Battle of Fort Coimbra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Battle of Fort Coimbra | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Mato Grosso campaign | |||||||
 Paraguayan drawing published in El Cabichuí, depicting cannons firing on the fort and the Brazilian withdrawal. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Empire of Brazil |
 Paraguay | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
H. Portocarrero |
Vicente Barrios | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
| ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 200 casualties | ||||||
The Battle of Fort Coimbra (Portuguese: Ataque ao Forte Coimbra; Spanish: Combate del Fuerte de Coimbra) was the opening move of the Paraguayan War's Mato Grosso campaign. It was made of five infantry battalions and two dismounted cavalry regiments, totalling 3,200 men, with 12 rifled guns, a French-equipped rocket battery and the support of 11 warships, all under Colonel Vicente Barrios's command.[1]
Though the fort's commander was Captain Benito de Faria, Lieutenant Colonel Hermenegildo Portocarrero, commander of all artillery in Mato Grosso and of the Lower Paraguay Military District, happened to be there on a routine inspection, and took over its command in view of the Paraguayan attack. He replied to the Paraguayan demands with a letter stating "only through luck and the honor of arms will we deliver the fort". The fort then held 11 functioning bronze smoothbore guns, plus another 20 in need of repairs, and a garrison of 125 regular officers and men, 30 national guardsmen, some customs guards, 6 prisoners and 24 "tame Indians".[1]
