Backlands (48 page)
Authors: Euclides da Cunha
The cowboys in the vicinity got to know him and he even made friends with them and some of the
jagunços
. This fragile man with the Christlike face surprised them. He could be seen all about with his rifle in a sling and a pedometer on his boot. He challenged their cunning and did not flinch when he found himself in an ambush. He did not even stop reading his compass as the blunderbusses boomed around him.
jagunços
. This fragile man with the Christlike face surprised them. He could be seen all about with his rifle in a sling and a pedometer on his boot. He challenged their cunning and did not flinch when he found himself in an ambush. He did not even stop reading his compass as the blunderbusses boomed around him.
The commander in chief was very conscious of this man’s value. Lieutenant Colonel Menezes was the eye of the expedition. He came from a backlands family of the northern
sertão
and even had close relatives among the fanatics of Canudos. He was a fair-haired and frail man of the backlands, but he had the physical and moral veneer of modern culture. He also had a wit that matched his grit. He was the best guarantor of the army’s safe conduct. He provided the expedition with a road map that surprised even the local backlanders.
sertão
and even had close relatives among the fanatics of Canudos. He was a fair-haired and frail man of the backlands, but he had the physical and moral veneer of modern culture. He also had a wit that matched his grit. He was the best guarantor of the army’s safe conduct. He provided the expedition with a road map that surprised even the local backlanders.
Among the roads leading to Canudos, two had been used by previous expeditions: the Cambaio and the Maçacará. The remaining one was the Calumbi, which was shorter and at many points more accessible. It did not have the trenches or the vast barren plains that bordered the first two. This led the
sertanejos
to think that it would be the route the expedition would choose. They began to fortify it in such a way that had the troops marched that way they would have been wiped out long before arriving at the settlement.
sertanejos
to think that it would be the route the expedition would choose. They began to fortify it in such a way that had the troops marched that way they would have been wiped out long before arriving at the settlement.
The plan developed by the engineering corps avoided it and directed the route farther east, around the counterforts of the Aracati.
The MarchSelected brigades advanced along the selected route.
The artillery, which left Monte Santo on the seventeenth, had difficulties from the start. When the light cannons had covered a distance of six miles and were already at the Pequeno River, the bulky 32 was still three miles behind. The road was slippery and filled with potholes. The twenty yoke of oxen that dragged it slowly along were guided by inexperienced drivers. Both the men and the animals were not trained for this entirely new kind of cargo transport. Obstacles came up at every turn, when they went around sharp bends, when they crossed the poorly constructed bridges, and in trying to get over the ruts in the road where the heavy weapon got stuck.
On the afternoon of the nineteenth, after they had taken three days to cover eight miles, they finally managed to drag the huge piece of equipment as far as Caldeirão Grande. When they arrived they managed to organize the artillery brigade with the Second Infantry. This would be the vanguard of Lieutenant Colonel Dantas Barreto’s Twenty-fifth Battalion. The next morning this detachment would move on to the Gitirana farm, five miles away, at the same exhausting and obstructed pace.
The same day, the commander in chief left Monte Santo with the greater part of the column. This consisted of the First and Third brigades, a total of 1,933 men.
The entire expedition was now on the march. There were about three thousand men. They moved in the direction of Mount Aracati, twenty-nine miles beyond Monte Santo, in an identical manner. The large divisions advanced one at a time, sometimes converging and other times spreading out. The lighter vanguard was constantly slowed down by the lumbering pace of the artillery.
Even farther to the rear, the general supply train followed. It was under the command of the quartermaster general’s deputy, Colonel Campello França, and escorted by 432 soldiers and the Fifth Corps of the Bahian police force. This was the only detachment in the entire force that was really able to deal with the conditions of the campaign. It had been recently formed with
sertanejo
recruits from the river regions of the São Francisco valley. They were neither an army battalion nor a police squadron. These were a rowdy band of tough, mean
caboclos
, who in the last days of the siege of Canudos would play the banjo and sing cheerful songs as bullets whizzed by. In fact, they were a battalion of
jagunços.
They stood out from the regular troops because of their particular kind of bravery, which was both brutal and romantic. It was savage and heroic, chivalrous and merciless—the same kind of courage that was exhibited by the forest mestizos who joined the
bandeiras.
