Manuel Marques de Sousa , Count of Porto Alegre Manuel Marques de Sousa , Count of Porto Alegre ( 13 June 1804 – 18 July 1875 ) , nicknamed " the Gloved Centaur " , was an army officer , politician , abolitionist and monarchist of the Empire of Brazil . Born into a wealthy family of military background , Porto Alegre joined the army in 1817 when he was little more than a child . His military initiation occurred in the conquest of the Banda Oriental ( Eastern Bank ) , which was annexed and became the southernmost Brazilian province of Cisplatina in 1821 . For most of the 1820s , he was embroiled in the Brazilian effort to keep Cisplatina as part of its territory : first during the struggle for Brazilian independence and then in the Cisplatine War . It would ultimately prove a futile attempt , as Cisplatina successfully separated from Brazil to become the independent nation of Uruguay in 1828 . A few years later , in 1835 , his native province of Rio Grande do Sul was engulfed in a secessionist rebellion , the Ragamuffin War . The conflict lasted for almost ten years , and the Count was leading military engagements for most of that time . He played a decisive role in saving the provincial capital from the Ragamuffin rebels , allowing forces loyal to the legitimate government to secure a key foothold . In 1852 , he led a Brazilian division during the Platine War in an invasion of the Argentine Confederation that overthrew its dictator . He was awarded a noble title , eventually raised from baron to viscount and finally to count . In the postwar years , Porto Alegre turned his attention to politics , retiring from his military career as a lieutenant general , the second - highest rank in the Imperial army . He was an affiliate of the Liberal Party at the national level and was elected to the legislature of Rio Grande do Sul . He also founded a provincial party , the Progressive - Liberal Party — a coalition of Liberals like him and some members of the Conservative Party . Porto Alegre later entered the lower house of the Brazilian parliament and was briefly Minister of War . When the Paraguayan War erupted in 1864 , he returned to active duty . One of the main Brazilian commanders during the conflict , his participation was marked by important battlefield victories , as well as constant quarrels with his Argentine and Uruguayan allies . Upon his return from the war , Porto Alegre resumed his political career . He became an active advocate for the abolition of slavery and a patron in the fields of literature and science . His death came on 18 July 1875 while again serving in Parliament . He was highly esteemed until the downfall of the monarchy in 1889 . Regarded as too closely associated with the fallen regime , Porto Alegre slipped into obscurity . His reputation was eventually rehabilitated to a certain degree by historians , some of whom consider him to be among Brazil ' s greatest military figures . Early years . Birth and background . Manuel Marques de Sousa was born on 13 June 1804 ( sometimes erroneously given as 1805 ) in Rio Grande . The town was located in Rio Grande do Sul , a southern captaincy ( later province ) of Brazil , then part of the Portuguese Colonial Empire . His parents were Manuel Marques de Sousa and Senhorinha Inácia da Silveira . He had four younger siblings : two sisters and two brothers . An archetypal leading family of Rio Grande do Sul , Marques de Sousa ' s Portuguese - descended family was wealthy and influential , owning ranches and huge cattle herds . His father and his paternal grandfather , both also named Manuel Marques de Sousa , were seasoned soldiers who took part in the colonial wars . His grandfather , the elder Marques de Sousa , was the wealthiest person in Rio Grande do Sul . Thinly populated , far from the colonial capital of Rio de Janeiro ( which exercised little actual control ) , Rio Grande do Sul was often the target of invasions from its neighboring Hispanic - American colony , the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata ( later Argentina ) . Because the captaincy had to be self - sufficient , the inhabitants of Rio Grande do Sul led lives as merchants , farmers or ranchers , while often also serving as soldiers or militiamen . Owners of large landholdings such as Marques de Sousa ' s father and grandfather provided food , equipment and protection for themselves and for families living in areas under their control . Their private defense forces consisted primarily of laborers who were drafted as soldiers . Marques de Sousa grew up in that hostile environment , and from a very young age he listened to war stories recounting the exploits of his relatives against Hispanic - American invaders . Conquest of the Banda Oriental . In 1808 , the Portuguese Royal Family arrived in Brazil , settling in Rio de Janeiro . The Hispanic - American colonies became easy prey , as they were engulfed in turmoil and beset by wars of independence against Spain . In 1811 Prince Regent Dom João ( later King Dom João VI ) ordered the invasion of the Banda Oriental ( Eastern Bank ) , which bordered Rio Grande do Sul . João ' s attempt at conquering the entire region met with failure . He launched another invasion a few years later , in 1816 , who counted among their ranks Marques de Sousa ' s father and paternal grandfather . In 1817 , around age 13 , he asked his grandfather to allow him to fight in the war . The elder Marques de Sousa agreed , and the youngster learned guerrilla hit - and - run tactics on horseback near the border town of Jaguarão . Months later , on 20 January 1818 , Marques de Sousa was enlisted into the army as a cadet in the 1st Regiment of Light Cavalry in the Division of Royal Volunteers . The regiment had been deployed to Montevideo , the largest town in the Banda Oriental . He fought in the Battle of Pando on 30 March and in the Battle of Manga near Montevideo on 1 April . Successful in both battles , on 24 June he was promoted to " alferes " ( equivalent to a modern - day second lieutenant ) and named adjutant to the commander - in - chief , Lieutenant General Carlos Frederico Lecor ( then Baron and later Viscount of Laguna ) . Years later as an elderly man near the end of his life , Marques de Sousa would fondly recall his advancement : " Never in my life had I judged myself so great , nor experienced such ineffable rejoicing . . . as in the day I placed my fists into the cuffs of " alferes " . I walked through all the streets of the city , looking at myself , conceited , believing that everyone looking with admiration envied my luck , that all enamored ladies vied for my hand . " For the remainder of the conflict he was stationed in the defense of Montevideo . The conquest of the Banda Oriental was ended in July 1821 , when Portugal declared it a province of Brazil with the name of Cisplatina . Wars for Cisplatina . News arrived in Montevideo in late 1822 that Prince Dom Pedro , son and heir of King João VI , had declared the independence of Brazil on 7 September and had been acclaimed emperor as Dom Pedro I on 12 October . Marques de Sousa was dispatched to Rio de Janeiro by the Baron of Laguna to pledge loyalty to the Emperor on behalf of the army in the south . The young " alferes " was an apt choice for the task ; he was well connected in the imperial capital ( his uncle , married to a paternal aunt , was Minister of War ) , cultured , and well educated . Marques de Sousa was a handsome man of average height with dark , curly hair and brown eyes . Fastidious about his appearance , he always took care to dress well , even during battles , and contemporaries made note of his trimmed and clean nails . He was also merry and gallant , with a " pleasant and well - tuned voice in conversation , ample and resounding in command " . Brazilian independence did not meet with unanimous approval in the south . Part of the army , led by Dom Álvaro de Macedo ( later Count of Ilha da Madeira ) , entrenched itself in Montevideo and remained loyal to Portugal . The town was besieged by forces under Laguna . Following his return from the imperial capital , Marques de Sousa served under his father ' s command , taking part in the siege and later fighting in the successful Battle of Las Piedras on 18 May 1823 . In early 1824 , Macedo and his men surrendered . The end of the Brazilian War of Independence came at a cost for Marques de Sousa . His father was mysteriously murdered with poison in Montevideo on 21 November 1824 , leaving him the head of his family at age 20 , as his paternal grandfather had died ( of old age ) on 22 April 1822 . He was promoted to lieutenant ( modern - day first lieutenant ) on 1 December 1824 for his acts of bravery during the war . A few months after his promotion , in April 1825 , secessionists in Cisplatina rebelled . The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata attempted to annex the province , and in retaliation Brazil declared war , triggering the Cisplatine War . Although Marques de Sousa was living in Rio de Janeiro and enrolled in the Military Academy , he was ordered to return to Montevideo . He was soon named adjutant to Brigadier Sebastião Barreto Pereira Pinto , commander of the 1st Division , which was defending Rio Grande do Sul . Marques de Sousa fought in the unsuccessful Battle of Ituzaingó ( known to Brazilians as the Battle of the Passo do Rosário ) on 20 February 1827 . For his acts of bravery during the ill - fated battle , he was promoted on 20 March to captain , and , on 16 August , he was assigned as adjutant to the now Viscount of Laguna , commander - in - chief of Brazilian land forces in the conflict . Marques