Battle of Colonia del Sacramento (1826)

The battle of Colonia del Sacramento consisted of a series of failed attempts made by admiral William Brown of capturing the town of Colonia del Sacramento, which was under Brazilian control and being sieged on land by insurgent Uruguayan forces, in the context of the Cisplatine War between the Empire of Brazil and the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. The confrontations began in the morning of 26 February 1826 and ended on 14 March 1826.

Battle of Colonia del Sacramento
Part of the Cisplatine War
Date26 February 1826 – 14 March 1826
Location
Colonia del Sacramento, Cisplatina (present-day Uruguay)
Result Brazilian victory[1][2]
Belligerents
 Empire of Brazil
Commanders and leaders
Strength

Besieged forces:
Local garrison
(Unknown number)

Ships:[3]
1 brig
1 brigantine
2 schooners



Total guns: Unknown, at least 24

Besieging troops:[4]
400 soldiers


Ships:[4][5][6]
1 frigate
1 barque
3 brigs
1 schooner
1 pilot boat
8 gunboats

Total guns: +110
Casualties and losses
84:[7]
32 killed
52 wounded
1 brig sunk
200[8]-500[7] killed, wounded and captured
1 brig sunk
3 gunboats captured

Background

The walled town of Colonia del Sacramento was a strategic point for the Brazilians due to its proximity to the city of Buenos Aires, capital of the United Provinces, which was suffering a naval blockade by the Imperial Brazilian Navy. The Brazilians used its port as a hub for resupplying ships in the Río de la Plata and thus continue on blockading the port of Buenos Aires. For this reason, the town was defended by a local garrison in the fort and batteries, and 4 small vessels: the brig Real Pedro, the brigantine Pará and the schooners Liberdade do Sul and Conceição.[3]

Gate and bastions of the fort in Colonia del Sacramento

On 22 February 1826, days after the rather unsuccessful battle of Punta Colares, admiral William Brown was informed by captain Murature, who had just returned from Montevideo in the cutter Luisa, that the Brazilian fleet was anchored parallel to Punta del Indio and that the Brazilian corvette Itaparica was undergoing repairs for the damage it had suffered in the action of Punta Colares. Brown then decided to launch a surprise attack on the Brazilian fleet, setting sail at noon that day.[9] Brown's naval squadron consisted of the frigate 25 de Mayo, the barque Congreso, the brigs Republica, Belgrano and Balcarce and the schooner Sarandí.[10]

The initial plan was to attack the Brazilian fleet at night, but due to an error, the Argentines lost the surprise and the Brazilians, perceiving the enemy approach, quickly sailed away. Brown decided not to chase them and instead went north for a combined attack on Colonia del Sacramento, which was being sieged on land by a 400 men detachment of Juan Antonio Lavalleja's army, commanded by Ramón Cáceres. Brown reached Colonia del Sacramento on the evening of 25 February 1826, anchoring his ships out of the reach of the town's fortress cannons, and sent an envoy with a request calling on for the Brazilian commander, brigadier Manuel Jorge Rodrigues, a veteran of the Peninsular War, to surrender.[4][11]

The request read:[11]

"On board the frigate 25 de Mayo, 25 February 1826.

The General in Chief of the squadron of the Argentine Republic, on behalf of his Government, orders the Governor of Colonia del Sacramento to deliver it with the maritime forces stationed in its port, within a peremptory period of 24 hours, warning its Governor, that in the affirmative case, all existing properties in the town will be respected, and neither the population nor the boats will be set on fire.

The undersigned expects that the Governor, out of humanity, and in order to avoid any bloodshed, will accede to this request, based on the superiority of its forces in the Río de la Plata.

For no other reason, greets the Governor with all consideration.

William Brown.

His excellency Mr. Governor of Colonia del Sacramento".

To which Rodrigues replied:[12]

"Colonia del Sacramento, 25 February 1826.

The Brigadier of the National and Imperial armies and Governor of this town, responds on his behalf and on behalf of the entire garrison that he has the honor to send to the request of the General in Chief of the Squadron of the Argentine Republic, that only the fate of the weapons decides the fate of the towns.

Greetings to Mr. General in Chief with all consideration.

Manuel Jorge Rodrigues.

His excellency Mr. General in Chief of the Squadron of the Argentine Republic".

