Battle of Tatayibá
| Battle of Tatayibá | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cavalry in the Paraguayan War. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Paraguay | Empire of Brazil | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Bernardino Caballero | Marquess of Caxias | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1,500 cavalry: 75 | 5,000 cavalry: 75 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
761:: 75 583 killed 178 captured |
123:: 75 10 killed 113 wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Tatayibá was a cavalry engagement between a Paraguayan force led by future president Bernardino Caballero and a Brazilian force led by Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, then Marquis of Caxias. The Brazilians, outnumbering the Paraguayans nearly 3 to 2, were victorious.
A trap was set by the Brazilian cavalry in order to stop the daily sorties by Lt. Col. Caballero's Paraguayan cavalry. Hiding their main force in the woods, a few Brazilians lured the Paraguayan cavalry on a three-mile chase. The Paraguayans were surrounded at Tatayibá, with only a few making it back to Humaitá. Caballero was promoted to colonel and a medal ordered for his survivors.: 75