The naval Battle of Vuelta de Obligado took place between the Argentine Confederacy, under the leadership of Juan Manuel de Rosas, and an Anglo-French fleet, on November 20th, 1845, on the waters of the Paraná river. The Argentine peso (originally established as the nuevo peso argentino or peso convertible) is the currency of Argentina. ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The sun rising over the Paraná River, from the north-east of Rosario, Argentina. ... The Buenos Aires province (IPA: , Spanish: Provincia de Buenos Aires) is the wealthiest and most populated province of Argentina. ... Argentina is a Spanish-speaking country in southern South America, situated between the Atlantic Ocean in the east. ... General de Rosas Juan Manuel de Rosas (born Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rozas y López de Osornio, 1793-1877) was a conservative Argentinian politician who ruled Argentina from 1829 to 1852. ... Template:Infobox Country or territory the King is Ryan Shrimpton!!!! The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (usually shortened to the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain[1]) is a country[2] and sovereign state that lies to the northwest of Continental Europe with the Republic of Ireland... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ... Motto: En Unión y Libertad(Spanish) In Union and Freedom Anthem: Himno Nacional Argentino Capital (and largest city) Buenos Aires Official languages Spanish Government Federal republic  - President Néstor Kirchner  - Vice President Daniel Scioli Independence from Spain   - May Revolution 25 May 1810   - Declared 9 July 1816   - Recognized 1821 (by... General de Rosas Juan Manuel de Rosas (born Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rozas y López de Osornio, 1793-1877) was a conservative Argentinian politician who ruled Argentina from 1829 to 1852. ... Template:Infobox Country or territory the King is Ryan Shrimpton!!!! The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (usually shortened to the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain[1]) is a country[2] and sovereign state that lies to the northwest of Continental Europe with the Republic of Ireland... Flag of Paraná See other Brazilian States Capital Curitiba Largest City Curitiba Area 199,544 km² Population   - Total   - Density 9,150,000 48 inh. ...

Background

During the 1830s and 1840s, the British and French governments were at odds with Rosas' leadership of the Argentine Confederacy. Rosas was an ardent nationalist leader, and his economic policies of protecting the national industry with high tariffs, combined with his attempts to reincorporate Paraguay and Uruguay to the confederacy, were in conflict with French and British economic interests in the region. During his government, Rosas had to face numerous problems with these foreign powers, which in some cases reached levels of open aggression. These incidents included two naval blockades, a French one in 1838, and an Anglo-French one in 1845. General de Rosas Juan Manuel de Rosas (born Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rozas y López de Osornio, 1793-1877) was a conservative Argentinian politician who ruled Argentina from 1829 to 1852. ... Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ...

With the development of steam-powered sailing (which mainly took place in Great Britain, France and the USA) in the third decade of the 19th century, large merchant and military ships became able of sailing up rivers at a good speed and with a heavy load.

This technology allowed the British and French governments to avoid Argentine custom houses in Buenos Aires by sailing directly through the La Plata estuary and engaging in commerce directly with the Argentinian inland cities. This avoided taxation, guaranteed special rights for the Europeans and allowed them to export their products cheaply. BUE redirects here. ...

The Rosas government tried to stop this practice by declaring the Argentine rivers unnavigable by foreign countries, barring access to Paraguayan ports in the process. The British and French governments did not acknowledge this declaration and decided to defy Rosas by sailing upstream with a joint fleet, setting the stage for the battle.

The battle

The Anglo-French squadron that was sailing through the Paraná river since the first days of November was comprised of eleven warships. These ships were among the most advanced military machinery of their time. They were partially armored and had rapid-fire guns and Congreve rockets. USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga class cruiser. ...

The main Argentine fortification was located in Vuelta de Obligado, where the river is 700 meters wide and a turn makes navigation difficult.

The Argentine general Lucio N. Mansilla set up three thick metal chains suspended from 24 boats completely across the river, to prevent the advance of the European fleet. This operation was in charge of an Italian immigrant in Argentina named Aliverti. This article is about the continent. ...

In the right shore of the river the Argentines mounted 4 batteries with 30 cannons, many of them made of bronze, with a caliber of 8, 10, 12 and 20, and served with a division of 160 gaucho soldiers. Also there were 2000 men in trenches under the command of Colonel Ramón Rodríguez, and a sole Argentine warship called Republicano, with the mission of guarding the chains across the river. Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... Gauchos taming horses in Corrientes Province, Argentina. ... Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ...

The combat begun at dawn, with an intense cannon fire and rocket discharges over the Argentine batteries, which had less accurate and slower loading cannons. From the beginning the Argentines suffered many casualties — 250 dead, 400 wounded and 21 cannons fell into hands of the Europeans. Furthermore, the boats that held the chains were burnt down, and the Republicano warship was lost. It was blown by its own commander when he was unable to defend it any longer. On the other side, the Europeans had 26 dead and 86 wounded, and suffered great damages that left their fleet stranded at Obligado for 40 days to make emergency repairs.

The few British and French ships that were able to sail past Vuelta de Obligado were again attacked in Paso del Tonelero and in Angostura del Quebracho. Thus the Anglo-French victory turned out to be a Pyhrric one. It was proved to be practically impossible to sail Argentine rivers without the authorization of Argentinian authorities. A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with devastating cost to the victor. ...

The aftermath

The battle had a great impact on the continent. Chile and Brazil changed their stance (which until then were against Rosas), and turned, momentarily, to the Confederation's cause. Even some unitarian leaders (traditional enemies of the Argentine caudillo) were moved by the events, with General Martiniano Chilavert offering to join the Confederacy army. Caudillo is a Spanish (caudilho in Portuguese) word designating a political-military leader at the head of an authoritative power. ...

Politically, France and the United Kingdom renounced their attempts to bypass Buenos Aires' policies, and acknowledged the Argentine government's legal right over the Paraná and the other internal rivers and its authority to determine who had access to it.

The Battle of Obligado is remembered as one of the few occasions in which a peripheral country was able to reject European attempts of intervention in its internal affairs. It is also remembered in Argentina on November 20th, which was declared "Day of National Sovereignty". The French Paris metro had a station named after this battle until the 1950's,when it was renamed Argentine. Paris Art Nouveau Metro sign The Paris Métro is the metro (underground) system in Paris, France. ...

External links

• Account on Elrotiba.org (Spanish)
• Battle account on Luche y Vuelve website (Spanish)