These men had the primitive characteristics of a race that had been isolated in the highlands and untouched by the outside world. Now they appeared on the scene with all their original traits. They were an interesting mixture of contrasting characteristics—a charming innocence, loyalty carried to the point of self-sacrifice, a heroism that could easily turn to barbarity. We shall see this later on.
sertanejo
recruits from the river regions of the São Francisco valley. They were neither an army battalion nor a police squadron. These were a rowdy band of tough, mean
caboclos
, who in the last days of the siege of Canudos would play the banjo and sing cheerful songs as bullets whizzed by. In fact, they were a battalion of
jagunços.
They stood out from the regular troops because of their particular kind of bravery, which was both brutal and romantic. It was savage and heroic, chivalrous and merciless—the same kind of courage that was exhibited by the forest mestizos who joined the
bandeiras.
These men had the primitive characteristics of a race that had been isolated in the highlands and untouched by the outside world. Now they appeared on the scene with all their original traits. They were an interesting mixture of contrasting characteristics—a charming innocence, loyalty carried to the point of self-sacrifice, a heroism that could easily turn to barbarity. We shall see this later on.
The Fifth Corps and the supply train were the last to leave Monte Santo. They were consequently at the rear of the expedition and completely isolated from it when it was important to keep the entire force together. The same thing happened to the other battalions. Contrary to plans, it was impossible to pull the troops together if a battle should break out. Since they depended on the sappers, the entire artillery train was often far away from the rest of the column. It was a huge obstruction between the advance guard and the rest of the column. If the
jagunços
had attacked the rear, the troops leading the line would not have been able to turn back to help their comrades because of the equipment stuck in the narrow pathways.
jagunços
had attacked the rear, the troops leading the line would not have been able to turn back to help their comrades because of the equipment stuck in the narrow pathways.
All of this can be found in the official record of the march. The main column left Rio Pequeno at daybreak on the twenty-first, a little more than two miles beyond Monte Santo. They arrived at about nine o’clock in the morning at Caldeirão Grande, after a march of about five miles. The rear guard was still quite far away with the 32 cannon under the guard of Colonel Medeiros’s brigade. The Gouveia brigade, meanwhile, far in the lead, reached Gitirana that evening. Here they joined the engineering corps and General Arthur Oscar de Andrade Guimarães, who had led an advance party of twenty cavalrymen and members of the Ninth Infantry. The supply train, led by Colonel Campello França and guarded by the Fifth Police, brought up the rear. It was clear that the troops were spread out over an area of about ten miles, which was entirely against orders.
At dawn on the twenty-second, General Barbosa was striking camp at Caldeirão Grande and preparing to move to Gitirana. The commander in chief, meanwhile, left Gitirana with the First Brigade, the Ninth Battalion of the Third, the Twenty-fifth of the Second, the cavalry wing under Major Carlos de Alencar, and the artillery with the order of march that had been drawn up: the Fourteenth and Thirtieth battalions were in the lead, the cavalry and artillery in the middle, and the Ninth and Twenty-fifth followed. The commander in chief made rapid progress and arrived with the advance guard at Juá, four miles beyond Gitirana. The artillery was stalled at Gitirana, waiting for the engineering corps to work on the roads and the sapping. Since most of the troops were still moving on the Caldeirão Grande road, they had to divide up frequently, exposing themselves to a disadvantageous position if they had been attacked. The men were not prepared for these large-scale maneuvers. This should have been planned ahead of time as a tactical requirement instead of being an improvised response to the conditions of the march.
The brigades finally assembled that night at Juá. They arrived around six in the evening. The artillery was followed by the rest of the column, including the Fifth, Seventh, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Twenty-second infantries. The only detachment that was not there was the supply train, which had been delayed on the road.
From here the two generals headed out on the morning of the twenty-third for Aracati, eight miles farther on. Colonel Gouveia’s battalions formed the advance guard. The artillery, under Colonel Medeiros, did not move out until noon, after the engineers supported by the Flores brigade performed some extremely difficult repairs on the road.
We relate the details of this march because they illustrate the extreme conditions faced by the expedition. After leaving Juá and arriving at the ruins of the Poço farm, an incident occurred that betrayed their inexperience with the terrain.
