Just spotted this, wonderfully written updates so far. I've hardly played as Brazil in Victoria, will looking forward to to earning a little more about the dynamics in South America.
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...so I'd be fine with a longer one. That said, I do often find bumping the text size up to 3 (for Times New Roman) helps in making things easier to read on a screen, so you might want to consider doing so.
Ditto - I don't mind it being longer either but larger text would definitely help
DensleyBlair: Fair points, cheers.
Seelmeister: Thank you very much. Hope you stick around.
Andre Massena: Me too!
1anrs: No problem, I've bumped up the font for the old posts and will do so from now on.
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Update tonight hopefully. Had a couple of days away and just got my hands on Hitman: Absolution for free on Xbox Live, I love a bargain and I love dropping disco balls on gyrating porn merchants' heads.
Seelmeister: Thank you very much. Hope you stick around.
Andre Massena: Me too!
1anrs: No problem, I've bumped up the font for the old posts and will do so from now on.
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Update tonight hopefully. Had a couple of days away and just got my hands on Hitman: Absolution for free on Xbox Live, I love a bargain and I love dropping disco balls on gyrating porn merchants' heads.
Siding with Paraguay to beat Argentina?
Well, at least grab Entrerrios to rightfully push the borders where they should be, and rule Rio da Prata.
Well, at least grab Entrerrios to rightfully push the borders where they should be, and rule Rio da Prata.
IV. Platine War
General Urquiza: Commander of the Argentine invasion of Paraguay
The Platine War, ostensibly triggered by the seizure of a single border fort, was the result of long held geopolitical rivalries. It was about who would dominate the Rio de la Plata region, Brazil or Argentina? Rosas is often seen as the aggressor despite the fact it was his enemies who declared war. For twenty years he had battled to unite the fractious provinces of the Argentine Confederation and bring them onto the world stage. The Brazilian loss of Uruguay and the Regency period had given him ample room to push his agenda in the 1830s, manipulating elections and funding rebels abroad to ensure security and prestige for Argentina at home. In the space of five years this sense of confidence had crumbled. Brazil returned to regional diplomacy, offering a softer, more cooperative face to the nations of the Southern Cone compared to the stern Rosas. As Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay all fell in varying degrees into Brazil’s orbit the Caudillo once more lacked the breathing space of friendly buffers to the resurgent Empire. Knowing a half dozen regional governors stood ready to replace him if he showed weakness [1], Rosas threw Argentine funds into the ‘War of the Forts’ and the suspect Uruguayan elections of September 1845.
When the blustering Paraguayan leader Carlos Lopez challenged Argentine sovereignty at Villa Francia, there was no doubt as to Rosas’ response. To back down to little Paraguay, regardless of her protector Brazil, would have doomed the Caudillo’s personal position and confirmed Argentine subservience to the consensus being created in Rio de Janeiro. In truth there was little reason for war from Brazil’s point of view. Uruguay was a political playground, where Imperial and Argentine agents aided their respective clients in a battle of ballots, slander and bribery. Few saw the election of the pro-Rosas Blancos in Montevideo as any great reversal to Brazilian fortunes in the area. Likewise, for all his pig-headedness, President Lopez was not insane [2] and had he been directly informed of Brazil’s unwillingness to fight over Villa Francia probably would have backed off from his questionable territorial claims. The prime mover for Brazil’s involvement was Dom Sepetiba, Pedro II’s chief advisor and following the declaration of war, prime minister. Unquestionably the most powerful politician in the Empire in 1845, his Courtier Faction had long pushed for an aggressive anti-Argentinean foreign policy. Feeling confident in the country’s military and economy, and perhaps sensing Rosas’ growing domestic weakness, Sepetiba used his influence in the Senate and the Imperial court to bring Brazil into the war.
General Oribe, leader of the Blancos | General Rivera, leader of the Colorados
The opening weeks of hostilities would prove to be dramatic. In Uruguay the Blanco regime froze with indecision over siding with Rosas. President Oribe owed his office to the dictator yet the streets of Montevideo were filled with anti-Argentine protestors flying the red flag of the Colorados. Fearful of the mob Oribe declared neutrality on October 15th. Word quickly spread that the Blancos had secretly granted Rosas military access, leading to wild rumours of Argentine occupation or even annexation. The entire Uruguayan navy mutinied in Montevideo harbour in response, triggering riots throughout the country. Rio de Janeiro declared the crisis as just cause for their pre-planned invasion and on October 18th General Bernardes crossed the border with 9,000 men. The Brazilian intervention rallied the Colorados who began seizing government buildings, the army and police unwilling to defend a regime they knew to be doomed. On October 20th the rebel fleet bombarded the presidential palace, the centre of government resistance. Accepting the inevitable Oribe and his allies fled for Buenos Aires that night. Bernardes arrived in Montevideo on October 23rd to a hero’s welcome. The Brazilian was received by General Rivera, now acting president, in the gutted palace as he signed his nation’s official declaration of war against Argentina.
Meanwhile General Wandenkolk had struck south from Misiones intent on seizing Buenos Aires. His hopes of ending the war there and then were quickly scuppered as news arrived of Asuncion’s fall on November 16th. The Paraguayan capital, though no metropolis, was strategically vital at the base of the River Plate for any Argentinean drive into Rio Grande do Sul and from there to Rio de Janeiro. Much to Sepetiba’s annoyance (the Prime Minister having appointed himself as Minister of War) the Argentines under General Urquiza had not dispersed in defence of their nation’s vast borders but struck as one to knock Lopez out of the war. There was confusion amongst the Imperial high command as how to react; return north or risk losing an ally and an invasion of Brazil. The decision was made for them when the Imperial Armada was humiliated at the Battle of Rio de la Plata. Wandenkolk’s lightning advance was reliant on naval support to maintain his 28,000 men deep in enemy territory. To this end Admiral da Costa had sailed for Buenos Aires to blockade the port and secure the Plate delta.
On November 19th he was intercepted by Admiral Roca. Rio de la Plata was no Trafalgar, the Brazilians commanding eight ships of note, the Argentineans five [3]. Roca however had three French built men-o-wars to da Costa’s one. Over the course of several hours inexperienced gun crews exchanged fire with little effect. Da Costa, believing he would be unable to drive Roca’s stronger force from the channel, retired with no ships lost. On paper inconclusive, the engagement resigned the Brazilian fleet to coastal defence, denied Wandenkolk and allowed Admiral Roca to crush the Uruguayan navy a week later at the Battle of Montevideo. Though perhaps sensible from a self-preservation stand point, da Costa’s decision quickly led to his forced resignation. Notably his successor, Rear Admiral Galvao, maintained the policy for the rest of the war. Now unsure for his army’s safety, Wandenkolk marched to Asuncion with all speed. Due to his long artillery train and unseasonal downpours reducing the dirt roads to a quagmire he would not arrive until January 1846. In the meantime Urquiza had effectively annihilated the Paraguayan military, driving them from the capital before surrounding them at Iguatemi in December.
President Lopez (commanding his troops personally) had barely escaped the Iguatemi encirclement before fleeing to the Chaco desert, leaving the east of the country, home to 90% of the population, under Argentine control. As word reached Urquiza of Wandenkolk’s double back, he halted his invasion plans for Rio Grande do Sul and turned to face the Brazilians. Hoping to avoid a siege, Wandenkolk unleashed his dragoons to secure the northern approaches to the capital. There the Brazilian horse held up Urquiza’s 30,000 men in a series of skirmishes until Wandenkolk’s arrival on January 9th. The Battle of Asuncion proved a terrible upset for Argentina. Urquiza despite being the more experienced commander and holding a numerical advantage lacked significant numbers of cavalry and artillery. Wandenkolk’s advantage in both speed and firepower allowed him to dominate the battlefield. The cannons that the Brazilians had loathed on their muddy advance north won them the day. Though Urquiza would draw heavy losses from his enemy at the Battle of Pilar on 24th January, the loss of a quarter of his best men at Asuncion crippled the army. Wandenkolk had no intention of letting the Argentines escape and began harrying them across the region in what became known as the ‘Long March’.
January 9th 1846 | Wandenkolk's Relief of Asuncion
To the south, a Brazilian-Uruguayan army led by President Rivera (with Bernardes as second-in-command) advanced on Buenos Aires, taking towns as they went. At this point Argentina’s population disadvantage began to come into effect. As Urquiza and Rosas struggled to raise new regiments, Brazil could call on thousands of conscripts and volunteers not only to reinforce Wandenkolk and Bernardes but to swiftly occupy virtually all of northern Argentina, securing their overland supply routes. The much anticipated showdown at Buenos Aires ultimately proved non-existent. Unable to raise a respectable force after having lost 5,000 men in desperate delaying actions, Rosas abandoned the capital. Only an ill-equipped brigade of ‘Citizen Guards’ opposed the allied forces before they took Buenos Aires on March 10th. The great Caudillo had lost not only the capital but his power base in the highly regionalised world of Argentine politics. As fearful of assassination by a rival as of Brazilian troops, Rosas fled south towards Patagonia in order to raise a new army from amongst the loyal gauchos of the region. Regardless of reason, Rosas had lost his militaristic mystique and with it his status as the strongman of Argentina.
