A War Betwixt Englishmen: Brazil Against Argentina on the River Plate [Hardcover]

Brian Vale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2000 | ISBN-10: 1860644562 | ISBN-13: 978-1860644566

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 Argentineans dominating on land, the Brazilians at sea. As a compromise, the state of Uruguay was created as a buffer between the two. This book is about the naval war and its international repercussions. It 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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Having broken new ground, it could well stimulate further volumes of a more analytic nature..."-- Kenneth Breen, The Northern Mariner

About the Author

Brian Vale served for many years as a British Council representative in Latin America.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860644562
• ISBN-13: 978-1860644566
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,216,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Marvelous book touches the wound!, July 11, 2000

By 

Diogo Antonio Galhanone Jr. - See all my reviews

This review is from: A War Betwixt Englishmen: Brazil Against Argentina on the River Plate (Hardcover)

It is said, here in Brazil, that the "Cisplatina War" is an episode that brazilians would rather forget, because of its bitter defeats and unfortunate revelation of hidden truths, as far as this wasn't a defensive war, and our nation loves to punch on the key that brazilian civilization has only its peaceful character. The book deals with a most important issue in South America's history, which is the "Cisplatina War", where Brazil and Argentina fought against each other, trying to incorporate a Spanish-speaking province to their own territory, against its province inhabitants will. It was a draw between Brazil and Argentina, and that province turned into our neighbor country called Uruguai. Well, when we notice that at the same time Belgium was created between France and the Netherlands, we see the huge political importance on what was held here, and why. The "Cisplatina War" was the final breath between portuguese and spanish expansionism on the River Plate, and the book shows pretty well all the important facts connected to it, the "corsair wars", the battles, the campaigns, and mainly the skills, courage and struggle of the Britons (sailors, admirals...) in it, such as John Pascoe Grenfell (who lost an arm against the argentinians) and John Taylor, amongst others... A beautiful point in this book is that it also brings back the name of all british-brazilian naval heros, as far as it is actually taken for granted by most of our historians. You MUST buy it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, excellent reading..., April 15, 2010

By 

Manuel Nazar Anchorena (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A War Betwixt Englishmen: Brazil Against Argentina on the River Plate (Hardcover)

Hi, This book suprised me a lot, i started reading it with not much enthusiasm as this is not my favorite history era but i felt it wouldnt hurt to learn a bit more about my own country's history (Argentina). It surpassed my expectations, it is really well written and the reader cant get bored at any time. The missions and actions performed by both navies are incredible, it opened my eyes to this conflict between the newly independent and powerful Empire of Brazil against the smaller and recently independent provinces of the River Plate (Argentina). If you like navy battle stories or are curious about the history of South America you can't miss this book.