João Niederauer Sobrinho (1827-1868) was a German-Brazilian Colonel of the

Platine War The Platine War (, ; 18 August 1851 – 3 February 1852) was fought between the Argentine Confederation and an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil, Uruguay, and the Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos Province, Entre Ríos and Corrie ...

and 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 wa ...

. He was notable for his service in the

Pikysyry campaign The Pikysyry campaign was the Paraguayan War's fourth phase. It lasted from August 1868 to January 1869, and was a comprehensive Treaty of the Triple Alliance, allied victory. After success in the Mato Grosso campaign and failure in the Corriente ...

, having a previous origin as a notable citizen from

Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul Santa Maria is a municipality (''município'') in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. In 2020, its population was 283,677 inhabitants in a total area of . Santa Maria is the 5th biggest municipality in the ...

. Commanding the Cavalry Brigade of the II Corps, he died of wounds during the

Battle of Avay The Battle of Avay of 11 December 1868 was one of the last major combat engagements of the Paraguayan War, fought near the Avay stream in Paraguayan territory between the forces the Triple Alliance and the Paraguayan Army. Background The bat ...

and died two days after the battle.

Early life

Niederauer was born on April 4, 1827, as the son of German immigrants Philipp Leonard Niederauer and Catharina Diehl Niederauer in the German-Brazilian community of Três Forquilhas (modern-day Itati). He was baptized on April 14, 1827, by Pastor , having as godfather his homonymous uncle João Niederauer, at the time installed with a commercial house next to Baluarte Ipiranga, in Vila de Torres. Due to the rising tensions that would eventually lead to the

Ragamuffin War The Ragamuffin War, also known as the Ragamuffin Revolution or Heroic Decade, was a republican uprising that began in southern Brazil, in the province (current state) of Rio Grande do Sul in 1835. The rebels were led by Generals Bento Gonçalv ...

, the entire Niederauer family moved to

São Leopoldo São Leopoldo () (Portuguese for ''Saint Leopold'') is a Brazilian industrial city located in the south state of Rio Grande do Sul. Geography It occupies a total area of 103.9 km2 (around 80 km2 urban area) at ''circa'' 30 km fr ...

and to Santa Maria around 1840, allowing Niederauer to receive an excellent school education. There he started to work in his father's tannery and saddlery until he traveled to São Borja on business but he then returned in 1847. In 1849, Niderauer enlisted in the National Guard of Santa Maria and on January 9, 1850, he was promoted to Lieutenant and integrated into the 12th Squadron of the Cavalry Corps in Santa Maria. From then on, he started to work with his uncle and godfather João Niederauer, whose daughter, Maria Catharina, would later get married with Niederauer Sobrinho on September 21, 1852. They would later had six children: Delfina, João, Gabriela, José Gabriel, Afonso and Adelaide. The commercial house where he worked was located on the modern-day Rua Venâncio Aires.

Military career

In 1851, war broke out against

Manuel Oribe Manuel Ceferino Oribe y Viana (August 26, 1792 – November 12, 1857) was the 2nd Constitutional president of Uruguay and founder of Uruguay's National Party, the oldest Uruguayan political party and considered one of the two Uruguayan "tr ...

and

Juan Manuel de Rosas Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rozas y López de Osornio (30 March 1793 – 14 March 1877), nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was an Argentine politician and army officer who ruled Buenos Aires Province and briefly the Argentine Confedera ...

, the Argentine caudillos who challenged Brazilian interests in the Platine region. João Niederauer at the age of 23, volunteered and was appointed Lieutenant of the 1st Cavalry Corps of the National Guard of the District of Santa Maria. Upon returning from the campaign, he was awarded the silver medal with a green ribbon for outstanding services and was soon promoted to captain. His stay at home was short-lived and as early as March 1854, just 3 months after the birth of his firstborn, Delfina, Captain Niederauer was called to join his Squadron of the Santa Mariense National Guard which was part of the Imperial Auxiliary Division. The squadron was sent to Uruguay at the request of the Government to pacify the internal struggles. Upon returning to Santa Maria in 1855, he was already one of the most influential citizens of his community, which at that time was striving for the political emancipation of Cachoeira do Sul. He returned to active service in 1857 and 1858 within the 4th Cavalry Corps of the National Guard which was part of the Observation Army in the

Ibicuí River The Ibicuí River ( Portuguese, Rio Ibicuí) () is a river in Rio Grande do Sul state of southern Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and de ...

, in charge of guarding the borders with the countries of the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...

