Battle of Paso de Patria

Passo da Pátria was a Paraguayan village, north of the Fortaleza de Itapiru, on the right bank of the Paraná River. The plan was for the Brazilian Imperial Navy, under the command of Joaquim Marques Lisboa, Admiral Tamandaré, to bomb the positions occupied by the Paraguayan Army in Passo, jointly with the Imperial Army, distracting the Paraguayans and enabling a naval invasion. Thus, the ships that transported Brazilian soldiers would land approximately 10,000 soldiers under the command of General Osório, the Itapiru Fortress.

On April 16, the Paraguayan soldiers who defended the Passo were repelled under heavy fire from Brazilian vessels, so, shortly afterwards, combat was fought between the first companies that landed, from the 2nd Volunteer (Rio de Janeiro), to at the time, Major Deodoro da Fonseca, thus, Osório's forces stopped any Paraguayan counter-advance. Paraguayan soldiers who attempted a counter attack, retreated to the region of Lake Laguna-Sirena, where they were unable to contain the Brazilian soldiers. On the night of the same day, Uruguayan and Argentine forces, allied with Brazil, disembarked. The Itapiru Fort was conquered on April 18 and the fortified position of Passo da Pátria, resisted Brazilian bombing and attacks until the 23rd of the same month. Thus, with the free route, the allied troops began to enter Paraguay.[1]

With the taking of the fortified position, the place started to be used as an outpost of the Brazilian Imperial Army, being an essential way to supply the forces entering Paraguay, with even a light trade developing in the region.