IncidentsInstead of proceeding to the right in search of a farm known as Sitio, which belonged to Thomas Villa-Nova, a native of the region who was completely supportive of our cause, the sappers took a detour to the left. After they had traveled quite a distance and worked very hard for hours, Lieutenant Colonel Siqueira de Menezes came to the realization that it was impossible to repair the roads as quickly as was needed. “A huge amount of earth had to be moved from the
caatinga
thickets. The boulders were immense. The grade and unevenness of the terrain created impossible conditions to move vehicles.” They abandoned the task and moved on to the Villa-Nova farm. The experience had taught them something. They began work on a new route, which was out of the way but more viable. The artillery was only able to use this path in the late afternoon. They passed the Pereiras farm and camped at midnight on Lake Laje, a mile on this side of Aracati, where the rest of the column had been located for some time. Still in the rear were the Third Brigade and the unwieldy Thirty-second. They had been caught by nightfall at the bank of the Ribeirão dos Pereiras, which they could not cross in the dark.
caatinga
thickets. The boulders were immense. The grade and unevenness of the terrain created impossible conditions to move vehicles.” They abandoned the task and moved on to the Villa-Nova farm. The experience had taught them something. They began work on a new route, which was out of the way but more viable. The artillery was only able to use this path in the late afternoon. They passed the Pereiras farm and camped at midnight on Lake Laje, a mile on this side of Aracati, where the rest of the column had been located for some time. Still in the rear were the Third Brigade and the unwieldy Thirty-second. They had been caught by nightfall at the bank of the Ribeirão dos Pereiras, which they could not cross in the dark.
Now they were entering the danger zone. That day an advance team of scouts, led by a lieutenant, caught some of the rebels who were tearing down a house in the area that belonged to Colonel José Américo. After a rapid engagement, the
sertanejos
ran off without returning fire. One of them stayed behind. He was on the roof. When he came down he was immediately surrounded. Even though he had been wounded, he attacked the nearest soldier, a sergeant, and knocked him off his horse. He grabbed the man’s rifle and hit him with the butt. Then he sidled up against the wall of the house, whirling the weapon around his head like a windmill. When the men surrounded him he lay on the ground and gave up. They killed him. It was the first engagement, and it took far too many men to accomplish it. There would be others like it.
sertanejos
ran off without returning fire. One of them stayed behind. He was on the roof. When he came down he was immediately surrounded. Even though he had been wounded, he attacked the nearest soldier, a sergeant, and knocked him off his horse. He grabbed the man’s rifle and hit him with the butt. Then he sidled up against the wall of the house, whirling the weapon around his head like a windmill. When the men surrounded him he lay on the ground and gave up. They killed him. It was the first engagement, and it took far too many men to accomplish it. There would be others like it.
On the twenty-fourth the march became arduous. The column that had started from Aracati at noon, because it had to wait for the latecomers, now set off with them for Juetê, eight and a half miles away. The roads were becoming more difficult. In addition to the work they usually do, the sappers had to use axes to clear more than three miles through a wild stretch of
caatinga
that justified the place’s name, which comes from the word
ju-etê,
meaning “great thorn.”
caatinga
that justified the place’s name, which comes from the word
ju-etê,
meaning “great thorn.”
Lieutenant Colonel Siqueira de Menezes, the man in charge of this remarkable piece of work, left this account, later published in
O Paíz
, under a pseudonym, Hoche:
O Paíz
, under a pseudonym, Hoche:
In addition to
xique-xique, palmatória, rabo de raposa, mandacarús, croás, cabeça de frade, calumbi, cansanção, favela, quixaba,
and the quite respectable
macambira
we found the much discussed and feared
cunanã
.
