GENEALOGY-DNA-L Archives

Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2006-12 > 1166453752


From: "Ricardo Costa de Oliveira" <>
Subject: [DNA] "Racially" Integrated Troops
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:55:52 -0200
References: <00cb01c72296$22405a30$6401a8c0@Precision360>


I think Lawrence Mayka get it. Blacks, Indians and Mestiços were fully
integrated and mixed as main components of the Brazilian Army in Guararapes.

An excellent description by Thaddeus Blanchette of the Second Battle of
Guararapes :

"This battle took place in 1649 in northeastern Brazil between the Dutch
occupiers of the capitania of Pernambuco and the Luso-Brazilian rebel army.
The Brazilian victory here set the stage for the final liberation of
Pernambuco from the greedy claws of the dastardly Dutch.

Dutch West India Company

The Dutch had some 4000 troops (including 400 black and indian auxililaries,
300 marines and 6 cannon). They were mainly central European mercenaries
armed in typical Dutch colonial fashion. Many of the troops were recently
arrived however, and unaclimated to Brazil's tropical conditions (indeed,
'Pernambuco' is a corruption of 'Fornaboco', or 'the mouth of Hell'). They
were described by various contemporaries as 'pale and sickly' and 'dressed
in heavy, European clothes and boots'. The Dutch were armed in 'the most
modern European fashion' and carried 'many standards of blue and orange
mixed'.

Of the regular infantry, 1/5th were armed with pikes and some, apparently,
armed with blades (this in an attempt to imitate the successful tactics of
the Luso-Brazilians at the First Battle of Guarararpes). The 'brasiliano'
(they were Tapuias Indians allied to the Protestants) were not at all
thrilled to be part of this expedition and in fact ran away as soon as the
battle started.

Luso-Brazilian Army

This group was divided into three major commands: a 'terço' (tercio) of
blacks and mixed-race Brazilians under the black general Henrique Dias; more
Brazilians and indians organized into a terço and several 'companhias de
emboscada' (ambush companies) under the indian leader Camarão (it is
important to note that these were considered to be an integral part of the
army and not allies); Portuguese regular troops from the terço of Salvador
and the colonial elite.

The Luso-Brazilians were very accomplished at fighting in the rough and
difficult tropical terrain of colonial Brazil. Their preferred weapons were
firearms, swords, spears and bucklers. Tactics consisted of giving a volley
from a covering tree-line and them bowling into the enemy line like madmen.
They had been fighting a succesful guerrilla war for almost a decade and the
troops who made it to Guararapes were seasoned veterans. They wore little if
any armor and generally walked barefoot. They are described as being
"incredibly lithe and agile" and as "possessed of vast knowledge of the ways
of their land". Though the army lacked artillery, 3000 foot soldiers and 200
cavalry took part in the battle.


The Battle

The Dutch expected their adversaries to come down the coastal roads and had
thus formed in a line running south along the southwesternmost hill, then
turning east to run along the northern edge of the eastern swamp. The
artillery was stationed with the eastern wing of the army. Unfortunately for
them, the Luso-Brazilians had stolen a march and passed through the
Guararapes hills to the west via a little known network of trails. They came
boiling out of the western swamp and woods and hit the Dutch army in the
rear and flank. After several hours of bitter hand-to-hand fighting
(including several Portuguese cavalry charges), the Dutch retreated north
along the road back to Recife, leaving their guns and 1,500 casualties on
the field" (Thaddeus Blanchette).

As good Catholics they built a Church at the Battle's Site, after the War,
were some of the veterans were buried.

Both Henrique Dias, the Black General and Felipe Camarão, the Indian (Poti)
Commander were granted the aristocratic "Cruz de Cristo" - "Cross of
Christ", the old prestigious Imperial Commend with an origin in the old
Medieval Portuguese Templars Knights.

The first time Blacks and Indians were fully treated as equals, a condition
that we know must be earned until today in the Americas.

As I said before, no other battle in North America can be compared with
Guararapes in the racial diversity and in the sheer number of soldiers
engaged and casualties taken until the US Civil War.

Cumprimentos

Ricardo Costa de Oliveira



----- Original Message -----

From: "Lawrence Mayka" <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 9:17 AM
Subject: Re: [DNA] Any study on MexicoY-dna? arethey mostlyEuropean
orIndian?


>> [mailto:] On Behalf Of
>> steven perkins
>> Actually, in the Revolutionary War, the United Colonies
>> fielded Indian, European, and African regiments.
>
> I think that was precisely Ricardo's point: Our military has not fielded
> *integrated* troops until quite recently.
>



----- Original Message -----
From: "steven perkins" <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 4:19 AM
Subject: Re: [DNA] Any study on MexicoY-dna? arethey mostlyEuropean
orIndian?


Ricardo:

See one comment below.

On 12/17/06, Ricardo Costa de Oliveira <> wrote:

S N I P

> The Dutch had almost five thousand soldiers in each of the
> armed meetings and the Brazilians had an inferior number. Creativity,
> experience and innovation gave a decisive victory to the Brazilian Army.
> You
> will not find a battle in North America of this proportion until the US
> Civil War. And the Braziliand[sic] were fighting together with Blacks,
> Indians
> and Mestiços (the United States Army only did this in Korea or Vietnam
> War).

Actually, in the Revolutionary War, the United Colonies fielded
Indian, European, and African regiments. It was only after that war
that we had no African regiments until the Civil War. We have had
Indian companies, usually Scouts, until recently. I don't think there
are any separate military groups now, unless there are some Moslem
groups for survival training, like the Minihune groups used during the
Vietnam War (they played the VIetnamese in the John Wayne movie, "The
Green Berets").

Steven C. Perkins

--
Steven C. Perkins
http://stevencperkins.com/
On-Line Journal of Genetics and Genealogy
http://jgg-online.blogspot.com/
Steven C. Perkins' Genealogy Page
http://stevencperkins.com/genealogy.html

This thread: