THE RIVER CAPIVARI—MY NEW CAMP—CANOE VOYAGES TO THE LAKE
DOS PATOS—STATE OF THE REPUBLICAN ARMY DECLINING—DEATH
OF MY BOSOM FRIEND, ROSETTI—RETREAT —DIFFICULTIES AND
SUFFERINGS—LOSSES—ANNA'S EXPOSURE —OUR INFANT—KINDNESS
OF THE SOLDIERS.
The river Capivari is formed by the confluence of the different outlets
of numerous lakes which garnish the northern border of the Province of
Rio Grande, between the sea-coast and the eastern side of the chain of
Espinasso. It received its name from the Capivari, a species of
amphibious animal, very common in the rivers of South America. We made
two canoes, and in them made several voyages to the western shore of
Lake Patos, transporting both men and provisions. These voyages we
performed from the Capivari and the Sangrador de Abreu, one of the
streams in that vicinity, which is an outlet of a pond, connecting it
with a lake.
In the meantime the situation of the Republican army grew worse and
worse. Every day their necessities became more pressing, while, at the
same time, the difficulty of satisfying them became greater. The two
battles of Taguare and Norte had destroyed the infantry, so that the
battalions had become mere skeletons. Prevailing wants produced
discontent, and that led to desertions. The inhabitants, as usually
happens in long wars, were wearied, and looked with indifference upon
the forces of the two parties. In such a state of things the
Imperialists made proposals for an arrangement which, although
advantageous, considering the circumstances of the Republicans, were not
acceptable and not accepted by the most generous portion of the enemy.
Their rejection much increased the discontent of the extreme and
disgusted party, and finally the abandonment of the siege, and the
retreat were decisive. The Canabarro division, of which the marine
formed a part, was to begin the movement, and climb the passes of the
Serra, occupied by General Labattue. Bento Gonzales, with the rest of
the army, was to march behind, covering the movements.
At that time died Rosetti, an irreparable loss to the army, and
especially to myself. Having been left with the Republican garrison of
Settembrina, which was to march last, he was surprised by the famous
Maringue; and that incomparable Italian perished fighting bravely.
Having fallen from his horse wounded, he was called on to surrender,—but
he sold his life dearly. There is not a spot of ground on earth in which
do not lie the bones of some generous Italian, for whose sake Italy
ought never to cease from the struggle until free herself. She will feel
the want of them in the day when she shall rise to drive the ravens from
the corpses which they devour.
The retreat was commenced in the worst season, among the broken ridges
of the mountain, in an almost unintermitted rain, and was the most
disagreeable and terrible which I had ever seen. We had supplied
ourselves with a few cows, which we brought with us, there being no
animals among the toilsome paths which we were to travel, made
impracticable by the rains. The numerous rivers were extremely swollen,
and much of the baggage was carried away by the torrents. The troops
marched in the rain, and without food; encamped without food in the
rain. Between one river and another, those who were appointed to keep
near the cows, had meat, but the others were in a terrible condition,
especially the poor infantry, for everything failed them except
horse-flesh. There were some dreadful scenes. Many women followed the
army, according to the custom of the country, and many children. But few
of the latter came out of the forest, and some were picked up by the
horsemen, one of whom, here and there, was fortunate enough to save his
horse, and with him a poor little creature, left by its dead or dying
mother, who had fallen a victim to hunger, fatigue, and cold.
Anna was much distressed by the apprehension of losing her little son,
Menotti, who was saved with difficulty, and as if by a miracle. In the
most difficult parts of the road, and in crossing rivers, I carried my
poor little child, then three months old, in a handkerchief tied round
my neck, contriving to keep him warm with my breath. Of about a dozen
animals—horses and mules—with which we entered the woods, some of them
used for the saddle and some for baggage, there remained only two horses
and two mules. The others had tired, and were abandoned. To crown our
misfortunes, the guides had mistaken the road; and that was one of the
reasons which induced us to cross the terrible woods of Las Antas. The
word "Anta" signifies a harmless animal, of the size of an ass, whose
flesh is exquisite, and whose hide serves for making many strong and
many ornamental articles. This animal, however, I never had the fortune
to see. Although the troops continued to proceed, they could not find
the end of the piccada; and I remained in the woods, with two tired
mules, and sent Anna, with her servant and the child, to endeavor to
find a clear place where they might obtain some food for themselves and
the animals. The two remaining horses, which were used alternately, with
the surprising courage of the mother, overcame every difficulty. She
succeeded in getting beyond the piccada, and fortunately found some of
the soldiers with a fire, a very rare thing, and then not always to be
obtained, on account of the continued rain, and the miserable condition
to which we were all reduced. The men warmed some cloths, took the
infant and wrapped him in them, and thus resuscitated him. The poor
mother who had given up almost every hope of his life, took him again
and cherished him with the tenderest care, while the good-hearted
soldiers went to seek for some kind of food to restore the exhausted
strength of the mother. I labored in vain to save the mules. Being left
alone with them, I cut as many as I could of the leaves of the baguara,
a species of cane, and gave them to eat; but it was of no use. I was
obliged to abandon them, and seek to get out of the forest on foot, and
exceedingly fatigued.
Nine days after entering it, the last of the division barely got through
the piccada, and only a very few of the horses of the officers were
saved. The enemy, who had preceded us in their flight, had left some
artillery in the forest of the Antas, which the pursuers were unable to
transport, for the want of means, and they were left buried in certain
caverns—who knows for how long? In that woody region the storms seemed
as if tired out; for, on getting into the open fields of the elevated
plain, called the Cima da Serra (or top of the ridge), the troops found
good weather. Some oxen, which were discovered there, afforded them a
welcome supply of food, and made some amends for the sufferings they had
passed through. They then entered the department of Vaccaria, in which
they remained several days, waiting for the division of Bento Gonzales,
which joined them much broken, and in a miserable state. The
indefatigable Maringue, informed of their retreat, had pursued that
division and harassed it in every way, aided by the mountaineers, who
were always decidedly hostile to the Republicans.
All these things gave Labattue as much time as was required for his
retreat and junction with the Imperial army. They arrived, however,
almost without men, in consequence of desertions occasioned by the
severe and forced march, and privations, and sufferings endured by the
other troops. Beside all these, he had an adventure, which deserves to
be mentioned here on account of its remarkable nature.
Labattue being obliged to pass in his march through the two forests
known by the names of the Mattos or woods of Portugues and Castellano,
met in them several tribes of the Bugre Indians, the most savage in
Brazil. These, knowing of the passage of the Imperialists, assailed
them, laying ambushes in different places in the bushes, and did them
much injury, letting us know, at the same time, that they were friends
of the Republicans. In accordance with this profession, my comrades and
I myself experienced no inconvenience from them on our march; but we saw
the _poge_, or holes, carefully covered with grass, into which the
incautious enemy might fall, when the savages would take advantage of
his misfortune and assault him. But all these were left open where the
Republicans were to pass, that we might not be exposed to the danger.
On one of those days I met a woman, who had been stolen by the savages
in her youth, and profited by the opportunity offered by the
neighborhood of the troops. The poor creature was in a most pitiable
state.
As we had no enemies to fly from or to pursue in those lofty regions, we
proceeded slowly on our march, almost entirely destitute of horses.
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