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List of contents
Part 1: Opening Moves, Rebellion in the River Plate
The Drift to War
The Navy of Brazil
The Argentinean Challenger
Part 2: Cat and Mouse in the River Plate
The Battle of Corales: Action and Acrimony
The Assault on Colonia
Night Attack on the Imperatriz
The New Broom: Changes in Command
Norton Tightens the Screw: The Battles of Los Pozes and Lara-Quilmes
Part 3: The war on Trade, the Climax of the Brazilian Blockade
"Blackguards of the Most Cut Throat Description"
The Argentinean War on Trade
Brown's Raid on the South Atlantic
Part 4: Splendid Displays of Courage Made by Britons, the Struggle for the Uruguay
The Brazilian Defeat at Juncal
Disaster in Patagonia
The Empire Strikes back: The Battle of Monte Santiago
Part 5: War and Peace, Interrnational Outcry and the Cracking of the Blockade
The Paladins, Peace and the Fall of Rivadavia
Rio Janeiro: Taking Stock
Congresso and General Brandzen: The Rise and Fall of the Privateer
Brazil Renews the Offensive
Part 6: Endgame, the Road to Peace
Settling Accounts
Revolution and Reparations
Epilogue
About the author
Brian Vale served for many years as a British Council representative in Latin America.
Summary
In 1825 the Empire of Brazil went to war with the Republic of Argentina; the pretext was control of the north bank of the Plate, and consequently of the river itself. The conflict lasted for three years, the Argentinians dominating on land, the Brazilians at sea. As a compromise, the state of Uruguay was created as a buffer between the two.
Providing a study of the naval war and its international repercussions, this book describes the struggle between Brazil, a maritime power with a huge navy and an extensive sea-borne commerce, and Argentina, which had tiny naval forces but a huge international trade carried mostly in British and American ships. It is the story of cat and mouse amid the shallows and fogs of the River Plate, as the Brazilian navy slowly strangled Argentinian trade in the face of audacious attacks by a small squadron led by the legendary William Brown; and of daring single-ship actions in the blue rollers of the Atlantic as swarms of Argentinian privateers took on both neutral vessels and Brazilian men-of-war.
British and American trade were the major casualties of these tactics, and the book provides an account of the international diplomatic and naval actions which followed.
Foreword
Explores the nineteenth century naval conflict between Brazil and Argentina and its international repercussions
