Events in December 1886:
December 1st : French Foreign Minister, Charles Maris travels by rail down to Rome to meet and confer with the Brazilian Ambassador and begin preliminary negotiations aimed at ending the hostilities between their two nations. Maris will meet with Italian Emperor Umberto I at the Chigi Palace, in Rome. Foreign Minister Maris will be surprised when the Brazilian Ambassador reports that his nation sees no reason for any negotiations to begin at this time. The Brazilian Ambassador states that he will attend a once a month meeting with the Emperor present to reaffirm his nations decision whether or not to begin negotiations with the French. Maris will return back to Imperial France on December 8th empty handed to a very frustrated Prime Minister.
December 2nd-16th : The "Battle of Mage" occurs. The battle will see the French take the small town by December 5th only to see the Brazilians stage a desperate counter-attack from December 6th thru 8th. The counter-attack will fail but the French will find themselves beyond their supply lines and low on ammunition. On December 11th, 18,000 Brazilian Imperial Guards will launch a savage attack upon Mage. The Imperial Guards will force the French to retreat from Mage by December 15th. Upon hearing of the French withdrawal, all of Rio de Janeiro exults in celebration.
December 5th-7th : Brazilian cavalry, the "Green-over-Grays", will make a breakthrough at the village of Silva Jardim, Rio de Janeiro, some 65mi/104km east of Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilians will overwhelm the small French garrison troops located there. The main mission for the Brazilians is to capture any supplies that may be found in the village and to destroy as much of the railroad tracks as possible. The "G-over-G" will lose 48 troopers during their attack on the small village. The French garrison of 84 men will retreat away from the village after losing 27 men. The Brazilians will withdraw from the village on December 10th after destroying some 16mi/25km of railroad track in the general vicinity.
December 10th : French cavalry will skirmish with Brazilian troops near the town of Petropolis. The Brazilians will successfully prevent the French from entering the town. The French will sustain 82 casualties, 17 killed and 65 wounded. The Brazilians will take 149 casualties; 68 killed and 81 wounded. The town is the site of the Imperial Summer Palace.
December 12th : 968 French marines led by General Herve Gely land near the coastal town of Marica. The marines take the town by December 16th after a brief fight against militia and 2 rifle companies of regular infantry. The French will sustain 119 killed and 178 wounded. General Gely is among those killed in the assault upon the town.
December 14th-20th : Brazilian militia from all over Brazil begin to arrive in large numbers in Rio de Janeiro. The militia number in the tens of thousands. After arriving, the troops are forced to march out beyond the Capital city and into adjacent territories. Many local noblemen complain and object to their land being used as potential bivouac sites for the newly arrived soldiers. As a consequence, thousands of militiamen are put back on trains and taken to points further away from Rio de Janeiro. Most of the militia units will be bivouacked near the small towns of Japeri and Nova Belem, some 37mi/60km northwest of Rio de Janeiro.
December 15th : French forces retake the village of Silva Jardim unopposed. The wrecked rail lines are restored by French military railroad engineers by December 20th.
December 18th : General Antonio Sobral arrives in Rio de Janeiro with his 15th Army and is flabbergasted by the behavior of the local nobles who refuse to allow his troops (most of the militia are to be attached to Sobral's 15th Army) to be bivouacked on their land(s). General Sobral sarcastically asks the noblemen (via the newspapers) if the French arrive, will the nobles allow them to bivouac on their land? And how will the noblemen react if and when the French refuse to vacate their land?
December 29th : General Solidonio Bracamonte's 21st Army arrives at the town of Petropolis. General Bracamonte's 32,000 man army will help to secure the northern areas north of where the French are located. The 21st Army is to be used to prevent the French from launching an invasion into the Province of Minas Gerais.
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The Battle of Mage: December 2nd-16th, 1886
" The Battle of Mage was actually three battles over the tactically important town just 25mi/40km north, northeast of Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilians were aware of the significance of holding the town from the French invaders. The Brazilians knew that if Mage fell, it could cause a huge drop in morale among the populace and potentially bring the Brazilian capital under direct infantry assault. Mage also had a railroad going through it and was the only rail line that headed west into the interior of the Province of Rio de Janeiro. The French wanted & needed the town due to its proximity to the Brazilian capital and also since it could then be utilized by them as another supply depot for their forces."
