Passage of Humaitá
Humaitá fortress, Paraguay River, Paraguay
What happened
A Brazilian squadron of ironclad warships led by Delfim de Carvalho ran past the Paraguayan river fortress of Humaitá, commanded by Colonel Paulino Alén. In the Paraguayan War, the fortress of Humaitá blocked the river route into Paraguay. On the night of 19 February 1868, while the river was high, six Brazilian ironclads steamed past its guns in pairs. The river was so high that they passed over the chain stretched across it.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It let the Allies control the river and stop Paraguay supplying the fortress by water. Some historians call it the turning point of the war.
What came next
Paraguay's leader ordered the capital, Asunción, to be evacuated. Cut off, Humaitá's garrison was starved out, and the fortress fell in 1868.
Did you know?
Humaitá was nicknamed 'the Gibraltar of South America'.
Timeline
- 1854Paraguay begins building the fortress.
- 19 February 1868Brazilian ironclads pass Humaitá.
- 1868Humaitá is captured by the Allies.