To the Bitter End: Paraguay and the War of the Triple Alliance

by Chris Leuchars

The War of the Triple Alliance was one of the longest, least remembered, and, for one of its participants, most catastrophic conflicts of the 19th century. The decision of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay to go to war against Paraguay in May 1965 has generally been regarded as a response to the raids by the headstrong and tyrannical dictator, Francisco Solano Lopez. While there is some truth to this view, as Lopez had attacked towns in Argentina and Brazil, the terms of the Triple Alliance signed that same month reveal that the motivation of these two nations, at least, was to redraw the map in their favor, at the expense of Paraguay. That the resulting conflict lasted five years before Lopez was defeated and his country fully at the mercy of its neighbors was a tribute to the heroic resistance of his people, as well as to the inadequacies of the allied command.

The military campaigns, which took place on land and on the rivers, often in appalling conditions of both climate and terrain, are examined from a strategic perspective, as well as through the experiences of ordinary soldiers. Leuchars looks in detail at the political causes, the course of the conflict as viewed from both sides, and the tragic aftermath. He brings to light an episode that, for all its subsequent obscurity, marked a turning point in the development of South American international relations.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Brazil, War, 19th Century, Latin American History

264 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2000

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Human history is replete with epic conflicts. From the Trojan War to World War II, they have served as a source for our myths, shaped our national identities, and determined the world in which we live today. Yet even these pivotal events can be obscured in our modern understanding by barriers of geography and language, so that for all of their importance some of them are overshadowed and overlooked.

One example of this is the Paraguayan War of 1864-1870. Though little known to most people in the United States, it was the most devastating war in Latin American history. Over 400,000 people died as Paraguay faced an ultimately insurmountable alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. The result was a nation devastated, with perhaps as much as 60 percent of its population wiped out by the war and its attendant famine and outbreaks of such diseases as cholera and typhus. The result reoriented the balance of power in the continent, with Paraguay permanently crippled by the devastation caused by the war and the loss of nearly half of its territory to Brazil and Argentina.

Such a war is well deserving of study, yet Chris Leuchars's book rank among the few histories of the conflict. Part of the reason for this, as he explains, is the scarcity of documents, which makes recounting the details of the war difficult. Nonetheless, Leuchars has constructed an informative, albeit somewhat dry, overview of the conflict. He is generally favorable in his treatment of Francisco Solano López, the controversial Paraguayan dictator whose aspirations for Napoleonic greatness were a key factor in the war, but overall provides a fair and informative analysis of the the people and events in it. Readers seeking a more in-depth account would be better served turning to Thomas L. Whigham's multi-volume study, but for those looking for an introduction to this unfairly neglected conflict this is the book to read.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The war of the Triple Alliance is the only true war involving Latin American countries. The efforts of Francisco Solano Lopez to expand his territory are truly nefarious and Leuchars does an excellent job of showing how Paraguay was dragged into war by a dictator. He shows how one man willed his countries power against Brazil and Argentina the superpowers of Latin America. This book is a great microcosm of how one dictator was able to challenge two super powers and bring them to the point of exhaustion. The battles were truly amazing and Leuchars provides the best account to date on the fight. Highly recommend for those interested in Latin America.

[Abe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A military history of the Paraguayan War. Leuchars is extremely detailed in this military account of the Paraguayan War.

[Leo Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

At times a bit dull (bound to its need to be accurate) but a fantastic story. Highly recommend this as a source for anyone interested in the War of the Triple Alliance.

[Michael C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What most surprised me about Chris Leuchars' chronicle of the Paraguayan war was that, despite being a reference that stressed objective analysis over a more conventional pop narrative, is that it still evoked all of the same emotions as reading something like the latter.

Leuchars writes on the political origins of the conflict and continues with the major campaigns and troop movements as well as battles, but still allocates sufficient attention to issues such as the living conditions of soldiers from all armies and the involvment of important generals and officers throughout the war.

The book has its lulls, but it more than makes up for them in the aforementioned paragraphs describing the inhumane conditions all soldiers and the citizens of Paraguay were subjected to in the six years the war should have never lasted. I think it's quite something that after having read this book, I would rank Francisco Lopez as one of the most deplorable villains I've ever read.

In particular, the final chapter, "Endgame" left me feeling astonished and angry as Leuchars describes the delusion, paranoia and cowardice of Lopez as he refuses to end a war in which the majority of his few remaining battalions are comprised of prepubescent boys and elderly men sent to die for nothing. They were gaunt, skeletal humans left to feed themselves while the civilian population aimlessly wandered, begging for what little foodscraps remained to be eaten as the agricultural capacity of the country was effectively wiped out. Lopez had plenty of food for himself, of course.

I was particularly taken by a passage from the final chapter, stating "Boys, barely in their teens lay almost naked where they had fallen, fighting for who knows what cause.... When he [Brazilian Lieutenant Dionisio Cerqueira] returned to the site a few weeks later, he found that there still remained the detritus of war-equipment, bullets, shell fragments, even cannon, and bodies still unburied-but the field was covered in a carpet of bright spring flowers."

Without getting into much more of the book's emotional aspects, I would say that this book exceeded my expectations and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject matter.