Bernardino Caballero
By Bruno Zavala

Bernardino Caballero was in his twenties when his mother personally took him to the training camp before the triple alliance war. According to “El Centauro de Ybucui” His mom and the Marsical Lopez talked, and Lopez assured Mrs. Caballero that her son had a bright future and that he would go far. How accurate this observation, considering that Caballero reached the stars, literally, Caballero became a General in Lopez’s army. Having start down low Bernardino really fought to get to the top. His first battle took place in Matto Grosso, Brazil. He fought bravely in the front line, although not alone he greatly contributed to the capturing of war trophies( cannons, ammunition, and a piano for Alicia Elisa Lynch). A lot of people think that the invasion of Mato Grosso was a action that was unnecessary, historians argue that it would have been better for Paraguay to head straight to Montevideo, Uruguay before letting it fall in the hands of the Macacos(Brazilians). For better or not Bernerdino Caballero still proved himself worthy in the battlefield and with each battle his position grew in the Paraguayan army. He went earning his place in Mariscal Lopez’s heart too.

Bernardino Caballero was in the war from the very beggning, to the very end. The Brazilian offcials like Caxias, and El Conde Eu(The Brazilian Emperor’s daughter fiancé) respected and feared him. He was between a handful of survivors in battles towards the end of the war but managed to survive. Caxias Reported him dead once, but to his surprise caballero returned form the dead to meet him in the next battle. The Paraguayans faught like real lions, in most of the battle Paraguayans were greatly outnumbered, but still made the brazilian frags more than that of them. With what was left of the once great army of Paraguay, the men were marching to Cerro Cora (a jungle naturally fortified because of the surrounding hills). The Paraguayan army knew that the Brazilians would eventually come. But the hunger was beating them of First. Marsical lopez sent out a group of men to bring back beef for the agonizing lines. He sent Bernardino Caballero as the head of the group. Some stipulate that Mariscal Lopez knew what was about to happen and on purpose sent out Caballero, because the country needed him as a leader in the future. The fight broke out in Cerro Cora all the major officials were killed, including Mariscal Lopez and his son Panchito.

A few days later Caballero found out about what happened in Cerro Cora. He was intercepted by a Brazilian battalion and stood still waiting to die. Instead they captured him and sent him to Rio de Janiero waiting to see what happened to him. He was so respected even among the Brazlians that they offered him to pay him a Generals salary while he stayed in Brazil. He denied the favor and instead pleaded to let him return to Paraguay. He was a very diplomatic character and the Brazilians backed him up in his decision. On his return to Paraguay the crowds went wild over him, and after a short while the citizens pressed for his election and he became the president of Paraguay for six years and then passed on the power democratically but continued governing his party, “el partido Colorado”