Battles & Campaigns · 1865
Battle of Yatay
Near Paso de los Libres, Corrientes, Argentina
What happened
Allied forces of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil under Wenceslao Paunero and Venancio Flores fought Paraguayan troops under Pedro Duarte. The allied infantry attacked the Paraguayan positions by Yatay creek. Duarte's cavalry counter-attacked, and for about two hours the fighting was mostly between horsemen. When Duarte's horse was killed, he surrendered, and a few hundred Paraguayan soldiers escaped by swimming the Uruguay River.
Why it matters
It was the first major land battle of the Paraguayan War. Paraguayan forces began to leave Argentina.
What came next
The Paraguayans in Uruguaiana surrendered on 18 September. Most of the rest of the war was fought in Paraguay.
Did you know?
A street in Buenos Aires is named after the battle.
Timeline
- 11 Jun 1865Paraguayan fleet defeated at Riachuelo.
- 17 Aug 1865Battle of Yatay.
- 18 Sep 1865Paraguayans surrender at Uruguaiana.