought across the state of Virginia that cost both armies very dearly. However, the more ground the Union armies gained, the more slaves in the south were inspired to escape to freedom. In addition to this, a series of outposts and fortifications were constructed along the rivers to guard supply lines. One of them was located outside Charles City on the James River. It was called, Fort Pocahontas.

Part II

The man who was in command of Fort Pocahontas was, Brigadier General Edward Wild. General Wild was a former physician who had joined the army in 1861. He had previously seen combat at First Bull Run and South Mountain (where he had lost his left arm). An ardent supporter of the Abolitionist Movement, he had raised a regiment that was almost entirely comprised of former slaves and free blacks (they were nicknamed, the African Brigade). 

During the month of May 1864, he had landed with his regiment in support of General Benjamin Butler's Bermuda Hundred Campaign. At a place called Wilson's Wharf (a rendezvous point for a steamboat line on the James River), General Wild's men constructed a stronghold. Due to its close proximity to Jamestown, they named the fortification, Fort Pocahontas. The fort's garrison was manned by a total of 1,100 soldiers. They included the whole regiment of the 1st United States Colored Troops (USCT), four companies from the 10th USCT, and a section of Battery M of the 3rd New York light artillery (armed with two 10-pounder Parrot rifles). Other than the artillery men and the officers, the entire garrison was composed of black soldiers. On May 23, they were joined by the gunboat, USS Dawn (which was armed with 2 x 32-pounder guns).

When Confederate President Jefferson Davis learned of a "black fortification" being built at Wilson's Wharf, he became enraged and sent orders for Major General Fitzhugh Lee to capture it. General Lee (Robert E. Lee's nephew) took his cavalry brigade and road to the wharf. He arrived outside the fort on the morning of May 24 with 2,500 men. 

Part III

At 11 in the morning, several confederate scouts approached the fort and exchanged fire with the black soldiers on guard duty. After noting the poor condition of the fort and the "inferior garrison", they withdrew and reported back to General Lee. Expecting a quick and easy victory, Lee sent a surrender demand to General Wild at 1:30 PM that day. He promised that the black soldiers would receive the same treatment as white soldiers as prisoners of war. But if the demand was rejected, then he (General Lee) would, "not be answerable for the consequences". 

Although, he was outnumbered more than two to one and Fort Pocahontas was only partially complete, General Wild did not believe Lee's promise of "humane treatment". Only a month earlier, a garrison of black soldiers had been attacked by confederate cavalry at Fort Pillow in Tennessee. Even after surrendering, nearly all the black soldiers had been massacred. Wild sent a written reply to Lee that read, "Present my compliments to General Lee and tell him to go to hell. Take the fort if you can". Angered by this, Lee's men prepared to launch their attack. The fighting began at 2:30 PM.

General Lee ordered a two-pronged attack to be launched on Fort Pocahontas. Lee sent one brigade to attack the left flank of Fort Pocahontas. This attack was meant to be a diversion while Lee sent two other brigades to attack the fort's unfinished right wall. Unfortunately for the rebels, General Wild had anticipated this and had both his cannons moved there. The advancing cavalry (who were dismounted) ran into an abatis and were cut down by enfilading fire from both the defending infantry and artillery. Simultaneously, the rebel attack on the left was also beaten back with heavy casualties.

Unwilling to accept defeat, General Lee ordered another charge on the fort's unfinished right wall. Using the cover of the dense woods, the confederate cavalry once again advanced dismounted. And once again they were stopped by heavy fire from the fort's defenders. This time, the USS Dawn also began lobbing shells into the confederates as they tried to get through the abatis. The few who managed to reach the fort's wall were killed with bayonets. Due to the massacre at Fort Pillow, the defenders decided to take no prisoners that day. The fighting continued for the next four hours until finally, Lee called off further assaults and retreated from the area. By 6 PM, the battle of Wilson's Wharf was over.

Epilogue

Compared to other battles in the Civil War, the casualties at Wilson's Wharf were relatively light, yet far lopsided. Reports of the casualties for each side vary by sources. The accepted number of union casualties is 6 killed and 40 wounded. General Lee did not report his casualties. But it is believed that the confederates suffered between 150 to 200 killed and wounded. 

For the confederates, the battle was a highly embarrassing defeat. General Fitzhugh Lee would never be in full command for the rest of the war. In his report, he claimed that his army had been defeated by a "well-entrenched" enemy backed by six gunboats. He also neglected to mention that the garrison was made up of black soldiers.

For the union, the battle at Wilson's Wharf was a small yet important morale victory. For the first time, black soldiers had stood their ground against the Army of Northern Virginia and emerged victorious. It proved that they could hold their own against overwhelming odds and inspired many more men (black and white) to enlist in the union armies and continue the bloody fight to end slavery in the United States. Today, the battlefield at Fort Pocahontas has been preserved for visitors. It remains a testament to General Wild and his African Brigade's brave stand in the name of freedom.

https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/wilsons-wharf-confederate-beatdown/

https://ironbrigader.com/2025/02/23/the-battle-of-wilsons-wharf-was-a-victory-for-the-black-troops-of-the-usct/

https://www.beyondthecrater.com/wargaming/acw-miniatures/charge/charge-issue-27-page-7-the-battle-of-fort-pocahontas-wilsons-wharf-by-jerry-stefek/

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/thenceforward-and-forever-free