de Sousa subsequently fought in the Battle of Camaquã on 28 April and participated in other , smaller skirmishes . Ragamuffin rebellion . Secessionist threat . By 1828 , Brazil could no longer sustain the war effort in the south and in April relinquished Cisplatina , which became the independent nation of Uruguay . Marques de Sousa was sent to Montevideo to serve under field marshal ( present - day divisional general ) Manuel Jorge Rodrigues , who commanded a Brazilian force temporarily stationed in the new country . On 29 March 1829 , Marques de Sousa was made brevet ( acting ) major , and , on 28 August 1830 , he was placed in command of the 6th company of 4th Regiment of Light Cavalry . Stationed in Rio Grande do Sul , the unit had previously been commanded by his father and his paternal grandfather . The peaceful lull following the Cisplatine conflict did not last long . On 20 September 1835 , a civil war erupted in Rio Grande do Sul . The revolt , known as the Ragamuffin War , began after the provincial president ( governor ) was removed from office in a coup d ' état . Despite the nickname , the Ragamuffin rebels were landlords , like Marques de Sousa , who after losing elections tried to take power by force . Marques de Sousa was among the army officers in the province who remained loyal to the deposed president . He fought in the Battle of Arroio Grande on 14 October 1835 , in which rebel troops were defeated . But the forces loyal to the legitimate government were heavily outnumbered . Marques de Sousa and the deposed president departed for Rio de Janeiro to request aid , but the central government was unable to render much assistance , as rebellions and riots had broken out all over the country . With the infantry ' s 1st Battalion of " Caçadores " ( Sharpshooters ) placed under his command , Marques de Sousa embarked on 8 March 1836 for Pelotas , in southeastern Rio Grande do Sul , after being named its military commander . Pelotas was besieged and conquered by the Ragamuffins on 7 April 1836 . Marques de Sousa was taken prisoner and removed to Porto Alegre , capital of Rio Grande do Sul , which had been under rebel control since the beginning of the conflict . He was held in a " presiganga " ( prison ship ) . During his imprisonment , with the aid of the people of Porto Alegre , he managed to convince some of the rebel soldiers to switch sides , taking control of the entire town during the early hours of 15 June and arresting the remaining Ragamuffins . He repulsed rebel land and sea assaults against Porto Alegre on 18 June , 30 June , 15 July and 20 July ; thereafter , the town remained in the hands of the legitimate government until the end of the conflict . The central government in Rio de Janeiro promoted Marques de Sousa to permanent major on 18 February 1837 in recognition of his vital role . The balance of power tipped against the Ragamuffins only a few months after the declaration of Rio Grande do Sul ' s independence on 11 September 1836 . The Ragamuffins , although emboldened by their initial successes , never managed to gain control of the entire province . Province pacification . The long , strenuous walk from Pelotas to Porto Alegre and the hardships endured in the " presiganga " ruined Marques de Sousa ' s health , and he was afflicted with articular rheumatism for the rest of his life . With Porto Alegre safe , he was granted a leave of absence to recover . In the middle of 1837 he traveled to Europe for medical treatment . After a year away , and still feeling ill , Marques de Sousa secluded himself in Porto Alegre . He was brevetted lieutenant colonel on 20 August 1838 . He only returned to active duty in early 1840 after he was made permanent lieutenant colonel on 2 December 1839 and given the command of the 2nd Regiment of Light Cavalry . But the war against the Ragamuffins was still being waged , and Marques de Sousa met and defeated a rebel force in the Battle of the Várzea do Varejão on 16 September 1841 . A new promotion came on 27 March 1842 , when he was given the rank of colonel . The course of the conflict took a radical turn when the central government charged Luís Alves de Lima e Silva ( then Count and later Duke of Caxias ) with putting an end to the rebellion in late 1842 . Marques de Sousa probably met him during Caxias ' short trip to Rio Grande do Sul in 1839 as part of the Minister of War ' s entourage . They subsequently maintained a friendly correspondence . Marques de Sousa was removed from his position over the 2nd Regiment of Light Cavalry and instead was given command of the 7th Brigade , which formed part of the 1st Division . The brigade consisted of his former 2nd Regiment of Light Cavalry and a National Guard cavalry corps . Unlike his predecessors , who were notable for their inertia , Caxias went on the offensive from the start . On July 1843 , Marques de Sousa attacked the rebel capital , Piratini , which had been all but abandoned by the Ragamuffins . He marched from there to Pelotas and recaptured the town he had lost in 1836 . On 2 December , he fought and won a small skirmish with rebels near the imperial army ' s main encampment . He remained in the village of São Gabriel for most of 1844 , guarding it undisturbed . The Ragamuffins were by this time on the run , and they sued for peace . Caxias chose Marques de Sousa to take a Ragamuffin representative to discuss a peace accord with the central government ; they arrived in Rio de Janeiro on 12 December . The negotiations were successful and the war came to an end on 1 March 1845 . War and politics . Platine War . The Provincial Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul was closed in 1837 and no elections were held because of the Ragamuffin rebellion . In 1845 , Marques de Sousa ran and was elected as provincial deputy in the legislature that met in 1846 , though he had no party affiliation . He married Maria Balbina Álvares da Gama , daughter of José Gama Lobo de Eça ( later Baron of Saicã ) , on 28 November 1846 . The couple ' s only child , Maria Manuela da Gama Marques , was born less than a year and a half later . Marques de Sousa was made brevet brigadier on 14 March 1847 , and the 2nd Cavalry Brigade was placed under his command ( until April 1848 ) . He was later confirmed in the rank of brigadier on 14 August 1850 . On 11 June 1851 , his wife died in childbirth ( aged 29 ) , leaving him with a three - year - old daughter . Barely a month later on 18 August 1851 , Juan Manuel de Rosas , dictator of the Argentine Confederation , declared war on Brazil , beginning the Platine War . Marques de Sousa had been warned by Caxias as early as 27 July 1844 of the possibility of an armed conflict between Brazil and its Platine neighbor . The government in Rio de Janeiro had prepared against the threat and formed an anti - Rosas alliance consisting of Brazil , Uruguay and dissident Argentine provinces . Caxias , who had been appointed commander - in - chief of Brazilian land forces , placed Marques de Sousa at the head of the 2nd Brigade , part of the 2nd Division . The Brazilian army crossed into Uruguay in September 1851 . On 17 November , while the army was camped in the village of Santa Lucía near the Uruguayan capital , Marques de Sousa was promoted to a higher command , the 1st division . The choice was controversial , as there were two more senior and experienced officers next in line who were bypassed owing to their foreign birth . The allies decided to divide their forces into two armies : a multinational force that included the 1st Division and a second army composed entirely of Brazilians under Caxias . The 1st Division led by Marques de Sousa , along with Uruguayan and Argentine rebel troops , invaded Argentina . He found the long march to Buenos Aires , the Argentine capital , highly uncomfortable . He had spent his life up to that point fighting Hispanic - Americans , and he was now marching as their ally , surrounded by them . He did not trust them , and they trusted neither him nor his men . The only person among the allies with whom he shared his thoughts , and guardedly at that , was Domingo Faustino Sarmiento ( later president of Argentina ) : " We [ Brazilians ] form in here a separate group ; we do not talk to anyone ; no one approaches us and we could say that we walk among enemies . " On 3 February 1852 , in the Battle of Caseros , they faced Rosas and his army . The allies were victorious , Rosas fled to the United Kingdom , and Marques de Sousa acquired his carriage as a war trophy . Party leader . On 3 March 1852 , Marques de Sousa was raised to the rank of field marshal , and Emperor Dom Pedro II conferred on him the noble title of " Barão de Porto Alegre " ( Baron of Porto Alegre ) . It was a reward for his victory at Caseros , but also a nod to his role in saving the capital of Rio Grande do Sul during 1836 . His exploits achieved great renown in Brazil , where he was referred to as the " Vanquisher of the Platine Tiger [ Rosas ] " . He replaced Caxias as head of the army that had fought in the war on 26 June , after its return to Brazil . Soon after , on 24 September , the Baron of Porto Alegre was removed from that post and made " comandante das armas " ( military commander ) of Rio Grande do Sul , a position he held until he requested to be relieved on 5 March 1853 . As one of the largest landowners in Rio Grande do Sul , and now a war hero , Porto Alegre believed that he could win a senatorial seat in 1852 , but his candidacy was a failure . From a list containing the names of the candidates who had received the most votes , Pedro II chose one of Porto Alegre ' s rivals as