The Battle of Pirajá () was fought as part of the Independence of Bahia and more broadly, as part of the

War of Independence of Brazil The Brazilian War of Independence () was an armed conflict that led to the separation of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. The war was fought across various regions of Brazil, including Bahia, Maranhão, Pará ...

. It was fought in Pirajá, now a neighborhood of the city of Salvador,

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

on November 8, 1822. The Battle of Pirajá was the largest engagement in the fight for the independence of Bahia, involving approximately 10,000 troops.

Prelude

In command of the Portuguese forces in Bahia was Inácio Luís Madeira de Melo, who had been sent by Portugal to quell rumors of independence and political and administrative dissent. The French general Pierre Labatut, who had been appointed by the Prince Regent,

Pedro I of Brazil ''Don (honorific), Dom'' Pedro I (12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), known in Brazil and in Portugal as "the Liberator" () or "the Soldier King" () in Portugal, was the founder and List of monarchs of Brazil, first ruler of the Empire of ...

, on July 3, 1822, as commander of the Peacemaker Army, took command of the Brazilian forces against Madeira de Melo. Labatut established his headquarters at Engenho Novo, a sugarcane plantation in the Bahian Recôncavo in the interior of the state. Labatut placed Colonel Gomes Caldeira and his brigade in Itapoã, now a neighborhood in the east of the city of Salvador. Major (later colonel) José de Barros Falcão de Lacerda was placed in Pirajá, a neighborhood approximately north of the historic center of Salvador. There were also detachments in Engenho Cabrito, Coqueiro, Bate-Folha and other points. On the morning of the 8th, almost all the positions of Brazilians were attacked or threatened, either by land or by sea.

Battle

Tobias Monteiro, in his ''A elaboração da Independência'', records that a Major Barros Falcão, who led the Brazilian troops at one point, had ordered a retreat, but bugler Luis Lopes instead sounded the "cavalry, advance and behead". Such a move would have been impossible, since there was no Brazilian

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

in the battle, but the Portuguese panicked and retreated to the historic center of the city, giving the advantage to the Brazilian troops, who attacked with renewed enthusiasm and won the battle. In total, the battle lasted ten hours. Statistics on the number of casualties in the battle, however, vary greatly according to sources, both in Brazil and Portugal. Labatut recorded 200 dead on November 8, but 633 in a document of the following day. The newspaper ''O Espelho'' in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

recorded 375 dead and 221 wounded Portuguese. Other sources record 30, 64, 70, or 80 Portuguese deaths.

Outcome and aftermath

The battle was a decisive engagement between the Peacemaker Army and the Portuguese ''Legião Constitucional''. The Brazilian victory consolidated the political and military defeat of the Portuguese in

. Such factors would contribute to the independence of Bahia instigated on July 2, 1823, regarded by many researchers and commentators as a framework for the effective and practical

independence of Brazil The independence of Brazil comprised a series of political and military events that led to the independence of the Kingdom of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves as the Empire of Brazil, Brazilian Empire. It is c ...

. The battle formed a central element of the celebration of Dois de Julho, or 2nd of July, a commemoration of the independence of the Bahia.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Piraja Piraja Piraja Conflicts in 1822 1822 in Brazil History of Bahia Battles of the Brazilian War of Independence