Pedro Ignacio Meza | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1813 Asunción, Paraguay |
| Died | June 15, 1865 (aged 51–52) Fortress of Humaitá, Ñeembucú Department, Paraguay |
| Allegiance |  Paraguay |
| Branch |  Paraguayan Navy |
| Years of service | 1845 – 1865 |
| Rank | Commodore |
| Battles / wars |
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Pedro Ignacio Meza (c. 1813-1865) was a Paraguayan commodore who commanded the Paraguayan Navy in the early years of the War of the Triple Alliance until his death at the Battle of Riachuelo.
He was born in Asunción, Paraguay in about 1813. [1] He entered the Paraguayan Army as an artillery soldier. In 1841 he was promoted to corporal and in 1844 to sergeant. [2] In 1845 he was assigned to the recently created Paraguayan Navy, and the following year he was placed in command of the smack Independencia del Paraguay with the rank of second lieutenant. [2]
After participating in the Chaco expedition of 1846 of Lieutenant Colonel of Engineers Francisco Wisner de Morgenstern , in 1847 he was promoted to the rank of ship's lieutenant and appointed commander of the schooner República del Paraguay. [2] In 1850 he was placed in command of the sloop Marte 1 and in 1854 he was appointed commander of the steamer Río Blanco and of the Paraguayan squadron. [2] In 1857 he was promoted to lieutenant commander and took direct command of the steamer Tacuarí, the flagship of the fleet. [2] In 1858 he was promoted to the rank of frigate captain. 2 In 1859, he went with Justo José de Urquiza from Asunción to Paraná, Argentina with the Tacuarí after his mediation in an incident between Paraguay and the United States, and later with the then Minister of War Francisco Solano López in his mediation between the State of Buenos Aires and the Argentine Confederation. [1]
In 1863 he gave command of the Tacuarí to First Lieutenant, Remigio Cabral. When the Paraguayan War broke out, he commanded the Paraguayan fleet in the Mato Grosso Campaign of 1864. [2]
He was in command of the squadron that on April 13, 1865 captured the Argentine steamships 25 de Mayo and Gualeguay off Corrientes which triggered the Argentine intervention in the conflict. Once the Paraguayan invasion of Corrientes began, he transported the Division of General Wenceslao Robles who was occupying the city. [2]
He commanded the Paraguayan squadron in the Battle of Riachuelo on June 11, 1865. During the combat he was seriously wounded when boarding the enemy steamship Parnahyba, dying four days later in the hospital of the Fortress of Humaitá. [3] He was posthumously honored the rank of Commodore with which by the Paraguayan government. [2]
Francisco Solano López Carrillo was a Paraguayan military officer, politician and statesman who served as President of Paraguay between 1862 and 1870, of which he served mostly during the Paraguayan War (1864–1870). He succeeded his father Carlos Antonio López as the second president of Paraguay. Solano López is the only Paraguayan ruler to have been killed in action. He is one of only two Paraguayans to have received the rank of Marshal, along with José Félix Estigarribia.
The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadliest and bloodiest inter-state war in Latin American history. Paraguay sustained large casualties, but even the approximate numbers are disputed. Paraguay was forced to cede disputed territory to Argentina and Brazil. The war began in late 1864, as a result of a conflict between Paraguay and Brazil caused by the Uruguayan War. Argentina and Uruguay entered the war against Paraguay in 1865, and it then became known as the "War of the Triple Alliance."
The Battle of Riachuelo was a large and decisive naval battle of the Paraguayan War between Paraguay and the Empire of Brazil. By late 1864, Paraguay had scored a series of victories in the war, but on 11 June 1865, its naval defeat by the Brazilians on the Paraná River began to turn the tide in favor of the allies.
The Mato Grosso campaign was an early Paraguayan offensive in the Paraguayan War. Paraguay invaded the Brazilian province of Mato Grosso.
In the Paraguayan War, the Battle of Yatay was fought on August 17, 1865, between the troops of the Triple Alliance and the soldiers of Paraguay near Paso de los Libres, Corrientes, Argentina.
Admiral Joaquim Marques Lisboa, Marquis of Tamandaré was a Brazilian admiral of the Imperial Navy of Brazil. He dedicated his life to the Brazilian Navy, including a life-long membership in Brazil's Military and Justice Council, then Supreme Military Court, from its inception until 1891, when the Republican Government granted him leave.