senator . During his campaign , Porto Alegre founded and became head of the " Progressive - Liberal Party " , a provincial coalition drawn from members of both national political parties : the Liberal Party and the Party of Order ( then increasingly known as the Conservative Party ) . His personal life greatly improved after he married Bernardina Soares de Paiva , who was thirty - three years his junior , on 11 June 1855 . Their marriage was happy and produced two daughters , Maria Bernardina in 1860 and Clara in 1873 . Between the death of his first wife and his second marriage , he had a daughter named Maria Manuela Marques , whom he legitimized . Porto Alegre petitioned for , and was granted , a military retirement on 7 July 1856 and was raised to lieutenant general , the second highest rank in the imperial army . The opportunity to graduate from provincial to national politics came soon after . The Conservative prime minister Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão , Marquis of Paraná , faced overwhelming opposition from his own party in parliament . Paraná knew that the party ' s principles were seen as irrelevant and ignored at local and provincial levels . A cabinet could use patronage alone to gain backing from local bosses for its national candidates , including in the province of Rio Grande do Sul . Porto Alegre was a Liberal allied to Conservatives in his province . He pledged support to Paraná and in 1857 was elected general deputy ( member of the Chamber of Deputies , the national legislature ' s lower house ) . He was reelected in 1860 . On 19 February 1860 , he founded and became the first and only president of the Historic and Geographic Institute of the Province of São Pedro ( as Rio Grande do Sul was also known ) . The institute was short - lived , lasting from 1860 until 1864 . In 1862 , Porto Alegre was among the Liberals who , along with dissident Conservatives , founded the " Liga Progressista " ( Progressive League ) , which replaced the Liberal Party . He became Minister of War on 24 May as a member of the first Progressive cabinet , headed by Zacarias de Góis e Vasconcelos . However , the cabinet fell after a vote of no confidence six days later . When the Chamber of Deputies was dissolved in 1863 and new elections were called , he was elected and served until 1866 . Paraguayan War . Siege of Uruguaiana . In December 1864 , the dictator of Paraguay , Francisco Solano López , ordered the invasion of the Brazilian province of Mato Grosso ( currently the state of Mato Grosso do Sul ) , triggering the Paraguayan War . Four months later , Paraguayan troops invaded Argentine territory in preparation for an attack on Rio Grande do Sul . The situation in Rio Grande do Sul was chaotic , and the local military commanders were incapable of mounting an effective resistance to the Paraguayan army . The Baron of Porto Alegre offered to return to active duty , and on 21 July 1865 , the government gave him command of the Brazilian land forces in Rio Grande do Sul . He set out for Uruguaiana , a small town in the province ' s west , where the Paraguayan army was besieged by a combined force of Brazilian , Argentine and Uruguayan units . Porto Alegre assumed the command of the Brazilian army in Uruguaiana on 21 August 1865 . From the very beginning , he had an acrimonious relationship with Brazil ' s allies Bartolomé Mitre , president of Argentina , and Venancio Flores , president of Uruguay , who led the armies of their respective nations . The years had not lessened Porto Alegre ' s prejudice against Hispanic - Americans ; on the contrary , his antagonism had increased . On 2 September , Flores suggested an immediate attack on Uruguaiana , an option rejected by Porto Alegre and Joaquim Marques Lisboa ( then Viscount and later Marquis of Tamandaré ) , the commander - in - chief of the Brazilian navy . Tamandaré was a first cousin of Porto Alegre ; their mothers were sisters . When Flores claimed that he could defeat the Paraguayan army alone , he was mocked by both Brazilian officers . Since his arrival in Uruguaiana , Mitre had claimed the position of commander - in - chief of all allied forces participating in the siege — a precedence Porto Alegre vehemently refused to recognize . He reminded the Argentine president that , according to the Treaty of the Triple Alliance , the imperial army would be led by a Brazilian officer while on Brazilian soil . Porto Alegre later argued that " I would prefer to answer to a court - martial rather than to subject myself , in our territory , to the command of a foreign general " . The dispute was temporarily forgotten when Pedro II arrived at the front . The Brazilian monarch settled the dispute when , at his suggestion , the allied army was divided into three forces , one led by Porto Alegre and the other two by