Manuel Marques de Sousa, Count of Porto Alegre (13 June 1804 – 18 July 1875), nicknamed "the Gloved Centaur", was a Brazilian army officer, politician and abolitionist. Born into a wealthy family of military background, Manuel Marques de Sousa joined the Portuguese Army in Brazil in 1817 when he was a child. His military initiation occurred in the conquest of the Banda Oriental (Eastern Bank), which was annexed and became the southernmost Brazilian province of Cisplatina in 1821. For most of the 1820s, he was embroiled in the Brazilian effort to keep Cisplatina as part of its territory: first during the struggle for Brazilian independence and then in the Cisplatine War. It would ultimately prove a futile attempt, as Cisplatina successfully separated from Brazil to become the independent nation of Uruguay in 1828.

A few years later, in 1835 his native province of Rio Grande do Sul was engulfed in a secessionist rebellion, the Ragamuffin War. The conflict lasted for almost ten years, and the Count was leading military engagements for most of that time. He played a decisive role in saving the provincial capital from the Ragamuffin rebels, allowing forces loyal to the legitimate government to secure a key foothold. In 1852, he led a Brazilian division during the Platine War in an invasion of the Argentine Confederation that overthrew its dictator. He was awarded a noble title, eventually raised from baron to viscount and finally to count.

In the postwar years, Porto Alegre turned his attention to politics, retiring from his military career as a lieutenant general, the second-highest rank in the Imperial Army. He was an affiliate of the Liberal Party at the national level and was elected to the legislature of Rio Grande do Sul. He also founded a provincial party, the Progressive-Liberal Party—a coalition of Liberals like him and some members of the Conservative Party. Porto Alegre later entered the lower house of the Brazilian parliament and was briefly Minister of War. When the Paraguayan War erupted in 1864, he returned to active duty. One of the main Brazilian commanders during the conflict, his participation was marked by important battlefield victories, as well as constant quarrels with his Argentine and Uruguayan allies.

Upon his return from the war, Porto Alegre resumed his political career. He became an active advocate for the abolition of slavery and a patron in the fields of literature and science. His death came on 18 July 1875 while again serving in Parliament. He was highly esteemed until the downfall of the monarchy in 1889. Regarded as too closely associated with the fallen regime, Porto Alegre slipped into obscurity. His reputation was eventually rehabilitated to a certain degree by historians, some of whom consider him to be among Brazil's greatest military figures.

Early years Birth and background Manuel Marques de Sousa was born on 13 June 1804 (sometimes erroneously given as 1805) in Rio Grande. The town was located in Rio Grande do Sul, a southern captaincy (later province) of Brazil, then part of the Portuguese Colonial Empire. His parents were Manuel Marques de Sousa and Senhorinha Inácia da Silveira. He had four younger siblings: two sisters and two brothers. An archetypal leading family of Rio Grande do Sul, Marques de Sousa's Portuguese-descended family was wealthy and influential, owning ranches and huge cattle herds. His father and his paternal grandfather, both also named Manuel Marques de Sousa, were seasoned soldiers who took part in the colonial wars. His grandfather, the elder Marques de Sousa, was the wealthiest person in Rio Grande do Sul.

Thinly populated, far from the colonial capital of Rio de Janeiro (which exercised little actual control), Rio Grande do Sul was often the target of invasions from its neighboring Hispanic-American colony, the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (later Argentina). Because the captaincy had to be self-sufficient, the inhabitants of Rio Grande do Sul led lives as merchants, farmers or ranchers, while often also serving as soldiers or militiamen. Owners of large landholdings such as Marques de Sousa's father and grandfather provided food, equipment and protection for themselves and families living in areas under their control. Their private defense forces consisted primarily of laborers who were drafted as soldiers. Marques de Sousa grew up in that hostile environment, and from a very young age he listened to war stories recounting the exploits of his relatives against Hispanic-American invaders.

Conquest of the Banda Oriental

In 1808, the Portuguese Royal Family arrived in Brazil, settling in Rio de Janeiro. The Hispanic-American colonies became easy prey, as they were engulfed in turmoil and beset by wars of independence against Spain. In 1811 Prince Regent Dom João (later King Dom João VI) ordered the invasion of the Banda Oriental (Eastern Bank), which bordered Rio Grande do Sul. João's attempt at conquering the entire region met with failure. He launched another invasion a few years later, in 1816, who counted among their ranks Marques de Sousa's father and paternal grandfather. In 1817, around age 13, he asked his grandfather to allow him to fight in the war. The elder Marques de Sousa agreed, and the youngster learned guerrilla hit-and-run tactics on horseback near the border town of Jaguarão.

Months later, on 20 January 1818, Marques de Sousa was enlisted into the army as a cadet in the 1st Regiment of Light Cavalry in the Division of Royal Volunteers. The regiment had been deployed to Montevideo, the largest town in the Banda Oriental.See: , , . He fought in the Battle of Pando on 30 March and in the Battle of Manga near Montevideo on 1 April.See: , , . Successful in both battles, on 24 June he was promoted to alferes (equivalent to a modern-day second lieutenant) and named adjutant to the commander-in-chief, Lieutenant General Carlos Frederico Lecor (then Baron and later Viscount of Laguna).

