Hermenegildo de Albuquerque Portocarrero, Baron of Forte de Coimbra was a Brazilian Marshal and Baron. He was known for being the primary commander of the Invasion of Corumbá during the

Mato Grosso Campaign The Mato Grosso campaign was an early Paraguayan offensive in the Paraguayan War. Paraguay invaded the Brazilian province of Mato Grosso (now Mato Grosso do Sul). Paraguayan offensive Paraguay took the initiative during the first phase of th ...

of the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

Biography

Born in

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it List of Brazilian states by population, sev ...

, Hermenegildo was the son of Luís da Costa Ferreira and Ana Teodora Pita Portocarrero de Melo e Albuquerque. He began his military career, at the age of eighteen, on January 28, 1836. He was commander of at the beginning of the

. However the fort was surrounded by a force of 5,000 Paraguayan infantry, transported in ten ships by Colonel

Vicente Barrios Vicente Barrios Bedoya was a Paraguayan general and politician who was the son-in-law of President Carlos Antonio López. Under López and his successor, Marshal and President Francisco Solano López, Barrios held many positions throughout the ea ...

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay o ...

. Portocarrero was given an ultimatum to surrender but he refused, stating that he would fight to the last cartridge, despite the inferiority of men and weapons. The garrison of the fort of only 115 men, while in the entirety of the Province of Mato Grosso, there was less than 875. After two days and a night of incessant bombardment, and unable to face the enemy forces, the small garrison, protected by darkness, abandoned the fort and boarded the speedboat ''Amambaí'', which went to

Cuiabá Cuiabá () is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America. Also, it forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várzea Grande. The city ...

. Hermenegildo himself broke the news of the invasion of the fort on January 6, 1865, to the governor of the province . Portocarrero was promoted to lieutenant colonel and together with all available soldiers and the determination of the governor of the province, went to Colina do Melgaço, located on the left bank of the

Cuiabá River The Cuiabá River ( Portuguese: ''Rio Cuiabá'') is a Brazilian river in the western state of Mato Grosso that flows in the Río de la Plata Basin. It is a tributary of the São Lourenço River. Course In its upper reaches the Cuiabá River flow ...

, 165 kilometers from the capital, to avoid the arrival of Paraguayan ships to Cuiabá, which was successfully done. Portocarrero was then made a baron on July 13, 1889. He died at age 75, as a Marshal at

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

. He was the commander of the defunct Coast Artillery of the Brazilian Army. He was married to Ludovina Portocarrero (1825-1912), with whom he had fifteen children. Among his descendants, the actress Tônia Carrero was the most notable of them.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portocarrero, Hermenegildo 1818 births 1893 deaths Marshals of Brazil Brazilian military personnel of the Paraguayan War People from Recife Brazilian nobility