Frederico Mariath
Encyclopedia
Argentina-Brazil War
The Cisplatine War or the Argentine–Brazilian War was an armed conflict over an area known as Banda Oriental or "Eastern Shore" in the 1820s between the United Provinces of River Plate and the Empire of Brazil in the aftermath of the United Provinces' emancipation from Spain.-Background:Led by...
and some of Brazil's internal conflicts of the early 19th century.
Argentina–Brazil War
Mariath was put in command of a small squadron of four vessels stationed near Colonia del SacramentoColonia del Sacramento
Colonia del Sacramento is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the oldest town in Uruguay and capital of the departamento of Colonia. It has a population of around 22,000.It is renowned for its historic quarter, a World Heritage Site...
. His mission was to defend the local fortifications, in coordination with the garrison of approximately 1,500 men under the command of Brigadier Manuel Jorge Rodrigues.
On February 26, 1826, an Argentine squadron under the command of William Brown
William Brown (admiral)
Admiral William Brown was an Irish-born Argentine Admiral. Brown's victories in the Independence War, the Argentina-Brazil War, and the Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata earned the respect and appreciation of the Argentine people, and today he is regarded as one of Argentina's national...
ran the blockade and appeared to challenge the garrison at Colonia. The men and guns of the Brazilian vessels had been landed to reinforce the fort, and the resulting confrontation was and inconclusive cannon duel, as a ground attack by troops from the Banda Oriental
Banda Oriental
The Banda Oriental del Uruguay was the South American territory east of the Uruguay River and north of the Río de la Plata, coinciding approximately with the modern nation of Uruguay, the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul and some parts of Santa Catarina...
failed to materialize.
After repelling this initial attack, Mariath asked for assistance from Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, but the commanding Vice Admiral Rodrigo Lobo refused. On the first of March Brown launched a second attack. The night assault, supported by gunboats, was repelled after a bloody combat in which the Argentine troops suffered heavy losses but succeeded in destroying two Brazilian ships.
Caboclo
A caboclo or caboco is a person of a mixed Brazilian Indian and European ancestry. In Brazil, a caboclo is a specific type of mestiço as is the mulato, a person of a mixed Afro-Brazilian and European ancestry....
, the corvette Maceió
Maceió
Maceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state Alagoas, Brazil. The name "maceió" is of Indian origin, and designates the natural spontaneously courses of water which flow out of the soil...
, and the frigate Nichteroy. He distinguished himself in the defense of the frigate Imperatriz
Imperatriz
Imperatriz is the second most populated city in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. The city extends along the right bank of the Tocantins River and is crossed by the Belém-Brasília Highway, standing on the border with the state of Tocantins....
on April 26, in the battle of Ortiz Bank on 3 May, and the battle of Lara-Quilmes on 29 and 30 June. During this last battle, the massed fire of a number of Brazilian vessels succeeded in knocking the major Argentine ship the 25 de Mayo out of action.
On 12 May in Montevideo, Admiral Rodrigo Pinto Guedes assumed command of Brazilian naval forces operating in the Rio de la Plata sector, often called the Escuadra del Sur (Southern Squadron). He decided to adopt a more aggressive strategy and divide his fleet in three parts to accomplish it. He put Captain James Norton in command of a squadron (the Division Bloqueo) whose mission it was to definitively blockade the strategic port of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. Another squadron (the Third Division), led by Jacinto Sena Pereira, was ordered to control the Rio Uruguay and thereby cut lines of supply and communication between the Argentines and their expeditionary forces in the Banda Oriental. Mariath was put in charge of the reserve squadron, based at Colonia del Sacramento.
Battle of Juncal
Principle article: Battle of JuncalBattle of Juncal
The naval Battle of Juncal took place between a squadron of the newly independent United Provinces of the River Plate under command of William Brown and a squadron belonging to the Brazilian Empire, commanded by Sena Pereira...
The Argentine commander Brown soon began making plans to confront the Third Division. Fighting with a smaller force, he had to devise a way to keep the Brazilian squadrons from supporting each other, as any combination of squadrons would greatly outnumber his own fleet. His solution was to build a fort on Isla Martín García
Isla Martín García
Isla Martín García is an Argentine island off the Río de la Plata coast of Uruguay. The enclave island is within the boundaries of Uruguayan waters; in 1973 both countries reached an agreement establishing Martín García as an Argentine territory and also as a nature reserve.The island of has a...
, at the mouth of the Rio Uruguay, with the purpose of protecting his flank as he chased the Third Division up the river as well as preventing the Mariath Division from reinforcing the Third.
Thus on February 8, 1827, when the Third Division began to descend the river to link up with Mariath, they found instead Brown waiting for them. In the ensuing Battle of Juncal
Battle of Juncal
The naval Battle of Juncal took place between a squadron of the newly independent United Provinces of the River Plate under command of William Brown and a squadron belonging to the Brazilian Empire, commanded by Sena Pereira...
the Brazilian fleet was completely destroyed, with only 2 of 17 vessels escaping. Although Mariath was within earshot of the cannonfire, he judged an attempt to force his way past the fortifications to be too risky. He instead engaged in an extended gun duel with the fort, an ineffectual action which was eventually disrupted by a storm.
On February 9, while the Third Division was pursued and finished off by Brown's squadron, the Mariath Division remained at a distance without intervening. The next day Mariath decided to retreat in the direction of Colonia del Sacramento, where he arrived the next week.
Civil Wars
Cabanagem
The Cabanagem was a social revolt that occurred in the then-province of Grão-Pará, Brazil.Among the causes for this revolt were the extreme poverty of the Paraense people and the political irrelevance to which the province was relegated after the independence of Brazil.The name "Cabanagem" refers...
, Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
. The rebels succeeded in taking the provincial capital, Belém
Belém
Belém is a Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of state of Pará, in the country's north region. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and bus/coach station...
, in response to which the government sent a combined naval and land force. Although the government forces took the capital, the rebellion continued in the interior and the rebels eventually retook the city that August.
Commander Mariath was sent as a replacement for the expedition's commander of naval forces, John Taylor. The navy proceeded to blockade the port, bombard rebel positions, land army troops, and conduct riverine patrols. The rebels were pressed hard and eventually abandoned the city and retreated again to the interior, where they would continue to fight until 1840.
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
. This war was known as the Guerra dos Farrapos.
In 1838 the Imperial government named Mariath as military commander in the province of Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina (state)
Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
, with the mission to confront the rebels. (The revolution had extended to this province in the form of the República Catarinense.)
On November 15, in command of a fleet of some 13 vessels carrying 33 guns and approximately 1000 men, Mariath defeated the republican forces under Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
in the Barra de Laguna.
Biography
- Carranza, Angel Justiniano, "Campañas Navales de la República Argentina", Talleres de Guillermo Kraft Ltda., Buenos Aires, 2º edición, 1962
- Arguindeguy, Pablo E. CL, y Rodríguez, Horacio CL; "Buques de la Armada Argentina 1810-1852 sus comandos y operaciones", Buenos Aires, Instituto Nacional Browniano, 1999
- Vale, Brian, Una guerra entre ingleses, Instituto De Publicaciones Navales, 2005, ISBN 950-899-057-0
External links
- Sitio oficial de la Armada del Brasil
- Navíos de Guerra, en naval.com.br ,
- Navíos de Guerra Brasileros
- Cronología del Almirante Brown
- Navíos de las Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata
- Historical Handbook of World Navies
- Navíos de Guerra
- Historia y Arqueologia Marítima
- Sitio oficial de la Armada de la República Argentina (ARA)
- Fuerzas Navales, portal naval argentino