Washburn, to Alexander Asboth, United States, November 6, 1866

Mr. Washburn to Mr. Asboth.

My Dear General: At last we are on Paraguay soil, though, by reason of the obstacles in the river, we did not come above Cumpaity in the Shamokin. When we got to the Tres Bocas we were boarded by the commander of a blockading gunboat and told we could not go up. Captain Crosby said his orders were to go up, and he was going. The officer said he would communicate with the admiral, and Captain Crosby sent a letter by Mr. Pendleton to inform Admiral Tamandare that he had a minister on board, and his orders were to take him to Asuncion. The admiral told Mr. Pendleton he had received no instructions in the matter, and the Shamokin could not go up. He said, however, that he would pay us a visit the next day and try to arrange it so I could go through. The next day at 10.30 he came, and at first seemed a good deal excited—said he had received no orders from his government and had no information on the subject, except what was contained in your letter to Elizalde and General Webb’s letter to me, of which copies were sent to him in the package that you gave me just as we were starting. But we told him we were going through his lines, though he offered to give me a steamer to take me, my family, and effects through, under a flag of truce, till I could be transferred to a Paraguay vessel. I told him that would not do after all the notoriety of the affair; that I would have gladly accepted any way to get through the lines when I had come backed up only by my right as a minister, but that now I must go on a national vessel. Captain Crosby told him his orders were to land me in Paraguay, and he should do so if he were not stopped by force. The admiral then gave way and said we might pass, and he should only protest; so we sent off a messenger, Mr. Pendleton, to take a letter through to Lopez, requesting him to furnish us a pilot after we had passed the Brazilian lines; and the admiral gave him a steamer and sent him to Porto Alegres, whence he passed over and had a conference with Lopez, who told him that there were so many obstacles in the river he could not remove them, but would be prepared to receive us at Cumpaity; so we had to disembark, thus coming up through the whole squadron without interruption. There we found a coach ready to bring us to this place, and reached here about eight o’clock last evening. Our trunks and stores were brought up in carts and were all here this morning, and were put on board a steamer that will leave for Asuncion as soon as we are ready.

Sincerely yours,