Battle of Lomas Valentinas

The Battle of Lomas Valentinas (also known as the Battle of Ita Ybate) was fought in the Central Department of Paraguay on December 21–27, 1868. The Paraguayan Army, led personally by President Francisco Solano Lopez, consisted of 10,000 soldiers, half of them children, against more than 20,000 allied troops. Both sides suffered heavy losses and the Paraguayan force, outnumbered by more than 2 to 1, were decisively defeated. On December 30, 1868, the Paraguayan garrison at Angostura, with 740 soldiers and 16 cannons, surrendered to the Allies, opening the way to the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion.

Batalla de Lomas Valentinas