Events in Paraguay meanwhile had taken a strange turn. Following the formation of a new army, President Lopez had marched south in May, occupying border territory with almost no opposition. His allies were becoming increasingly irritated by his unwillingness to fight when news arrived of the leader’s death. While crossing a stream on July 1st, Lopez had fallen from his horse, suffering a broken neck. Civil war broke out in Asuncion as rival factions battled for the presidency. A junta took control of the capital at the end of July only to be overthrown a week later by Francisco Lopez, son of the former leader. Megalomaniacal in the extreme, the young Lopez eschewed the mere title of president and to the delight of his supporters, proclaimed himself King of Paraguay [4]. The establishment of an absolute monarchy puzzled all parties and worried some due to King Francisco’s Napoleonic rhetoric. He proved even less cooperative with Rio de Janeiro than his father, demanding compensation for the damage done during the Battle of Asuncion and refusing to provide General Wandenkolk with troops. The difficult king effectively killed the alliance, leaving Brazil and Uruguay to finish the war.
By July the only organised Argentine army in the field amazingly was Urquiza’s. Despite the efforts of Wandenkolk he proved unable to catch his enemy in a battle of annihilation. Though the Brazilians were provided with fresh troops and munitions, Urquiza fought rear guard after rear guard, drawing Wandenkolk west towards the Andes and raising new troops as he went, stretching Brazilian supply lines to their breaking point. A strategically sound move in of itself, the Long March had little effect given the general state of the Argentine war effort. Under the orders of Sepetiba, both Wandenkolk and Bernardes had burned farms, destroyed mills and demolished the border forts which ironically had played almost no role due to the mobile nature of the conflict. By late 1846 the country was crippled. The local governors had quickly looked to their own defence while those in occupied territory collaborated openly. Rosas, effectively in self-imposed exile in Patagonia, was no longer the de facto ruler of the Confederation. This lack of centralised command saw the Platine War drag on for several months as little more than an occupation. Finally in September the free governors chose Urquiza as their representative.
The general met with Wandenkolk, Bernardes and Rivera at Villa Nueva on September 12th. Overseeing the talks was Jose Paranhos [5], a young diplomat and protégé of Sepetiba. The Treaty of Villa Nueva was a relatively simple affair. Sepetiba’s goal had always been the breaking of Argentina and through the destruction of her military and scorched earth tactics this had already been accomplished. The Prime Minister via Paranhos made it clear he had no interest in uniting the Argentines through a harsh peace that would be difficult to enforce. In the space of a year the war had already hit the Brazilian treasury hard, better to leave the caudillos to destroy the country for themselves. On the issue of Uruguayan politics, Argentina promised to recognise the Colorados and respect ‘Brazilian interests’ in the country. Formosa province, the catalyst for the entire war, was left untouched. In a clear snub to King Francisco, no Paraguayans were invited to the treaty signing and Brazil recognised Argentine control of the area. Asuncion would officially be at war with Buenos Aires for another two years before Francisco quietly agreed to an armistice. Overall, while Villa Nueva proved lenient, the Platine War would cripple Argentina for a generation.
In two years Argentina slipped from the continent's second power to the sick man of South America
[1] Argentina was very decentralised in this period. Rosas ruled purely as a strong man, his highest political office being Governor of Buenos Aires province.
[2] Unlike his son but we’ll get to him.
[3] The entirety of both nations’ fleets.
[4] I always seem to get absolute monarchies in South America. Though in this case I’m surprised Lopez Jnr didn’t crown himself in real life.
[5] He’ll become a big mover and shaker later on down the line.
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As ever, a really good read. South American always seems incredibly thrilling hen compared with the affairs of Europe. I must do a game there one day.
I'll be interested to see how Argentina react to this devastating blow. I don't imagine this is the kind of thing that fosters peace and harmony across the River Plate – not that we want that anyway.
Very much looking forward to the postbellum period.
I'll be interested to see how Argentina react to this devastating blow. I don't imagine this is the kind of thing that fosters peace and harmony across the River Plate – not that we want that anyway.
Very much looking forward to the postbellum period.
