Porongos Massacre

The Porongos Massacre, also called the Porongos Betrayal, was the penultimate confrontation of the Ragamuffin War (1835–1845), a decade-long revolt in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul province. It occurred on 14 November 1844, about a year before the war's end and while peace negotiations were already underway. More than 1,200 republican troops led by General David Canabarro were surrounded in open countryside and attacked by more than 1,100 imperial partisans commanded by Francisco Pedro de Abreu, known as "Moringue." Sources differ on whether the disaster resulted from Canabarro's negligence or an outright betrayal. Antônio Netto, fearing a surprise attack, had camped his own troops at a distance and avoided the defeat.

For the republican side, the confrontation resulted in 110 deaths, the capture of 333 men (35 of them officers), the loss of five banners, a cannon, utensils, archives, and more than 1,000 horses. It is remembered as one of the largest losses suffered by the republican movement during the war. The victims of the massacre were specifically the Black Lancers corps; imperial forces targeted the camp's Black soldiers while other men fled. Major Teixeira Nunes, commander of the Black Lancers, was killed in the battle. Canabarro himself was not captured, reportedly because his ragged clothing kept him from being recognized; some accounts state he had been warned in advance of Moringue's approach.

A disputed letter, reportedly sent by the Baron of Caxias to Francisco Pedro de Abreu instructing an attack on the Black Lancers while assuring that the situation "would be settled with Canabarro," has been a focus of historical debate. The document, bearing Caxias' signature, is recognized as authentic by the Historical Archives of Rio Grande do Sul, though its authenticity has also been challenged, with some scholars arguing it may have been forged to discredit Canabarro. Those who accept it as genuine argue the betrayal was intended to speed the peace process, since republican leaders were reluctant to free the enslaved men who had fought alongside them, fearing it might encourage a broader slave rebellion. Those who view it as a forgery argue the Porongos episode surprised all farrapo commanders and that the letter was fabricated afterward to sow division.

The Black Lancers were composed of enslaved and freed Black people, Indigenous men, mestizos, and escaped slaves from neighboring countries, and are estimated to have made up roughly one-third to one-half of the republican army over the course of the war, in addition to non-combat roles such as messengers and gunpowder producers. The Porongos disaster led to a military tribunal against Canabarro within the Ragamuffin movement; the case remained unresolved for years and was ultimately dismissed in 1866. The war itself ended with the Ponche Verde Peace Treaty, signed 1 March 1845, which granted amnesty to Porongos survivors and freedom to enslaved soldiers who had fought for the republic. A monument to the Black Lancers was erected in Caçapava do Sul in 2004.