Battle of Acosta Ñu
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The Battle of Acosta Ñu was an infamous battle during the War of the Triple Alliance, where, in August 16, 1869, 20,000 men of the Brazilian Army crushed a Paraguayan battalion made up of 3,500 children.
Background
In the middle of 1869, the Paraguayan Army had already been completely defeated and Asunción was under allied occupation. This led Brazilian commander Duque de Caxias to suggest the signing of a peace treaty, although Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro II refused to do so, and ordered the Army to pursue Paraguayan president Francisco Solano López. Caxias resigned and was replaced by Emperor´s son-in-law, Count d'Eu. Under the new command, the Brazilian Army continued a bloody campaign in Paraguay until finally killing López in 1870. (Argentina and Uruguay, also members of the alliance against Paraguay, refused to do so).The beginning
With almost every adult male killed during the war what remained of the Paraguayan Army was composed mostly of children. After the occupation of Asunción, they desperately tried to protect Solano López, who had fled to the countryside.At Acosta Ñu, a battalion of 3,500 children tried to stop 20,000 Brazilians in this pursuit. They stood ahead of a forest where their mothers were hidden and functioning as supply lines and medical support. The children even painted mustaches in order to seem like adults. Also some war injured and elders were in the battalion.
The Brazilian strategy was to encircle the Paraguayans and then destroy them. In the morning of August 16, Brazilian cavalry rode against the Paraguayans and started killing everyone in their way. As the children were being decapitated, desperate mothers came out from the forest, trying to protect their kids, but the furious Brazilians just ride over them.
The massacre
By the middle of the day, Count d'Eu realized the weakness of his opponents and their hide in the forest. He then decided to change his strategy and ordered his men to set the forest on fire. The fire spread quickly - terrible screams were heard, with eventually bodies turned into human torches trying to escape from the forest until they swiftly perished.By evening the field was completely devastated. The Brazilian High Command considered the eight-hour battle a success, and the Army proceeded with the pursuit of Solano López.
Acosta Ñu in history
In Paraguay Children's Day is celebrated in August 16. It is a national holiday, where people remember the war and its devastating consequences.In Brazil, the Battle of Acosta Ñu is still a hidden subject. Just like other atrocities committed by the Brazilian Army in Paraguay, its occurrence is officially denied, and even more then 135 years after the documents concerning the War of the Triple Alliance (know in Brazil as Paraguayan War) are still classified.
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