Battle of Nioaque

Battle of Nioaque
Part of Mato Grosso campaign
Date December 31, 1864 Location Nioaque, Mato Grosso Province, Empire of Brazil Result Paraguayan victory
Belligerents
Paraguay	Empire of Brazil
Commanders and leaders
Isidoro Resquín Martín Urbieta	Dias da Silva
Strength
3,500 soldiers	200 cavalry
Casualties and losses
Paraguayan report: 1 killed 3 wounded Brazilian report: 80 casualties	Paraguayan report: 60 killed 13 captured Brazilian report: 8 killed

The Battle of Nioaque was a confrontation between a Brazilian cavalry force of 200 men and a Paraguayan column of about 3,500 soldiers, fought on December 31, 1864, in the region of the present-day city of Nioaque, Mato Grosso do Sul, during the Paraguayan War.

Background and engagement

In the context of the Mato Grosso campaign, after the Battle for Colônia Militar dos Dourados, in the south of what was then the Province of Mato Grosso, Paraguayan forces under the command of Colonel Francisco Isidoro Resquín advanced north where they occupied the Miranda Military Colony on December 30. The following day, they attacked the town of Nioaque, defended by 200 cavalrymen under the command of Lieutenant Colonel José Antônio Dias da Silva. At the initiative of the imperial commander, an attempt was made to negotiate peace between the belligerent forces, but without success. The fighting was swift, with the Brazilians being defeated. There was a large discrepancy between the number of casualties on both sides, something common in warfare.

See also

• First Retreat

References

• Maestri, Mário (2015). "A Invasão paraguaia do sul do Mato Grosso". Revistra ContraPonto. 4. ISSN 2236-6822.