Paraná Campaign
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Government victory
- Formation of the Prestes Column
| Paraná Campaign | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Tenentism | |||||||
 3rd Heavy Artillery Group in the bombardment of Catanduvas | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
| ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000 men | 12,000 men | ||||||
The Paraná Campaign was the continuation of the São Paulo Revolt of 1924 in western Paraná from 1924 to 1925, concluding with the formation of the Miguel Costa-Prestes Column. Rebel tenentists, led by Isidoro Dias Lopes, withdrew from São Paulo, went down the Paraná River and settled in the region from Guaíra to Foz do Iguaçu, from where they faced the forces of the Brazilian government, commanded by general Cândido Rondon from October 1924. In April 1925, another rebel column, led by Luís Carlos Prestes, arrived from Rio Grande do Sul and joined the São Paulo rebels. They entered Paraguay to escape the government siege and returned to Brazil through southern Mato Grosso, continuing their armed struggle.[1][2][3]
The conflict had a strong impact on the physical and social structures of the region and brought attention to the outside world to the Brazilian national consciousness. Several of the participating revolutionaries later occupied positions of power in the Estado Novo, which, seeking to integrate the region into the country, promoted the March to the West.[4]
Long before the arrival of the rebels, on 15 July, captain Dilermando de Assis was sent with a 60-man Provisional Regiment to defend Guaíra, which he called an "impregnable Constantinople". On 31 August, the revolutionaries' vanguard, commanded by general João Francisco Pereira de Souza, took the first position in Paraná's territory, Porto São José.[5] Guaíra had good defensive positions, but was abandoned with little resistance on 14 September, opening the way to Foz do Iguaçu,[6] which was taken by the rebels on the 24th. Their expansion was rapid, and the cavalry moved east to Catanduvas.[7] Emissaries of the Rio Grande do Sul conspirators, where another revolt was imminent, met with the São Paulo rebels.[8]
The bulk of the revolutionary army was slow to arrive,[7] due to the small number of vessels and the need to do reconnaissance. On 23 September, the São Paulo rebels were still on the islands between São Paulo and Mato Grosso. They were attacked by loyalists from the 4th Military Circumscription of Mato Grosso, and an entire battalion surrendered.[9] Only on 14 October did general Isidoro Dias Lopes land in Guaíra.[10] By the end of October, the rebels were all in a triangle formed by the Paraná, Piquiri and Iguaçu rivers,[11] an area larger than Switzerland, with two sides secured by international borders (with Argentina and Paraguay) and the rest covered through the Serra do Medeiros and other geographic features.[12]
Accustomed to cities, towns and plantations, the São Paulo rebels found a new type of warfare in western Paraná.[13] The territory was covered with dense forest and had a low population density.[14] The dense pine forests and the thorny vegetation imposed harsh conditions on the soldiers.[15] The local population was more Argentine and Paraguayan than Brazilian, the most common language was Spanish and the currency was the Argentine peso. Economic activity was dominated by "obrages", large rural areas for the extraction of wood and yerba mate, with labor subject to debt slavery.[16][17]
The government reacted, assembling an army that reached more than 12,000 men, under the command of general Rondon. Under his orders were units of the Brazilian Army, state forces and patriotic battalions.[18][19] Rondon preferred the Military Force of Paraná and other state militaries over army officers, as they were sympathetic to the rebels.[3] The rebels had about 3,000 men.[20] On 28 October, new revolts broke out in Rio Grande do Sul.[21]
