The Battle of Paso de Cuevas was the last naval combat operation of the Argentine Navy against a foreign nation before the 1982 Falklands War.
Key Facts
- Date
- 12 August 1865
- Allied dead
- 24 killed
- Allied wounded
- 42 wounded
- Paraguayan force (approx.)
- 3,000 men with 34 guns
- Theater
- River Paraná, Corrientes province, Argentina
- Paraguayan commander
- José María Bruguez
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After suffering losses at the Battle of Riachuelo and passing through fire from Bruguez's forces at Bella Vista in the Battle of Paso de Mercedes the previous day, the allied fleet pressed southward along the Paraná River to avoid being cut off from its supply base.
On 12 August 1865, the allied fleet encountered approximately 3,000 Paraguayan troops under José María Bruguez holding the pass at Cuevas with 34 artillery pieces. The fleet ran this gauntlet, sustaining 24 dead and 42 wounded among Barroso's forces.
The allied fleet successfully passed the Paraguayan position, but the engagement proved to be the final instance of naval combat involving the Argentine Navy against a foreign power until the Falklands War over a century later in 1982.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Francisco Barroso.
Side B
1 belligerent
José María Bruguez.