, then in constant political-military turmoil. Probably for this reason, he ceased to participate in the City Council that installed the new Vila de Santa Maria da Boca do Monte on May 17, 1858. On May 30, 1860, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the 41st Cavalry Corps of the National Guard, based in Santa Maria. On September 7 of the same year, he was elected to the 2nd Chamber of Councilors of Santa Maria with the third highest number of votes, for a term of 4 years. During his term, he held for long periods the position of President of the Chamber, who at the time was also the Chief of the Municipal Executive Branch. In the following elections on September 7, 1864, he was the most voted councilor but stopped taking office due to the outbreak of the

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

and Niederauer was called for active service again. He left his home, his family and his adopted land for the last time. Maria Catharina was pregnant with their last child, Adelaide, whom he would never get to know. In the Campaign against Aguirre, Niederauer commanded the 7th Provisional Cavalry Corps, formed by volunteers from Santa Maria. On January 2, 1865, the regiment participated in the

Siege of Paysandú The siege of Paysandú began on 3 December 1864, during the Uruguayan War, when Brazilian forces (under the Marquis of Tamandaré) and Colorado forces (under Venancio Flores) attempted to capture the city of Paysandú in Uruguay from its Uru ...

and the siege of Montevideo, which capitulated on February 21 of the same year.

Paraguayan War

The hopes of Niederauer's brave cavalrymen of returning home were frustrated, as a new and bloodier war was being drawn in the swamps of Paraguay.

Capture of the steamer Marquês de Olinda The capture of the steamer ''Marquês de Olinda'' was a Paraguayan naval action carried out on 12 November 1864, in Potrero-Poña, on the Paraguay River, which consisted of the capture of the Brazilian merchant ship and all on board. Paraguayan ...

and the invasion of the Brazilian province of

Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...

and the Argentine province of

Corrientes Corrientes (; Guaraní: Taragui, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from Buenos Aires and from Posadas, on National Route 12. It has ...

by Paraguayan forces gave rise to the

Treaty of the Triple Alliance The Treaty of the Triple Alliance was a treaty that allied the Empire of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay against Paraguay. Signed in 1865, after the outbreak of the Paraguayan War, its articles (plus a Protocol) prescribed the allies' actions bo ...

and the consequent declaration of war on Paraguay. On May 18, 1866, he was promoted to Colonel and appointed Superior Commander of the National Guard of

Santa Maria da Boca do Monte Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christma ...

and São Martinho, replacing Colonel José Alves Valença, who was killed at Corrientes. During the war, he commanded the 3rd Cavalry Brigade and the 2nd Cavalry Division. In this campaign, he enriched Brazilian Military History with pages of heroism and bravery. In addition to the recognition and admiration of his superiors, by whom he was often officially praised, and the esteem and respect of his subordinates, who almost deified him, Niederauer was awarded the

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

, for bravery in the battlefield, after the

Battle of Tuyutí The Battle of Tuyutí (Tuiuti in Portuguese) was a Paraguayan offensive in the Paraguayan War targeting the Triple Alliance encampment of Tuyutí. It is considered to be the bloodiest battle ever in South America. The result of the battle was ...

and the

Order of the Southern Cross The National Order of the Southern Cross () is a Brazilian Orders, decorations, and medals of Brazil, order of chivalry founded by List of monarchs of Brazil, Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, Pedro I on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate ...

, also for bravery on April 2, 1868. After participating in 14 engagements and 2 battles at the head of his cavalrymen from Santa Maria, Colonel Niederauer was mortally wounded by a spear when coordinating the collection of the dead and wounded after the

on December 11, 1868. He would die two days later in the Hospital of Villeta and was buried nearby. His remains weren't identified for a long time until they were recovered by his great-great-grandson, Juan Farinolli Niederauer and they were repatriated at his home state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Legacy

Niederauer was the subject of numerous honors in his adopted city. Considered to be the most notable military hero in Santa Maria, a monument was erected to him in the city center in 1922 during the Centenary of Independence of Brazil. In addition, one of the most important streets leading to the city center from the west was named after him. The Brazilian Army honored him on the centenary of his death in 1968, naming the Vila Militar on Avenida Borges de Medeiros after him and in 1992, enshrining him as the Patron of the 6th Armored Infantry Brigade whose headquarters, as well as 11 of its 14 military organizations, are in Santa Maria. The two columns of the loft, which decorate the graduation patio of the Headquarters of the 6th Armored Infantry Brigade, symbolize the bases of the military profession which Niederauer was described as having hierarchy and discipline. On top of them, the capital represents the sacrifice of life itself.

Early life

Military career

Paraguayan War

Legacy

References

Further reading