Weapons

Cavalry lance

The shock weapon of the Río de la Plata.

Cavalry lance
Cavalry lances, with tacuara cane and wooden shafts. Reference model.
Shaft
Tacuara cane or wood, about 3 m long ◊
Head
Iron, leaf-shaped ◊
Users
Paraguayan, Brazilian and Argentine cavalry
Use
Charge and shock

The Paraguayan cavalry fought with lance, saber and flintlock carbine; the Brazilian, with lance, saber and pistol. With less firing range than the enemy, the Paraguayan horseman sought hand-to-hand combat with the lance, as at Tatayibá. According to Thompson, in Mato Grosso the Paraguayans captured 1,090 lances in a single Brazilian town.

◊ Reconstruction.There are no measured pieces or regulations from this war for the length and the shape of the head.

Sources: ABC Color, the weapons of the Paraguayan soldiers (Soto Vera, 2013); George Thompson, The War in Paraguay, p. 39.

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