Years later as an elderly man near the end of his life, Marques de Sousa would fondly recall his advancement: "Never in my life had I judged myself so great, nor experienced such ineffable rejoicing ... as in the day I placed my fists into the cuffs of alferes. I walked through all the streets of the city, looking at myself, conceited, believing that everyone looking with admiration envied my luck, that all enamored ladies vied for my hand." For the remainder of the conflict he was stationed in the defense of Montevideo. The conquest of the Banda Oriental was ended in July 1821, when Portugal declared it a province of Brazil with the name of Cisplatina.See: , , .

Wars for Cisplatina

News arrived in Montevideo in late 1822 that Prince Dom Pedro, son and heir of King João VI, had declared the independence of Brazil on 7 September and had been acclaimed emperor as Dom Pedro I on 12 October. Marques de Sousa was dispatched to Rio de Janeiro by the Baron of Laguna to pledge loyalty to the Emperor on behalf of the army in the south. The young alferes was an apt choice for the task; he was well connected in the imperial capital (his uncle, married to a paternal aunt, was Minister of War), cultured, and well educated. Marques de Sousa was a handsome man of average height with dark, curly hair and brown eyes. Fastidious about his appearance, he always took care to dress well, even during battles, and contemporaries made note of his trimmed and clean nails. He was also merry and gallant, with a "pleasant and well-tuned voice in conversation, ample and resounding in command".

Brazilian independence did not meet with unanimous approval in the south. Part of the army, led by Dom Álvaro de Macedo (later Count of Ilha da Madeira), entrenched itself in Montevideo and remained loyal to Portugal. The town was besieged by forces under Laguna. Following his return from the imperial capital, Marques de Sousa served under his father's command, taking part in the siege and later fighting in the successful Battle of Las Piedras on 18 May 1823. In early 1824, Macedo and his men surrendered. The end of the Brazilian War of Independence came at a cost for Marques de Sousa. His father was mysteriously murdered with poison in Montevideo on 21 November 1824, leaving him the head of his family at age 20, as his paternal grandfather had died (of old age) on 22 April 1822. He was promoted to lieutenant (modern-day first lieutenant) on 1 December 1824 for his acts of bravery during the war.

A few months after his promotion, in April 1825, secessionists in Cisplatina rebelled. The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata attempted to annex the province, and in retaliation Brazil declared war, triggering the Cisplatine War. Although Marques de Sousa was living in Rio de Janeiro and enrolled in the Military Academy, he was ordered to return to Montevideo. He was soon named adjutant to Brigadier Sebastião Barreto Pereira Pinto, commander of the 1st Division, which was defending Rio Grande do Sul. Marques de Sousa fought in the unsuccessful Battle of Ituzaingó (known to Brazilians as the Battle of the Passo do Rosário) on 20 February 1827. For his acts of bravery during the ill-fated battle, he was promoted on 20 March to captain, and, on 16 August, he was assigned as adjutant to the now Viscount of Laguna, commander-in-chief of Brazilian land forces in the conflict. Marques de Sousa subsequently fought in the Battle of Camaquã on 28 April and participated in other, smaller skirmishes.

Ragamuffin rebellion

Secessionist threat

By 1828, Brazil could no longer sustain the war effort in the south and in April relinquished Cisplatina, which became the independent nation of Uruguay. Marques de Sousa was sent to Montevideo to serve under field marshal (present-day divisional general) Manuel Jorge Rodrigues, who commanded a Brazilian force temporarily stationed in the new country. On 29 March 1829, Marques de Sousa was made brevet (acting) major, and, on 28 August 1830, he was placed in command of the 6th company of 4th Regiment of Light Cavalry. Stationed in Rio Grande do Sul, the unit had previously been commanded by his father and his paternal grandfather.

The peaceful lull following the Cisplatine conflict did not last long. On 20 September 1835, a civil war erupted in Rio Grande do Sul. The revolt, known as the Ragamuffin War, began after the provincial president (governor) was removed from office in a coup d'état. Despite the nickname, the Ragamuffin rebels were landlords, like Marques de Sousa, who after losing elections tried to take power by force. Marques de Sousa was among the army officers in the province who remained loyal to the deposed president. He fought in the Battle of Arroio Grande on 14 October 1835, in which rebel troops were defeated. But the forces loyal to the legitimate government were heavily outnumbered. Marques de Sousa and the deposed president departed for Rio de Janeiro to request aid, but the central government was unable to render much assistance, as rebellions and riots had broken out all over the country. With the infantry's 1st Battalion of Caçadores (Sharpshooters) placed under his command, Marques de Sousa embarked on 8 March 1836 for Pelotas, in southeastern Rio Grande do Sul, after being named its military commander.