Battle of Tuyutí

Battle of Tuyutí
Part of the Paraguayan War
Painting by Cándido López
Date May 24, 1866 Location Tuyutí, a few miles north of Paraná River Result Decisive Allied victory Paraguayan attack repelled.
Belligerents
Paraguay Paraguayan Army	Argentina Argentine Army  Empire of Brazil Imperial Army  Uruguay Uruguayan Army
Commanders and leaders
José E. Díaz Isidoro Resquín Vicente Barrios	Bartolomé Mitre Manuel Luis Osório Venancio Flores
Strength
26,000 men	35,000 men *22,000 Brazilians *11,800 Argentines *1,200 Uruguayans
Casualties and losses
13,000 (6,000 killed  7,000 wounded)	3,931 (996 killed  2,935 wounded)

Decisive Allied victory

 Argentina

 Empire of Brazil

 Uruguay

The Battle of Tuyutí was a Paraguayan offensive in the Paraguayan War targeting the Triple Alliance encampment of Tuyutí. It is considered to be the bloodiest battle in South America. The result of the battle was an allied victory which added to Paraguayan troubles that began earlier with failed offensives and the loss of its fleet in the Battle of Riachuelo. Another attack on the allied camp was made in November 1867.

In this phase of the war the Allies' strategic objective was to take the Fortress of Humaitá, the gateway to Paraguay. They intended to launch an amphibious operation, which required their land forces to take the fortress from the rear. After crossing the Paraná River from Argentina and landing in Paraguay, they had a long march across country studded with lagoons and carrizal (reed beds growing in marsh). The fortress was defended by the extensive earthworks of its Polígono or Quadrilateral design. It was in this context that the Battle of Tuyutí occurred.