Mitre and Flores . On 18 September , the Paraguayan garrison surrendered without further bloodshed . Offensive in Paraguayan territory . The allies invaded Paraguay in April 1866 , but after initial success , their advance was blocked by fortifications at Humaitá and along the Paraguay River . Porto Alegre had remained behind , leading the 2nd Corps and guarding Rio Grande do Sul . Mitre , no longer on Brazilian territory and acknowledged as the allied commander - in - chief , planned to use Porto Alegre ' s army to march through Paraguayan territory from the rear to surround Humaitá . As a result of a suggestion by Tamandaré — though Mitre had not issued orders for the move — Porto Alegre boarded his army onto Brazilian ships and instead brought them up to the positions occupied by the other allied troops . On 18 August , Porto Alegre received instructions from Mitre to attack the Paraguayan fort at Curuzú . The operation would be carried out under the command of Tamandaré . Porto Alegre not only refused to defer to his cousin , arguing that both held the same rank , but also warned that he would operate by himself at Curuzú . Porto Alegre was incapable of submitting his forces to foreign direction and was unwilling to comply with orders issued by the allied commander . Nor was the situation among the allied forces improved once Porto Alegre and Tamandaré found common ground in their distaste for the Brazilian commander of the 1st Corps , Field Marshal Polidoro Quintanilha Jordão ( later the Viscount of Santa Teresa ) . Jordão was ostracized for supporting Mitre and for being a member of the Conservative Party , while Porto Alegre and Tamandaré were Progressives . Porto Alegre , who had been promoted from baron to viscount , led an amphibious attack that lasted from 1 September until the 3rd . His forces were victorious in the Battle of Curuzú . The allied army next marched to Curupayty , an outer line of defense of Humaitá . The Battle of Curupayty that ensued on 22 September was an immense allied defeat . The allied leaders blamed each other for disastrous failure at Curupayty , but the main focus of Porto Alegre ' s denunciations was Mitre . He said : " Here is the result of the Brazilian government ' s lack of confidence in its generals and giving its armies to foreign generals . " To end the internecine squabbling , the Brazilian government placed Caxias in command of all Brazilian forces in Paraguay . Formerly friends , Porto Alegre and Caxias ( a member of the Conservative Party ) had been estranged by politics . Tamandaré was replaced by Caxias ' fellow Conservative Chief of Fleet Joaquim José Inácio ( later the Viscount of Inhaúma ) , but Porto Alegre was kept on as head of the 2nd Corps . A little before dawn on 3 November 1867 , the Paraguayans made a surprise attack on the allied camp at Tuyutí , breaching the Argentine lines . When Porto Alegre saw the mayhem — Argentine soldiers fleeing and Paraguayans inside the Brazilian perimeter — he shouted : " " Aqui morre até o último brasileiro ! " " ( " In here shall die the very last Brazilian ! " ) . During the Second Battle of Tuyutí , as it was called , he fought with his saber in hand - to - hand combat and lost two horses one after the other . Porto Alegre and his troops , outnumbered three to one , stopped the Paraguayan advance and forced the enemy to retreat . Feeling very ill , and unable to mount a horse for a month , Porto Alegre was relieved of command on 27 January 1868 . He returned to Rio Grande do Sul and was raised from viscount to count a few months later . Later years . Return to politics and death . On 16 July 1868 , a Progressive cabinet led by Zacarias resigned following a political crisis and Pedro II asked the Conservatives to form a new government . As always when a party returned to power , new elections were held , though marked by fraud . The two main wings of the Progressive Party ( Progressive , to which Porto Alegre belonged , and Historical ) set aside their disputes , became more disciplined in their unity and renamed their party the Liberal Party . When Porto Alegre ' s term as general deputy ended in 1866 , the ongoing war precluded elections in Rio Grande do Sul . Predictably , in the elections organized under the Conservative Party ' s direction in early 1869 , he was not elected . He turned his attention to organizing a Liberal stronghold in his native province . At the request of the national Liberal Center , Porto Alegre created and became president of the province ' s Liberal board of directors . Around the same time , the count focused on two other projects : the first grew out of his longstanding interest in promoting literature and sciences , and the second , more ambitious aim was to fight for the gradual abolition of slavery . When in 1867 Pedro II openly asked for