The Battle of Pehuajó, also known as Battle of Corrales or Battle of Itati was fought during the Paraguayan War onJanuary 31, 1866. Around 1,500 Paraguayan troops commanded by General Francisco Isidoro Resquín and Lieutenant Celestino Prieto engaged in a surprise attack against a couple of advanced Argentine and Uruguayan battalions with about 2,000 men led by General Emilio Conesa, under direct command of the president of Argentina, Bartolomé Mitre.
Previous Events
After the Brazilian invasion and bombing of Paysandú Paraguay declares War on Brasil because of the Treaty both Brasil and Paraguay signed for "defending the Uruguayan independence" and for protecting the allied Blanco Government. After a victorious but later abandoned campaign in Matto Grosso, the troops of Paraguayan president, Field MarshalFrancisco Solano López are intending to reach Uruguay through Entre Rios. While Mitre was secretly giving military support to the coup in Uruguay and allowing the Brazilian Navy and Troops the pass through Argentinian territory, he denied access to the Paraguayan Army. That led to the declaration of War from Paraguay to Argentina and the later Campaign of Corrientes. After several defeats of the Paraguayan Army in Corrientes and in Uruguayana, the "guarani" soldiers had to retreat from Argentina after fierce battles with general Wenceslao Paunero and his men. Solano López declared Antonio de la Cruz Estigarribia a "traitor" and "spy of the enemies" and replaced Wenceslao Robles for his well trusted general Resquín.
The battle
Paraguayan troops retreated to their own territory, protected by the Fortress of Itapirú. General Conesa, leader of the advanced allied forces, tried to chase the fleeing soldiers, but the attempt was very risky and allowed the Paraguayans to have good counter-attacking possibilities. Solano López understood this and sent small raiding parties of 100-200 men across the river to attack allied posts. Most notable were raid on 13, 16, 17, 19 and 25 January. On 29 January 1866, 400 Paraguayans crossed the River Parana and drove the Argentines from Corrales were lost, while Argentinian, and some Uruguayans among them, lost around 1,000 men.
Aftermath
Despite the victory obtained by the Paraguayan Army, Lopez's troops never again crafted a similar assault against the Allied Army. The Paraguayans embarked on their boats on the night of 1 Feb., returning to Itapiru. General Bartolomé Mitre praised the courage of the Argentinian soldiers but recommended for the next time to his troops to be "in future combats, less prodigious of their generous flame and fiery courage". The Fortress of Itapirú eventually fell on 5 April 1866. The Argentinian city of Pehuajó is named in honour of its founder, Dardo Rocha, veteran who fought this battle.