A brief and brutal war. Argentina is down but of course such a loss is going to cause a backlash at some point. Now you have the task of keeping them down for another 90 years!
Intrigued about Paraguay, I'm not very up on South American history but I seem to recall a certain Mr. Lopez causing the whole continent plenty of headaches. Now Paraguay is isolated will they turn expansionist or maybe team up with down and out Argentina maybe?
Intrigued about Paraguay, I'm not very up on South American history but I seem to recall a certain Mr. Lopez causing the whole continent plenty of headaches. Now Paraguay is isolated will they turn expansionist or maybe team up with down and out Argentina maybe?
I can see what Villa Nueva and Brazil were thinking, but I don't think it's going to work. As has been mentioned Argentina is going to be looking for revenge, Brazil would have had to be considerably more lenient to avoid that, probably to a degree that would be unacceptable to domestic politics.
I agree that imposing hard to enforce terms is probably a net loser for Brazil, but if you are going to create a vengeful Argentina almost whatever you do, you may as well get some benefit from it. Something simple and one-off that you can enforce while you have troops on the ground and that doesn't require an on-going commitment to enforce. Territory transfers on the border perhaps?
I agree that imposing hard to enforce terms is probably a net loser for Brazil, but if you are going to create a vengeful Argentina almost whatever you do, you may as well get some benefit from it. Something simple and one-off that you can enforce while you have troops on the ground and that doesn't require an on-going commitment to enforce. Territory transfers on the border perhaps?
I'm thoroughly impressed with your writing ability and storytelling! I've nominated you for this week's Weekly AAR Showcase. Congrats!!
(don't forget to nominate another AAR next week)
(don't forget to nominate another AAR next week)
DensleyBlair: Thank you. We'll be returning to domestic and postbellum topics for a while now but the fall out of the Platine War will reverberate far beyond the Plata itself.
Dr. Gonzo: Lopez is probably best described as a 'swivel eyed loon'. Will he upset the continental apple cart? Possibly. Will Paraguay pay the price for their 'King's' decisions? Certainly.
El Pip: I agree on Villa Neuva but in-game and narrative influences led to that result and will be explained further in the next update. And funny you should mention domestic reactions...
rorlegion: Thank you, I really appreciate it.
Nikolai: Cheers, hope you stick around.
Sandino: Appreciate it.
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Update up in the next few days hopefully guys, thank you for your patience.
Dr. Gonzo: Lopez is probably best described as a 'swivel eyed loon'. Will he upset the continental apple cart? Possibly. Will Paraguay pay the price for their 'King's' decisions? Certainly.
El Pip: I agree on Villa Neuva but in-game and narrative influences led to that result and will be explained further in the next update. And funny you should mention domestic reactions...
rorlegion: Thank you, I really appreciate it.
Nikolai: Cheers, hope you stick around.
Sandino: Appreciate it.
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Update up in the next few days hopefully guys, thank you for your patience.
Great update, really enjoyed the added depth of the conflict that Uruguay and Paraguay provided. That will be a hard set back for Argentina to overcome.
And congratulations on a richly deserved award!
And congratulations on a richly deserved award!
A new Jape AAR after the unfortunate circumstances of your last one... I will surely have to catch up when time be. Considering that you are already in the showcase for this! Well done indeed sir!
Considering that you are already in the showcase for this! Well done indeed sir! 
Seelmeister: Thank you. Yeah playing as a South American nation, its very rare you'll ever have a simple one on one contest.
MiltonS: Cheers, glad to have you on board.
volksmarschall: Thank you, hope you stick around.
Tanzhang (譚張): That is very high praise indeed, really appreciate it.
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Sorry for the delay, frankly I've just been lazy this week. The update however is complete just need to fiddle with graphics and go over some stuff. So chapter 5 tomorrow sometime. That's not just a promise, that's a Jape promise, which is worth 10,000 Ecuadorian sucre.
MiltonS: Cheers, glad to have you on board.
volksmarschall: Thank you, hope you stick around.
Tanzhang (譚張): That is very high praise indeed, really appreciate it.
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Sorry for the delay, frankly I've just been lazy this week. The update however is complete just need to fiddle with graphics and go over some stuff. So chapter 5 tomorrow sometime. That's not just a promise, that's a Jape promise, which is worth 10,000 Ecuadorian sucre.
Actually it is of so little value Ecuador has imported the US dollar as their currency. But I'm always happy to see a friend overvaluating my pitiful commitments.Hmmm. That's about 25p in real money isn't it? An ambitious valuation!