TheParaguay War , which lasted from 1864 to 1870, was one of the biggest wars of the 19th century and the biggest in South American history. The war took place between Paraguay, which was ruled by Solano Lopez, and the so-called Triple Alliance – Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. For a long time, a historiographical matrix interpreted the Paraguayan War as a campaign undertaken mainly by Brazil and Argentina — financed by England — against Paraguay. The justification was that the latter country threatened British economic interests in South America.
For some years now, historians such as Francisco Doratioto have been proving that this version of the history of the war it is, in addition to being ideologically partial, false. Paraguay was not a country with industrial strength, nor did it pose a threat to British economic desires. The outbreak of the war, in large part, was due to the expansionist pretensions of Solano Lopez. The fact is that, for the enrichment of investigations and interpretations of this event of paramount importance for the history of the countries that were involved in it, any sources that are related to it are extremely valuable.
This is the case, for example, with correspondence of the Paraguayan president Solano Lopez which are under the protection of the Imperial Brazilian Museum, whose headquarters are in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro. Lopez's letters date from the most critical moments of the Paraguayan War and deal with the most diverse problems that a general commander of the armed forces must be aware of. In them, Lopez interrogates his officers about news he receives about the movement of enemy troops, indiscipline of his soldiers, as well as the merit of others. The edition of the History Journal of the National Library , of October 2013 (Year 9. nº 97), dedicated a report, signed by Alice Melo, to this theme and in it he exposed some of the briefest letters written by Solano Lopez. Two of them, which we reproduce below, are addressed to the commander of the Paraguayan army, Bernal.
From Solano Lopez to Commander Bernal, January 19, 1869:
“I have been informed about Ensign Ortiz and his pursuit of the Vanegas bandits, hoping that they will soon fall into my hands. A lot of vigilance is needed in the taperas (villages), because Cerro Leon has just warned that the soldier Eucenio Riveros had found two blacks in a house this morning and, with a biker's hand, killed the first and with his gun, the second. It is a beautiful conduct worthy of imitation by all.”
From Solano Lopez to the same commander, Bernal, February 5, 1869:
“I read your dispatch last night about the drunkenness of the officers which allowed the enemy to be taken by surprise, a very deplorable circumstance, but which I find pleasant for the effort and zeal with which you .[your lordship] proceeded to investigate and clarify something so obscure. You did well to have these officers reprimanded and repeat the same of my order to Machuca, having second lieutenant Ramon Gonzales and will reveal you to the officers and troops he guides. Go to Ensign Extigannibia, whom you will order to serve with Lieutenant Machuca.”
You can see that the president's concerns encompassed many different issues in the context of the war. Such letters are fundamental for further studies on the Paraguayan War. It is expected that, in the future, historians from the countries involved in the conflict (such as the Brazilian F. Doratioto), as well as from other nationalities, can study this material and, consequently, bring new approaches to this event.
By me. Claudio Fernandes