Customer Reviews

The Paraguayan War, Volume 1: Causes and Early Conduct (Studies in War, Society, and the Militar)

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One of Latin America's bloodiest wars is the subject of this book. For most, the war is either obscure or unknown, which makes it a great buy for those who like to read about little known wars. As a student of South American history, I found the book very detailed in covering the early history of the region and the events that lead to the conflict. And, his coverage of the early military campaigns is excellent. I've read Kolinski's "Independence or Death", which is good for starters, but Whigham's book answered all the questions I had after reading Kolinski's work. The author's chapters on the Mato Grasso Campaign and the Battle of Riachuelo were of particular interest to me. As with the previous reviewer an appendix with orders-of-battle would be nice,and that is my only complaint. The maps help for those not familiar with the area. I highly recommend this book for those either interested in a little known war or for those who want the best English language book on the subject. I anxiously await volume 2.

The Paraguayan War (sometimes called the War of the Triple Alliance or the Lopez War)frequently appears as a line or two at most in military histories and is immediately dismissed as not worthy of note. Thom Wigham has rightly rescued this facinating and tragic story and given it its rightful place among the great wars of the 19th century. The story is placed in context with a thorough exploration of the politics of the Plata in the decades leading up to the war; politics which can be most generously be described as "byzantine". The early conduct of the war is also both described and dispassionatly analyzed.

I do wish there were more and better maps. Also as a hard-core military buff it would be nice to have more notes on uniforms, equipment and orders of battle (as an appendix, of course).

My other wish is for Dr. Whigham to finish the next volume, which I understand will be in a couple of years. Until then I will have to satisfy myself with "I die with my country".

This history of the Paraguayan War is probably the only one available in English, and it reads very well. It starts with an in-depth analysis of the political background starting with the Spanish/Portuguese colonization and how it led to the formation of the different South American nations, which I found very interesting. The author obviously knows the history of the area very well and has conducted research in all involved countries. This volume ends on December 31, 1865, with the withdrawal of the Paraguayans from Argentinian territory.

Be aware that this book is not a military history: I found the military study a bit disappointing, and it was difficult to keep track of the size of the armies and navies involved. There is not much on armament, tactics, organization or equipment. It would have been nice to have an Order of Battle for the Paraguayan and Brazilian armies in particular. I understand from the author that this could appear in the second volume (to be published in a few years).

While looking for background information on Paraguay I stumbled across Mr. Whigham's book. The book focuses on the Triple Alliance War fought in the mid-1800's. I found that he has a great writing style and I found myself not wanting to put the book down. The text is packed with the history of South America, but put in a way that was cohesive and interlinked. If your interested in the history of South America from colonial times to the mid-1800's pick this book up you won't be sorry!

The Paraguayan war which lasted from 1864-70 was one of the bloodiest wars in Latin American history. More then 70% of the men of Paraguay perished in a terrible war that destroyed the country to such an extent that it has not recovered to this day. The Paraguayan was launched due to political machinations involving a civil war in Uruguay and this wonderful book delves into the root causes and opening campaigns. This is simply a must read and a needed contribution to a period of history that has been totally neglected by historians. Any student of Ltin American history will be happy with this work.

Seth J. Frantzman

The Great Liberator of South America, General Simon Bolivar, had
a dream of an all-encompassing, Spanish-speaking, Latin American
Federation of Nation, based upon the concept and reality of the United States of America. Yet,four decades later, the 1864-1870
Paraguayan War shows that then, and even now, this wonderful
dream of Simon Bolivar is still many decades away. Bolivia still
wants it's pre-1879 seacoast returned. The Chaco War-1932-1935
shows this "irredentitism" spirit of revenge has followed Latin America into the new 21st Century. Paraguay has yet to recover
from the 1864-1870 War of Disaster. The 1826 speech of General
Bolivar, in Panama, was and stll IS a great hope for all of
Latin America, but the mechanics of Latin American Unity is
"just not in the cards". The continuing tragedy of Paraguay
haunts still--135 years later. May Paraguay find healing.
In terms of this fine book-
This book, the Paraguayan War is 10,000% "on target".
A "MUST READ" for old history-buffs, and all serious students of
Latin American History, and Social Structures.
A most-excellent work of historical literati. BUY IT!!
VIVA PARAGUAY Y Libertad!!
from
Dr. Nick Stage-PHD History--Zionville Indiana

This book is a valiant effort to understand the only true war in the history of Latin America but in the end it falls short. I feel that some of the classifications for starting the conflict are wrong and his analysis is shaky. He takes several liberties and makes excuses for the dictator in Paraguay. If you are looking for information on the war try reading To the bitter end by Chris Leuchars. It is much better written and focused. I don't think we will be seeing volume two anytime soon so if you want the whole war see the other book. Overall just stay away.