the gradual eradication of slavery in his Speech from the Throne , Porto Alegre was one of the few individuals who supported him , sending him a letter of congratulation . On 18 June 1869 , the " Partenon Literário " ( Literary Parthenon ) , a spiritual successor to the Historic and Geographic Institute of the Province of São Pedro , was created and Porto Alegre was made an honorary member . In one of its sessions , the count , who had already embarked on a plan of gradually freeing his own slaves , proposed the creation of a civil association devoted to slavery ' s abolition . His idea was not only welcomed , but came to fruition . The " Sociedade Libertadora " ( Liberation Society ) was founded on 29 August , with Porto Alegre as its president , its primary purpose being the purchase of freedom for enslaved children . Porto Alegre was elected general deputy in 1872 for the legislature that would be seated in that year . José Paranhos , Viscount of Rio Branco , headed a Conservative cabinet that faced strong opposition from its own party members . To widen the cabinet ' s base of support , the prime minister set the 1872 elections to gain more supporters of his cabinet , even members of the Liberal Party like Porto Alegre , in Parliament . While serving as a general deputy , he lived in a hotel . He spent his time either attending Parliament or in the house of his sister Joaquina Marques de Sousa , who had married a member of the influential Carneiro Leão clan . While leaving the house of fellow Liberal João Lustosa da Cunha Paranaguá ( later Marquis of Paranaguá ) , Porto Alegre fell while boarding his coupé . The injury he suffered led to an abscess and subsequently gangrene . Despite the pain he complained little , other than to utter : " This is too much . " He died at 07 : 00 on the morning of 18 July 1875 . His remains were accorded solemn funereal honors in Rio de Janeiro , Rio Grande and lastly , Porto Alegre . Among the men who carried his coffin in the imperial capital were Caxias , Rio Branco , Tamandaré and Irineu Evangelista de Sousa , Viscount of Mauá . He was interred in the " cemitério da Santa Casa de Misericórdia " ( Holy House of Mercy cemetery ) in Porto Alegre . Legacy . The Count of Porto Alegre was admired during his lifetime and for sometime thereafter . Felisberto Caldeira Brant , Baron of Barbacena ( son of the Marquis of Barbacena ) thought that " Marques de Sousa was the most brilliant type of soldier : heroic and patriotic . " José Paranhos , Baron of Rio Branco , said that he was " one of the most illustrious warriors that Brazil has had . " Alfredo d ' Escragnolle Taunay , Viscount of Taunay , regarded him a " great warrior " . Almost ten years after the count ' s death , a marble statue representing him was unveiled on 2 February 1885 in the city of Porto Alegre . The celebration was accompanied by popular joy and an artillery salute , and was attended by Dona Isabel , daughter and heiress of Pedro II , and her husband Prince Gaston , Count of Eu . The downfall of the monarchy in 1889 brought sudden changes in how past events were viewed . The Ragamuffins were reframed as heroes in Rio Grande do Sul , and Porto Alegre became an awkward reminder and symbol of the fallen regime . The memories of other imperial officers , Porto Alegre ' s contemporaries , were subject to the same sort of revisionism , including the Duke of Caxias . After Porto Alegre ' s death a marble tablet with the inscription " Here was born the worthy Count of Porto Alegre " was put at the entrance of the house where he was born . The plaque was removed in 1893 by the property ' s owner and left to deteriorate . In the late 1890s , historian Afredo Ferreira Rodrigues lamented that it was the " testimony of one day ' s passing gratitude and of the indifference , of the abandonment , of the ingratitude , in which we [ Brazilians ] , a people without civic education , know how to prize the services of the great men of the past . " Although the Brazilian army remembered Caxias and celebrated his centennial in 1903 , Porto Alegre ' s centennial in 1904 passed unnoticed . The work of historians has restored Porto Alegre ' s reputation to a certain extent . Heitor Lira said that " Porto Alegre was certainly an officer of great valor " . Antônio da Rocha Almeida considered Porto Alegre " one of the greatest soldiers of Brazil " . Gustavo Barroso regarded him " the greatest military figure in Brazil , after Caxias and Osório " . Dante de Laytano said that he " was one of the most brilliant military leaders in the History of Brazil . " On 16 October 1974 , Porto Alegre was accorded the minor honor of being designated the " patrono " ( protector ) of the 8th Cavalry regiment , which was given the name " " Regimento Conde de Porto Alegre " " ( Count of Porto Alegre Regiment ) .