People
Pedro Pablo Caballero
The commander of the defense of Piribebuy.
- Rank
- Commander ‡
- Defense
- Piribebuy, 12 August 1869
- Force
- About 1,600 men: many adolescents, old men and wounded
- Facing him
- About 20,000 allies under the Count of Eu
- Memory
- Museo Histórico Comandante Pedro Pablo Caballero, in Piribebuy
He commanded the garrison of Piribebuy, the provisional capital of Paraguay in 1869. He rejected the demands for surrender on 11 August and withstood the bombardment and the assault of the following day. Captured when the town fell, he was killed together with the political chief Patricio Marecos. Almost nothing is known of his life before the war.
‡ Disputed.Rank: major, lieutenant colonel or colonel, depending on the source; the town museum uses “comandante”. His death: throat cut on the orders of the Count of Eu, according to Centurión; executed by the troops, according to Maestri; local tradition speaks of an even crueler death. The phrase “I am here to fight and, if necessary, to die, but not to surrender” is tradition.
Sources: Mário Maestri, “Piribebuy, a capital mártir”, Estudos Ibero-Americanos (2013); ABC Color, “La Batalla de Piribebuy hace 155 años…” (2024); La Nación (Paraguay), “Piribebuy, a 155 años de una luctuosa batalla” (2024).
Open in the illustrated encyclopedia ›
Guerra Guasu Collection · by José Báez · Free for everyone · Home · Privacy