Alexander S. Asboth to William H. Seward, July 26, 1867

Mr. Asboth to Mr. Seward.

Sir:In connection with my report No. 34, dated 11th instant, I have the honor to inform you that President Mitre, having on the 19th instant delegated once more the chief magistracy of the republic to Vice-President Paz, sailed from Buenos Ayres on the 22d instant, to resume the chief command of the allied armies invading Paraguay. Before leaving he sent a message to congress, of which the following is a translation:

APPROACHING DEPARTURE OF GENERAL MITRE.

Note of his excellency to congress.

Buenos Ayres. July 15.

To the honorable Chamber of Deputies:

Having fulfilled the objects which obliged me to resume the reins of power, and notwithstanding that the forces which I brought away from the seat of war to crush the rebellion are not yet ready to return to Paraguay, I have the honor to inform your honorable chamber that, in virtue of the authority given me by law of May 17, 1865, I am about to absent myself from Buenos Ayres, and leave the territory of the republic, in accordance with the necessities of the campaign in which we are engaged against the Paraguayan government, delegating, in the mean time, the national executive to the Vice-President of the republic, as the constitution directs.

May God preserve your honorable chamber.

BARTOLOME MITRE.

It is anticipated that he will reach Itapiru to-morrow, doubtless at a critical moment, when everything must be in the greatest confusion, as the main army of the allies has shifted its quarters preliminary to the long-talked-of decisive movement. The heavy rains and the repeated reconnoissances made by means of the balloon, seem to have been the cause of a change in the operations first intended. General Osorio’s division, which was originally destined to invade Paraguay by Itati, has advanced to Itapiru, where it effected its junction with the main army on the 12th instant. The general is said to have brought with him 2,500 foot and 4,300 cavalry, the former of which crossed the river Parana a little above Itati, and the latter at the Paso de la Patria. He will now, it appears, take command of the first division of the army, forming a column of attack composed of 18,000 Brazilians, 2,000 Argentines, and 800 Orientals, and threaten the extreme left of the army, to the right of Tuyuti. Another column of attack is to be placed under the orders of General Gelly y Obes, while the old encampment in the Estero Bellaco, strongly fortified, will be defended by 10,000 men under Porto Alegre. According to the latest advices, the long prepared combined attack of the Marquis de Caxias is daily imminent, in which— while the Brazilian fleet is to run the gauntlet of the forts Curupaiti and Humaita, under cover of the iron-clads, as Admiral Farragut at Mobile, the main army, deploying to the right, is intended to outflank the extreme left of the Paraguayans at Las Rojas, and force its way to the rear of Humaitá, so as to cut off General Lopez from his supplies—a strategic movement which, if successfully carried out, may lead to a decisive engagement and final struggle on terms more favorable to the allies than at Tuyuti. But, putting aside the dangers to which the fleet will be exposed, the very extended line of communication which the allies will be obliged to maintain in the enemy’s country in order to secure their supplies from the river base, and the risk they will incur of being attacked by the Paraguayans in their own rear, will make the movement a very critical one, the more so as a field less favorable to military operations could scarcely be selected for an invading army, the line intended to be forced by the allies passing through the dense forests and treacherous marshes and jungles of Paraguay, which the foresight of General Lopez has rendered still more dangerous by torpedoes and all kinds of artificial hindrances. It is consequently open to doubt if this grand plan of attack will fully and finally accomplish the stipulations of the secret triple treaty, and will not have to be followed up by many subsequent attacks, with still further sacrifices of blood and treasure.

The interior provinces continue to be afflicted by the rebellious Montoneros, who appear and disappear, and require forces ten times their numbers to follow them up. By last advices it was reported that Generals Paunero and Taboada were preparing for a grand battue against them. The province of Tucuman has been for some time past groaning under the military despotism of a Catholic priest, Señor Campos, who, notwithstanding his sacred character, is a keen politician, and being minister of the government, kept the province under arms, having appointed himself general-in-chief of its forces. The Tucomanos, availing themselves of the absence of Minister Campos, who had come on a mission to the national government here, rose en masse, on the 30th ultimo, against their despotic ruler, and the constitutional governor, Dr. Posse, * * * having wisely given way before the manifest will of the people, and voluntarily resigned, a provisional governor was elected in the person of Don Octavio Luna, and the revolution triumphed without shedding a drop of blood, or the disturbance of public order for a single day. In the province of Mendoza the constitutional governor, Señor Arroyo, had also resigned and the president of the provincial legislative chamber succeeded him provisionally. In congress here the chamber of deputies has held two secret sittings, in which it has been engaged in examining and discussing the articles attached to the treaty of the triple alliance. Next week is fixed for the debate on the question of the permanent seat of government, and it would appear that a large majority is pledged to vote in favor of the bill which establishes it in Rosario.

* * * * *

My daily memoranda of political events in the River Plata, from the 13th to the 25th of July, in enclosure D, to which I beg respectfully to refer, contains further detailed information with regard to the march of political affairs here since my last report.

I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Daily memoranda of political events in the River Plata from the 13th to the 25th of July, 1867.

July 13.—The publication of the following decree has given occasion to some severe comments in the Tribuna on General Mitre’s prolonged absence from the seat of war when no justifiable reason can be assigned for his delaying in Buenos Ayres. He is urged most earnestly not to lose a day in returning to his post and taking part in the impending’ decisive operations in Paraguay: