Battle Of Acosta Ñu

The 3,500 poorly armed Paraguayans, mostly boys between nine and 15 years old, old men and wounded combatants, confronted 20,000 Brazilian and Argentine veteran soldiers.^: 104

Battle of Acosta Ñu
Part of the Paraguayan War
Battle of Campo Grande, by Pedro Américo.
Date August 16, 1869 Location Eusebio Ayala, Paraguay Result Allied victory
Belligerents
Paraguay	Empire of Brazil  Argentina
Commanders and leaders
Bernardino Caballero	Count of Eu
Strength
3,646 12 cannons: 103	1st and 2nd Corps: 103  more than 20,000 Brazilian and Argentine soldiers
Casualties and losses
3,500:: 104  2,000 killed 1,500 wounded and captured	602:: 104  182 killed 420 wounded

In the middle of 1869, the Paraguayan Army was in full retreat and Asunción was under allied occupation. Francisco Solano López, the Paraguayan president, refused to surrender and retreated to the hills, vowing to keep fighting to the end. The commander of the allied forces, Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, the Duke of Caxias, suggested that the war was militarily over. Pedro II, the Brazilian emperor, refused to stop the campaign until López surrendered. Caxias then resigned and was replaced by the Emperor's son-in-law, prince Gaston of Orleans, the Count of Eu.

The Count of Eu and the main Allied troops advanced and took Caacupé on August 15, though López had already moved to Caraguatay. In an attempt to block the Paraguayan Army from retreating to Caraguatay, the Count of Eu sent the 2nd Corps via Barrero Grande, while the 1st Corps pursued López.^: 103

 

The Allied troops met the rearguard of the Paraguayan forces at Acosta Ñu on August 16. The battle started at 0800. Acosta Ñu (which means "Acosta's Field", "Acosta" being a popular last name) is a vast plain of roughly 12 km² (4.6 sq mi), ideal for the Brazilian cavalry. The initial charge was led by the Allied 1st Corps infantry, supported by artillery. As the Paraguayans retreated across the Yagari River, the 4th Cavalry Brigade made a right flanking movement. Meanwhile, the 2nd Corps reached the Paraguayan rear, which left them no means to retreat. Children were said to cling to the legs of Brazilian soldiers amidst the raging battle, pleading for mercy, only to be decapitated without hesitation. Once all flanks collapsed, the wounded children tried to flee the battlefield alongside their relatives. Yet the Brazilian commander ordered his cavalry to cut the retreat and set the battlefield ablaze, including the field hospital. Large numbers of children died because of these actions.^{: 104  [neutrality is disputed]}

The battle of Acosta Ñu is depicted in the famous painting Batalha de Campo Grande by Pedro Américo, and in the book Recordações de Guerra e de Viagem by famous Brazilian writer Alfredo d'Escragnolle Taunay, who took part in the battle.

In Paraguay, Children's Day is celebrated on August 16. It is a national holiday to commemorate the memory of the children who lost their lives in the battle.