BATTLE // December 27, 1864
Coimbra Fort Skirmish
LOADING MAP TELEMETRY…
Overview
The Battle of Fort Coimbra was the opening move of the Paraguayan War's Mato Grosso campaign. It was made of five infantry battalions and two dismounted cavalry regiments, totalling 3,200 men, with 12 rifled guns, a French-equipped rocket battery and the support of 11 warships, all under Colonel Vicente Barrios's command.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Significance
The skirmish at Fort Coimbra opened the Mato Grosso campaign of the Paraguayan War, marking Paraguay's first offensive action of the conflict. Under Colonel Vicente Barrios, a force of 3,200 men supported by eleven warships moved against the Brazilian position held by H. Portocarrero, establishing Paraguay's early initiative on this front. The operation signaled that the war would extend beyond the southern theater into Brazil's interior, with the Mato Grosso campaign representing a second axis of Paraguayan pressure on the Empire of Brazil from its outset.
Tactics
Barrios organized his force from five infantry battalions and two dismounted cavalry regiments, supported by twelve rifled guns, a French-equipped rocket battery, and eleven warships. The combination of land forces and naval support reflected a joint operation against the fort, with the warships providing firepower along the waterway while the ground element advanced.
Forces & casualties
Troop strength
- Paraguay3,200medium
Commanders (2)
Empire of Brazil
Paraguay
Compare with sibling battle
6 options
Pick a battle to compare side-by-side
Related
6 sibling battles · 1 factions