The military history of Brazil comprises centuries of armed actions in the territory encompassing modern Brazil, and the role of the Brazilian Armed Forces in conflicts and peacekeeping worldwide. For several hundreds of years, the area was the site of intertribal wars of indigenous peoples. Beginning in the 16th century, the arrival of Portuguese explorers led to conflicts with the indigenous peoples; a notable example being the revolt of the Tamoio Confederation. Sporadic revolts of African slaves also marked the colonial period, with a notable rebellion led by Zumbi dos Palmares. Conflicts were fought with other European nations as well – two notable examples being the France Antarctique affair, and a conflict with the Netherlands in the early 17th century over control of much of Northeastern Brazil. Although Portugal retained its possessions during conflicts with other nations, it lost control of the colony after the Brazilian war of Independence, which led to the establishment of the Empire of Brazil.
The Battle of Tacuarí was a battle in Southern Paraguay between revolutionary forces under the command of General Manuel Belgrano, member of the Primera Junta government of Argentina, and Paraguayan troops under colonel Manuel Atanasio Cabañas, at the time at the service of the royalists.
The Battle of Pehuajó, also known as Battle of Corrales or Battle of Itati was fought during the Paraguayan War on 31 January 1866.
The Battle of Paso de Mercedes was fought on 11 August 1865 during the Paraguayan invasion of the Argentine province of Corrientes.
The independence of Paraguayde facto started on 14 May 1811 after the Revolution of May 14 when a local ruling junta was created. In early 1811 Paraguayan forces had repeatedly defeated the Argentine army which considered Paraguay to be a break-away province. On 12 October 1813 the Paraguayan Republic was proclaimed. Officially, independence was proclaimed only on 25 November 1842. Paraguayan independence was assured only after the Paraguayan War, when the Empire of Brazil resisted Argentine offers to divide and annex the country.
The Battle of Corrientes occurred at the beginning of the Paraguayan War during the second stage of the Paraguayan offensive, after the invasion of Mato Grosso at the beginning of 1865.
The capture of the steamer Marquês de Olinda was a Paraguayan naval action carried out on 12 November 1864, in Potrero-Poña, on the Paraguay River, which consisted of the capture of the Brazilian merchant ship and all on board. Paraguayan president Solano López ordered the imprisonment in response to the Brazilian invasion of Uruguay, before any formal declaration of war between Paraguay and the Empire of Brazil.
Francisco Isidoro Resquín Xara was a Paraguayan general during the War of the Triple Alliance. He was considered to be one of the most brilliant generals of the war and his writings are one of the main primary sources on the conflict.
Antonio de la Cruz Estigarribia was a Paraguayan Lieutenant colonel who was notable for his service in the Paraguayan War. He served as one of the main Paraguayan commanders during the Invasion of Rio Grande do Sul, organizing the Battle of São Borja and the Siege of Uruguaiana before his surrender.
The steam frigate Amazonas was a frigate-type warship that served in the Imperial Brazilian Navy and, for a short period, in the Brazilian Navy after the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889. The frigate was built in the Thomas Wilson Sons & Co. shipyards in Birkenhead and Liverpool, England; it was launched in August 1851. The purchase of this vessel was part of an effort by the Empire of Brazil to obtain more modern ships, due to the country's lag with some foreign powers. Amazonas was commissioned in 1852.
The Corrientes campaign or the Paraguayan invasion of Corrientes was the second campaign of the Paraguayan War. Paraguayan forces occupied the Argentinian city of Corrientes and other towns in Corrientes Province. The campaign occurred at the same time as the Siege of Uruguaiana.
The Humaitá campaign or the Cuadrilátero campaign was the third, longest and deadliest campaign of the Paraguayan War. The campaign lasted from 16 April 1866 to 5 August 1868. After the initial Paraguayan success in the Mato Grosso campaign and its failure in the Corrientes campaign, the armed forces of the Triple Alliance, Argentina, the Empire of Brazil and Uruguay, invaded the south of Paraguay. At a very short distance, they found the Paraguayan defensive device made up of four fortifications, the so-called "Cuadrilátero", which obstructed the passage to Asunción both by land and by the Paraguay River. A long series of battles cost huge numbers of casualties on both sides, with operations coming to a complete halt after the allied defeat at the Battle of Curupayty. Casualties on both sides were even higher from disease than from battle due to a cholera epidemic which was added to the appalling food and sanitary conditions.
José María Bruguez (1827-1868) was a Paraguayan general during the Paraguayan War. He was one of the most prominent Paraguayan generals of the war, being known for his artillery services during naval engagements of the war. He died during the 1868 San Fernando massacre after President Francisco Solano López accused Bruguez of conspiring against him.
Pedro Duarte was a Paraguayan general and politician of the Paraguayan War. He was known for his service during the Corrientes campaign and was one of the few Paraguayan military leaders to survive the conflict.