Sacking of Asunción
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The sacking of Asunción was the occupation of the Paraguayan capital carried out as of January 1, 1869 by Brazilian forces in the Triple Alliance led by General João de Souza da Fonseca Costa. Asunción was deserted, evacuated by all its inhabitants two days before. On January 5, Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, then Marquis of Caxias, entered the city with the rest of the army.[1]: 99 Most of Caxias' army settled in Asunción, where also 4,000 Argentine and 200 Uruguayan troops soon arrived together with about 800 soldiers and officers of the Paraguayan Legion. By this time Caxias was ill and weary of the war. On January 17 he fainted during a mass, relinquished his command on the 18th and left for Montevideo on the 19th.[2]
Sacking of Asunción | |||||||
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Part of the Paraguayan War | |||||||
The city of Asunción occupied by the allied army (Le Monde Illustré: journal hebdomadaire, nº 625, 03/04/1869). | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Paraguayan Legion | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Solano López |
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Strength | |||||||
5,000 soldiers |
30,000 soldiers 4,000 soldiers 200 soldiers 800 legionaries |
The Argentine troops encamped in the outskirts, in Trinidad using its church - executed by Carlos Antonio López and where their rest rested - like stable and latrine.
As soon as the troops entered the city, began looting all the buildings, beginning with the grand palaces of the aristocratic families of the capital. The furniture of the government ministries, the Palace of Congress, the Lopez family, were also looted; The furniture of the National Club, bought in Europe shortly before the War; The furniture of the house of Marshal Francisco Solano López and the residence of his wife, Eliza Lynch. The first places to be visited were the National Club and the residences of the President, his wife and his brothers Venancio and Benigno and Inocencia, full of fine furniture, signature paintings, carpets, Venetian mirrors, pianos and silver and gold dinnerware.
Through the streets were rows of objects and furniture waiting to be loaded on ships bound for Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro; When sailing, the boats were loaded to the top loaded with objects looted in Asunción. In the 1970s, both Argentina and Uruguay returned the "trophies of war" captured during the war, but most of the looting in the capital could never be recovered.
Asunción remained occupied by Brazilian troops until 1876.