From Ahmet in Tunisia: "Asad, weren't humans at war in the past tougher and more dogged and inventive to
a fault?? from The Economist on the Paraguayan war (1864-70): "
"López, however, would not give up. He moved his capital from one town to another, taking the entire state archives in tow. He imagined a vast conspiracy against him, and jailed and tortured thousands of his most loyal backers, including his own mother and sister. His brother was among the 700-800 people he had executed—often by lance to save ammunition.
"López, however, would not give up. He moved his capital from one town to another, taking the entire state archives in tow. He imagined a vast conspiracy against him, and jailed and tortured thousands of his most loyal backers, including his own mother and sister. His brother was among the 700-800 people he had executed—often by lance to save ammunition.
Because López had drafted every man in
Paraguay, there was no labour to work the fields, and starvation set in. Many
who subsisted on bitter wild oranges succumbed to cholera, malaria and
dysentery. As able-bodied men died, López recruited a new army of wounded and
child soldiers. He armed them with sticks painted to look like guns, disguising
the youngsters with fake beards. The army’s original red uniforms had dwindled
to rags; rain seeped through ponchos made of shredded carpets. Eventually they
fought naked. (Today, Paraguay celebrates Children’s Day on the anniversary of a
battle in which 2,000 children perished.)"