Frigate captain Frederico Mariath, the commander of the Brazilian ships in Colonia del Sacramento, had convened a council to decide how the defence of the town should be carried out. Mariath suggested that his four ships be anchored under the protection of the Carmen bastion and the Santa Rita fort, with their sides facing the port, as to provide fire support. This proposal was accepted by Jorge Rodrigues. Eight of the ships' cannons were disembarked to form two batteries on land: one was placed at Tambor, in order to protect the ships and to prevent the Argentines from disembarking on the town's mole, and the other was placed between the bastions of São Pedro and São Miguel.[13]

Four hours after having sent his envoy and upon receiving the answer, admiral Brown ordered his men to begin the attack on Colonia del Sacramento.[12]

Order of battle

United Provinces
The schooner Sarandí
Ships[4][6] Type Guns
25 de Mayo Frigate 36
Congreso Barque 16
Republica Brig 16
Belgrano Brig 14
Balcarce Brig 14
Sarandí Schooner 7
Nº 1 Gunboat 1
Nº 4 Gunboat 1
Nº 6 Gunboat 1
Nº 7 Gunboat 1
Nº 8 Gunboat 1
Nº 12 Gunboat 1
Río de la Plata Pilot boat 1

Empire of Brazil
Ships[14] Type Guns
Real Pedro Brig 16
Pará Brigantine Unknown
Liberdade do Sul Schooner Unknown
Conceição Schooner Unknown

Battle

Initial attack

At dawn on February 26 the Brazilians were already in position for the upcoming attack: Frederico Mariath was with Manuel Jorge Rodrigues in Tambor; the batteries of Santa Rita and São Pedro were commanded by lieutenants Antônio Leocádio do Couto and José Inácio de Santa Rita, respectively; the then young lieutenant Joaquim José Inácio was aboard the Brazilian ships.[4]

The Argentine squadron began the approach from the southeast[lower-alpha 1], exchanging heavy fire with the São Pedro bastion on land for more than two hours, during which the brig Belgrano broke away from its formation after crossing the islet of San Gabriel, running aground on the islet's east bank, dangerously close to the enemy batteries, which focused their fire on it.[4][15] Despite the efforts to lift the Belgrano and the other vessels sent on its rescue, the ship was abandoned by its crew after a shot from Santa Rita killed its captain and put 17 of its men out of combat.[lower-alpha 2][4] At night admiral Brown signaled to stop the hostilities in order to gain some time and to send another envoy carrying a message to Jorge Rodrigues, in which Brown declared:[16]

"I believe that the time has come to fulfill the offer that I made yesterday to you the Governor. As such, I hope that you decide immediately on such a just intimation, because otherwise, you will suffer all the rigor that your tenacity deserves, whom may God protects for many years".

W. Brown.

26 February 1826.

Manuel Jorge Rodrigues was not intimidated by the ultimatum and promptly replied:[17][18][19]

"Tell the General in Chief, that what has been said has been said".

The hostilities resumed and continued on for the rest of the night. Admiral Brown, convinced his larger ships were inappropriate to invest against Colonia del Sacramento for fear they could run aground, decided to leave, sailing away from the Brazilian batteries and anchoring his ships between the Hornos islands in order to wait for the arrival of the reinforcement of 6 gunboats, which were small enough to carry out a landing on Colonia del Sacramento.[17][18]

That night, Mariath ordered the schooner Conceição to leave the port in order to set the Belgrano on fire, as he feared the high tide could make it float again. The schooner did not succeed in setting the Belgrano on fire, being chased by the Argentines, but still managed to escape and sail to Montevideo where it delivered news of the Argentine attack on Colonia del Sacramento to admiral Rodrigo Ferreira Lobo, commander of the Brazilian naval forces in the Río de la Plata.[17]

Second attack

On the night of 1 March 1826, admiral Brown once again attacked Colonia del Sacramento, this time in a coordinated effort with Juan Antonio Lavalleja.[17] A few days earlier, on 27 February 1826, Brown's fleet had been reinforced by the 6 gunboats he had requested and also a hospital ship: Pepa. Each gunboat had a crew of 30 men and was armed with a single cannon.[20] Brown's goal was to set all the Brazilian ships on fire, with the exception of the Real Pedro, which he planned to capture in order to replace the Belgrano. From February 28 to March 1, 200 of Brown's men were selected and armed to disembark on Colonia del Sacramento. The men were divided into groups and given incendiary bottles and grog.[21]

