Background
Luiz Alves de Lima e Silva was born on August 25, 1803, into a respected military family. He was the first son and second of ten children of Francisco de Lima e Silva and Mariana Cândido de Oliveira Belo.
Luiz Alves de Lima e Silva was born on August 25, 1803, into a respected military family. He was the first son and second of ten children of Francisco de Lima e Silva and Mariana Cândido de Oliveira Belo.
He compiled a brilliant record in the military school in Rio de Janeiro.
He took part in the independence campaigns, fought in Uruguay in 1825 against Juan Antonio Lavalleja, and by the age of 25 had risen to the rank of major. In April 1831, following the abdication of Pedro I, Lima e Silva was called upon to organize and command the national guard to maintain order in Rio and its environs.
During the hectic regency period Lima e Silva methodically extinguished insurrections in rebelling provinces and in 1841 was named Baron of Caxias for his distinguished service. Rio Grande do Sul was still racked by the War of the Farropos, begun in 1835. Appointed president of the province and commander of imperial forces in 1842, Caxias combined lightning cavalry raids with superior infantry and artillery to force the insurgents to a peace settlement 3 years later. In 1852 Caxias led the Brazilian army at the victorious battle of Monte Caseros against Argentina's Juan Manuel de Rosas.
Caxias's military genius and sense of political moderation were highly regarded by the Conservative party. He was often called into government service—a traditional ploy of the monarchy to placate powerful military figures. In 1855 he was named minister of war, and in 1862 he became president of the council, a position he held on three separate occasions.
In 1866 Caxias was recalled to active duty to command the Brazilian army in the Paraguayan War against Francisco Solano López. Caxias replaced Argentina's Bartolomé Mitre as commander in chief of the allied armies in 1868. By the end of 1868 he dealt López's army a crushing defeat at Itá-Ibatay and proclaimed the war's end. He neglected to cut off López's escape, however, and the enemy retreated to the Chaco and continued to fight. On Jan. 12, 1869, he returned to Rio to face a Senate investigation for his conduct of the war. Absolved of all charges, Caxias was decorated, and on March 26 Pedro II raised him to the rank of duke, the only holder of that title in the history of the empire.
After the Paraguayan War perhaps only the influence of Caxias subordinated the increasingly arrogant military to civilian control. His death in Rio on May 7, 1880, unleashed the militarism which Brazil had been able to escape for over half a century. Caxias is remembered in Brazilian history as the "Pacifier" and "Patron of the Army, " and his birthday is celebrated as the Dia do soldado (Army Day).
From his death in 1880 until the 1920s, the Duke of Caxias was not regarded as the most important military figure in Brazilian history. In 1925, his birthday officially became the "Day of the Soldier", which commemorates the Brazilian army. On 13 March 1962, Caxias became patrono (protector) of the army, making him the most important figure in its tradition.
On 6 January 1833, at age 29, he married Ana Luísa de Loreto Carneiro Viana, the sixteen-year-old younger sister of an army officer friend, and a member of an aristocratic family of Rio de Janeiro. The union was contrary to the wishes of the bride's mother, who saw Luís Alves and his family as upstarts. Newspapers connected to political enemies of his family took advantage of this disagreement to level serious, but unfounded, accusations against him, including that he had kidnapped Ana Luísa. Despite the invective, their marriage was a happy one and three children resulted: Luísa de Loreto Viana de Lima, Ana de Loreto Viana de Lima and Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, born in 1833, 1836 and 1847, respectively.
