Passage of Curupayty (1868)
# Passage of Curupayty (1868)

vteParaguayan War :

Mato Grosso campaign

Marquês de Olinda

1st Corumbá

Fort Novo de Coimbra

Feio River

Dourados

Nioaque

Anhambaí

Fort Miranda

Coxim

Laguna

Apa River

2nd Corumbá

Alegre

Corrientes campaign

Corrientes

San Lorenzo River

Rio Grande do Sul

São Borja

Butuí

Uruguaiana

Riachuelo

Salto

Paso de Mercedes

Paso de Cuevas

Yatay

Pehuajó

Jaguarí

Humaitá campaign

Purutué Bank

Paso de Patria

Laguna Sirena

Itapirú

Estero Bellaco

Paso Cidra

1st Tuyutí

Yataytí Corá

Boquerón

Sauce

Palmar

Curuzú

Curupayty

Arroyo Hondo

Hacienda Laguna

Tuyú Cué

1st Passage of Curupayty

Pilar

Ombú

Estero Rojas

Perecué

Tatayibá

Potrero Obella

Humaitá

Passage

2nd Tuyutí

Paso Ipohy

2nd Passage of Curupayty

Laguna Cierva

Cabral and Lima Barros

1st Iasuií

2nd Iasuií

Poí Island

Barroso and Rio Grande

Acayuazá

Fortín Island

Pikysyry campaign

Yacaré

Paso de Tebicuarí

Surubí

Pikysyry

Dezembrada

Ytororó

Avay

Lomas Valentinas

Angostura

San Fernando

Asunción

Cordilleras campaign

Manduvirá River

Concepción

Ybytimí

Tupí-hú

Sapukái

Diarte

Piribebuy

Acosta Ñu

Piribebuy River

Hondo River

Itapytangua

Tacuaty

Curuguaty

Hucuratí

Loma Rugua

Caguijuru–Caraguataí

Iguatemi

Río Verde

Cambaceguá

Lomaruguá

Cerro Corá

Miranda :

The second passage of Curupayty was a naval operation carried out by the Imperial Brazilian Navy in the Paraguayan War on 13 February 1868, which aimed to force, once again, the passage of the Curupayty Fort. This time the passage was carried out by the new Brazilian monitors Alagoas, Pará and Rio Grande, in addition to some other wooden ships. The fleet faced thirty artillery pieces for an hour.

## The action

The first passage of the fort took place on 15 August 1867 by ten ironclads of the imperial fleet. The fortress itself would only be abandoned on 23 March 1868, so the Paraguayans were still stationed there and any attempt to overtake it would also be under artillery fire. The Brazilian government had already made the decision to force the passage of the fortress of Humaitá, which effectively happened six days later on 19 February 1868, and for this feat it was necessary to force the passage of Curupayty once again, since the new flotilla would have to join the other fleet trapped between the two fortresses. Between December 1867 and February 1868, the new Brazilian monitors of the Pará-class arrived in the front: the Alagoas, under the command of 1st lieutenant Cordovil Maurity; Pará, commanded by 1st lieutenant Custódio de Melo and Rio Grande, under the command of 1st lieutenant Antônio Joaquim. The fleet consisted of these three monitors and six other wooden ships. The fortress was defended by around 30 artillery pieces and a large garrison. The Baron of Inhaúma entrusted the mission to captain of sea and war Delfim Carlos de Carvalho, who was later granted the title of Baron of Passagem after the passage of Humaitá.

On the 12th of February at 20:30 the small fleet started moving towards the enemy fort. However, due to a mechanical failure and a collision between Alagoas and Ipiranga that brought down the funnel onto its deck, the passage attempt was halted. After repairs, on the night of the 13 February the second passage of Curupayty took place. The wooden ships responded to fire from the Paraguayan garrison, with Alagoas and Pará advancing shortly thereafter at 21:30. The passage of the ships took about an hour, with the Rio Grande being the last ship to join the fleet upstream.

## Gallery

* Passage of the monitors against the batteries of Curupayty on the night of 13 February 1868 (Semana Illustrada, 1868)