1
This was a species of liana plant that had the exact appearance of a cultivated plant with cylindrical leaves that can be found in gardens. A few inches from the ground its stalk divides into many branches, which multiply in marvelous profusion, forming a great chalice that remains suspended in the air either by its own structure or supported by plants around it. Its tendrils of cylindrical leaves spread out over the ground, each with eight flutings and an equal number of gummy filaments. It looks like a giant polyp with millions of elastic antennae, covering a considerable area of the soil and forming an impenetrable groundcover over the thin vegetation of this region. Even using the sharpest tool available, the soldiers of our engineering contingent and the police, called the Chinamen by their comrades in the fighting troops, had great difficulty. Even using this they had great difficulty dislodging this dense web of vegetation, which resisted all efforts to remove it so that the way could be cleared. In this new kind of labyrinth, the engineering unit had just a few hours to open up more than three miles of road. The artillery, impatient to advance, was right on their heels. Despite the strenuous efforts of the republican patriots in performing this heavy labor, night overtook them before they arrived at the clearing known as Queimadas. Here the treacherous vegetation suddenly disappeared from their way, as if it had taken fright and fled. Before the soldiers became completely demoralized and exhausted, the command ordered great bonfires to be lit so that the loyal soldiers, resigned to their task, could continue to work for the good cause of the country. The officers in charge of the work, representing the engineering contingent and the police, in addition to the commander, were Lieutenants Nascimento and Chrisanto and Sublieutenants Ponciano, Virgilio, and Melchiades; Captain Coriolano; and Lieutenant Domingos Ribeiro, who was doing other work at the rear.
xique-xique, palmatória, rabo de raposa, mandacarús, croás, cabeça de frade, calumbi, cansanção, favela, quixaba,
and the quite respectable
macambira
we found the much discussed and feared
cunanã
.
1
This was a species of liana plant that had the exact appearance of a cultivated plant with cylindrical leaves that can be found in gardens. A few inches from the ground its stalk divides into many branches, which multiply in marvelous profusion, forming a great chalice that remains suspended in the air either by its own structure or supported by plants around it. Its tendrils of cylindrical leaves spread out over the ground, each with eight flutings and an equal number of gummy filaments. It looks like a giant polyp with millions of elastic antennae, covering a considerable area of the soil and forming an impenetrable groundcover over the thin vegetation of this region. Even using the sharpest tool available, the soldiers of our engineering contingent and the police, called the Chinamen by their comrades in the fighting troops, had great difficulty. Even using this they had great difficulty dislodging this dense web of vegetation, which resisted all efforts to remove it so that the way could be cleared. In this new kind of labyrinth, the engineering unit had just a few hours to open up more than three miles of road. The artillery, impatient to advance, was right on their heels. Despite the strenuous efforts of the republican patriots in performing this heavy labor, night overtook them before they arrived at the clearing known as Queimadas. Here the treacherous vegetation suddenly disappeared from their way, as if it had taken fright and fled. Before the soldiers became completely demoralized and exhausted, the command ordered great bonfires to be lit so that the loyal soldiers, resigned to their task, could continue to work for the good cause of the country. The officers in charge of the work, representing the engineering contingent and the police, in addition to the commander, were Lieutenants Nascimento and Chrisanto and Sublieutenants Ponciano, Virgilio, and Melchiades; Captain Coriolano; and Lieutenant Domingos Ribeiro, who was doing other work at the rear.
This last stretch of road was cleared between eight and nine at night, to everyone’s great relief and joy. They were at the point where the
cunanã
gave way to a more benign form of vegetation. The 32 cannon, which at night could not overcome the additional obstacles that the road presented, remained in the shrubbery on the trail until the following day. It was under the care of Dr. Domingos Leite, who, with a crew of “Chinamen,” had the responsibility of transporting it from Pequeno River to Canudos.
cunanã
gave way to a more benign form of vegetation. The 32 cannon, which at night could not overcome the additional obstacles that the road presented, remained in the shrubbery on the trail until the following day. It was under the care of Dr. Domingos Leite, who, with a crew of “Chinamen,” had the responsibility of transporting it from Pequeno River to Canudos.
Just after nine o’clock, the commission was camped in a clearing under torrential rains, which went on until the next day, to everyone’s great discomfort and displeasure. The artillery brigade was also camped here with the Sixteenth and Twenty-fifth infantry battalions. The Twenty-seventh Battalion was left in charge of the 32 cannon, which camped in the thickets.
It was truly an impressive sight to behold the artillery with its highly polished metal arms and equipment gleaming in the light of the great bonfires in the desert night. The army was like a queen of the world relishing its own strength, making its way by the fantastic light of those great fires. It was as if the spirit of liberty itself was leading them to the road of duty, honor, and glory.
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