At 22:30 the 6 gunboats, together with two auxiliary boats, silently sailed towards the town. They were divided into two groups, departing from the sides of the frigate 25 de Mayo: one group from the right and one from the left, commanded by Tomás Espora and Leonardo Rosales respectively. At 23:45, however, the Brazilians noticed the Argentine approach towards the mole and opened fire from the batteries. The crew of the Brazilian ships, upon hearing the shots, also opened fire against the Argentines.[22] Espora and Rosales attacked them, but the remaining 4 gunboats were dragged close to the town's fort by the wind and the current, coming under fire by the bastions of Carmen and Tambor and also the Brazilians entrenched on the mole and its surroundings, which resulted in many casualties. The Argentines managed to board the brig Real Pedro and set it on fire, lighting up the night scene with a glare, but had to help the gunboats that ran aground near the mole, being subject to intense enemy fire. Jorge Rodrigues, knowing the control of the mole was crucial, personally marched on it commanding the Brazilians.[23]

Before dawn, the Argentines gave up the attack and withdrew, abandoning the gunboats 4, 6 and 7, which were captured by the Brazilians. The Argentines suffered dozens of casualties, with some 40 soldiers and officers killed and 80 wounded.[24] The attack cost the Brazilians 19 dead and 10 wounded and the loss of the Real Pedro, which was burned and destroyed.[5]

Aftermath

Admiral Rodrigo Ferreira Lobo was replaced by Rodrigo Pinto Guedes, who reached Montevideo on March 12, but only assumed command of the Brazilian fleet in the Río de la Plata on May 12. Ferreira Lobo had earned the distrust and anger of both the Brazilian sailors and the court in Rio de Janeiro for his excessive passiveness and lack of initiative in dealing with the Argentines.[7]

On March 14, two days, therefore, after the Brazilian command was replaced, admiral Brown, fearing that Pinto Guedes would be more aggressive, decided to abandon the attack on Colonia del Sacramento, sailing back to Buenos Aires that same day.[7]

Notes
  1. Argentine historian Angel Carranza claims the approach came from the east.[12]
  2. 7 were killed and the other 10 wounded, some of which died soon after.[16]

References

Citations
  1. Barroso 2019, p. 137: "Brown, escondido entre as ilhas de Hornos, bateu a plumagem rumo de Buenos Aires no dia 14, escapando à ação da esquadra imperial e, apesar do insucesso de seus planos, dum verdadeiro desastre, na opinião de Carranza e Baldrich, salvando quase todos os seus navios".
  2. Carranza 1916, p. 71: "A la verdad, los resultados no compensaron sacrificios tan lastimosos, y la catástrofe de la Colonia será por siempre en nuestros fastos navales, una página sombreada por el ciprés de la derrota, mas no por el crespón maldito de la ignominia pues que todos habían cumplido su deber hasta el heroísmo".
  3. Carranza 1916, p. 57.
  4. Carneiro 1946, p. 184.
  5. Donato 1987, p. 269.
  6. Carranza 1916, pp. 55–56, 61, 68.
  7. Carneiro 1946, p. 186.
  8. Carranza 1916, p. 70.
  9. Carranza 1916, p. 55.
  10. Carranza 1916, pp. 55–56.
  11. Carranza 1916, p. 56.
  12. Carranza 1916, p. 58.
  13. Carranza 1916, pp. 57–58.
  14. Carranza 1916, pp. 57, 62.
  15. Carranza 1916, pp. 58–59.
  16. Carranza 1916, p. 59.
  17. Carneiro 1946, p. 185.
  18. Carranza 1916, p. 60.
  19. Barroso 2019, p. 136.
  20. Carranza 1916, p. 60-61.
  21. Carranza 1916, p. 61.
  22. Carranza 1916, pp. 61–62.
  23. Carranza 1916, pp. 62–63.
  24. Carranza 1916, pp. 63–64.

Bibliography
  • Barroso, Gustavo (2019). História Militar do Brasil (PDF) (in Portuguese). Brasilia: Senado Federal. ISBN 978-85-7018-495-5.
  • Carneiro, David (1946). História da Guerra Cisplatina (PDF) (in Portuguese). São Paulo: Companhia Editora Nacional.
  • Carranza, Angel Justiniano (1916). Campañas navales de la Republica Argentina: Tomo IV (in Spanish). Buenos Aires.
  • Donato, Hernâni (1987). Dicionário das Batalhas Brasileiras (in Portuguese). São Paulo: Editora Ibrasa.
  • Garcia, Rodolfo (2012). Obras do Barão do Rio Branco VI: efemérides brasileiras (PDF) (in Portuguese). Brasília: Fundação Alexandre de Gusmão. ISBN 978-85-7631-357-1.
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