Defective weaponry Fortress of Humaitá

the last remaining paraguayan artillery pieces @ humaitá collected distribution between allies war booty. there sundry old tubes bearing arms of spain; 2 hailed seville, san gabriel (a.d. 1671) , san juan de dios (1684) .

although paraguay , did manufacture large artillery guns, there nevertheless shortage—partly because guns had taken reinforce landward artillery – , not of guns @ humaitá of acceptable standard. when burton inspected them (august 1868) noted many had been thrown deep water remainder poor:

the guns barely deserve name; of them honeycombed must have been used street posts... not worst of them made @ asunción or ibicuy, furnaces , air chimneys melt 4 tons per diem. had been converted, mere patchwork. few rifled 12-pounders had been cast @ asunción. there sundry old tubes bearing arms of spain; 2 hailed seville, san gabriel (a.d. 1671) , san juan de dios (1684).

however, burton may have been underestimating paraguayan artillery @ zenith: according both thompson , jourdan, guns had been evacuated chaco side paraguayans when abandoning fortress. gunboat hms dotterel, while anchored @ humaitá 3 hours in june 1865, river counted 116 guns, number far greater recorded burton or jourdan when inspecting captured fortress.