João Manuel Mena Barreto was a Brazilian Brigadier throughout the

Uruguayan War The Uruguayan War (10 August 1864 – 20 February 1865) was fought between Uruguay's governing Blanco Party and an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil and the Uruguayan Colorado Party, covertly supported by Argentina. Since its i ...

and

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 ...

. He was known for his service at the

Battle of São Borja The battle of São Borja was fought on 10 June 1865 at the beginning of the Paraguayan invasion of Rio Grande do Sul during the Paraguayan War. Battle Even after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Riachuelo, the Paraguayan soldiers cont ...

, rescuing the civilian populace from the Paraguayan forces before getting killed at the

Battle of Piribebuy The Battle of Piribebuy was fought on 12 August 1869 in the Paraguayan town of Piribebuy, which was then serving as a temporary capital of the Paraguayan government. The Paraguayan defenders, who were poorly armed and included children, fought t ...

Biography

He was the legitimate son of and Maria Joaquina de Almeida. He married Maria Balbina Palmeiro da Fontoura, on August 27, 1849. He participated in the

, being promoted to colonel, by merit, on February 18, 1865 after the

Siege of Paysandú The siege of Paysandú began on 3 December 1864, Uruguayan_War#Colorado.E2.80.93Brazil_joint_offensive, during the Uruguayan War, when Brazilian forces (under the Marquis of Tamandaré) and Colorado forces (under Venancio Flores) attempted to cap ...

. He was then to Paraguay in the first half of 1865 as the commander of the 1st Battalion of Volunteers for the Homeland, as he was informed of the invasion of Rio Grande do Sul near São Borja. The Paraguayans' decision to only take

São Borja São Borja is a city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. São Borja is the oldest municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and was founded in 1682 by the Jesuits as the first of the Seven Points of the Missions, and named ...

after crossing the river with only five thousand men and was caused by the impression that the soldiers were a vanguard of the

Imperial Brazilian Army The Imperial Brazilian Army (Portuguese: Exército Imperial Brasileiro) was the name given to the land force of the Empire of Brazil. The Brazilian Army was formed after the independence of the country from Portugal in 1822 and reformed in 1889, a ...

. Colonel João Manuel took advantage of this to effect, at night, the strategic withdrawal of all the families from São Borja and was praised for this. He later took part in the

Siege of Uruguaiana The siege of Uruguaiana was an engagement in the Paraguayan War that began in late August 1865, and ended on 18 September that year when the Paraguayans were forced to surrender due to low food supplies. Paraguayan forces surrendered in spite ...

, shortly after taking command of a brigade stationed at São Gabriel. He was later called to court, where he commanded the 1st Guard Regiment. He did not stay long as he wished to return to combat and was promoted to Brigadier in 1867. In November and December of the same year he excelled in combat, later fighting in battles of the Avay and Lomas Valentinas. He was then transferred to command of the 1st Cavalry Division but he was wounded by a bullet in the battle that conquered the , dying on August 12, 1869. His death infuriated the

Count of Eu Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, who ordered the beheading of Colonel Pablo Caballero and the political chief of the village, Patrício Marecos, demonstrating the influence of the Menna Barreto in southern Brazil.DORATIOTO, Francisco. ''Maldita Guerra''. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2002.

Awards

*Medal of the Oriental State Campaign (1851 - 1852) * Order of Christ, knight (1858) * Order of São Bento de Aviz, knight (1860) *, knight (1860) *Order of the Cruzeiro, officer ( 1865 ) *

Order of the Rose The Imperial Order of the Rose ( pt, Imperial Ordem da Rosa) was a Brazilian order of chivalry, instituted by Emperor Pedro I of Brazil on 17 October 1829 to commemorate his marriage to Amélie of Leuchtenberg. On 22 March 1890, the order was can ...

( 1869 )

Foreign Awards

Medalha de Mérito Militar The Medalha de Mérito Militar (Medal of Military Merit), is a Portuguese military medal created on 28 May 1946. This medal is an award to individuals with exceptional military qualities and virtues. The '' 'Military Merit Medal' '' may also be awa ...

References

Bibliography

* MENNA BARRETO, João de Deus Noronha. ''Os Menna Barreto''. Seis Gerações de Soldados. Rio de Janeiro: Laemmert, 1950. * MENNA BARRETO,Oswaldo Bittencourt. ''Família Menna Barreto 200 Anos''. Santa Maria: Cedigraf, 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barreto, João Manuel Mena 1824 births 1869 deaths Marshals of Brazil Brazilian military personnel of the Paraguayan War Brazilian military personnel killed in action People from Porto Alegre