" It was during the early morning of December 2nd when French artillery began to fire upon the Brazilian lines situated about half a mile to the east of the town of Mage. The French 29th Division, commanded by General Georges LeFebrve, would lead the attack into the town on the first days action. The 29th had formerly been part of the "Army of the Amazon", but, was of now, part of the "Army of Rio de Janeiro". General LeFebrve ordered his 2nd Brigade, commanded by General Jules Bersoulle to march his brigade to the northwest and circumvent the hills to the north/northeast of Mage in an attempt to surprise the enemy. General Bersoulle's regiments made good headway during the early morning hours only to be stopped by mid afternoon as Brazilian resistance began to stiffen. Bersoulle was also aided in his maneuvers by French cavalry which was able to keep him abreast of the exact locations of the Brazilians. "
" Holding the town of Mage were the weakened regiments of General Anastasio Altamirano's 1st Army as well as General Miguel Ortiz' 23rd Army. It would be the Brazilian 10th Division (23rd Army), commanded by General Luis Vilhana that would stop the French advance in the late afternoon of the first days fighting. Both Generals Altamirano and Ortiz ordered their artillery to support General Vilhana's position in the areas to the north of Mage. It was that artillery support that prevented General Bersoulle's men from breaking through the lines. Unlike the Brazilians, the French had no inclination to make a series of charges during an enemy artillery barrage. "
" While the French 29th's 2nd Brigade moved to the north of Mage, its' 1st Brigade remained to the front (east), facing the Brazilian 1st Army. The 1st Brigade's commander, General Gerard Garat, made several assaults on the Brazilians but was unable to force them from their positions. General Garat had his men make four assaults during the first day of the battle but made no headway whatsoever. The arrival of General Hugo Gentile's 43rd Infantry Division just before nightfall greatly shored up the French lines but they would see no action until the next day of the battle. During the late evening and into the 3rd of December, several thousand Brazilian reinforcements also arrived in the town of Mage. These replacement troops did not belong to any unit and were assigned to those units on the front lines that were in desperate need of new troops. "
" On December 3rd, the French once again began the morning with a thunderous artillery barrage on the Brazilian front lines in both the east and northern areas of the town. At 8:00 AM, General Gentile's 43rd Division made a charge at the Brazilian lines. Simultaneously, General Bersoulle sent his regiments forward towards the Brazilian lines. The fighting lasted for some 25 minutes before the Brazilians began to break. General Vilhana ordered a retreat of his 2nd Brigade in order to prevent it from becoming captured by the advancing French. On the eastern side of Mage, General LeFebrve's 1st Brigade overran the Brazilian earthworks around 8:30 AM and the "unfolding" of the Brazilian defenses began. General Augustinho Chanoca's 4th Division was driven back with extremely heavy losses. The French bombardment had wrecked their lines and it was there where General LeFebrve's 1st Brigade made their breakthrough."
" The Brazilians streamed through and out of the town, deciding not to fight within the town of Mage itself. Had the Brazilians tried to set up a defensive line in the small town, they may have been able to inflict much greater casualties upon the French than what they in fact did. Reasons as to why the Brazilians did not try to hold the town where many. One was due to the confusion that was going on as the battle progressed. More importantly, since General Vilhana had been unable to stop the French north of Mage, any attempt to stop the French from the east would keep the Brazilian left flank (the north), open to an attack from General Bersoulle's 2nd Brigade. The decision to pull out of the town was agreed upon by Generals Altamirano and Ortiz both. "
" A hastily set up defensive line was made, just to the west of Mage along the Rio Santo Aleixo by the Brazilians. On the second day, hundreds of Brazilians had been taken prisoner by the French. Most of the prisoners were men who had only come as replacements the night before. The French brought up their artillery as well as their Gatling batteries lest the Brazilians attempt an assault upon the new French positions. The next day, the Brazilians began firing their artillery just before 9:00 AM. Most of the Brazilian shots landed short of the French lines. The French had wisely pulled their troops back several hundred yards during the night. French artillery answered the Brazilians back around 9:30 AM. The Brazilians, who were now panicking, knew that that they had to throw the French back. If the French held the town, they would undoubtedly be able to bring more supplies and troops along the railroad and bring more pressure to bear upon the Capital."
" The Brazilians began a furious charge against the French just after 10:00 AM. General Bernardo Ximenes' 56th Division, recently reinforced with some 3600 replacement troops led the way during the first of three charges that day. The 56th only had 8200 men in its' ranks and 3200 had only just arrived two nights earlier. By the time that the charge was over, the 56th Division had some 2100 men remaining. Other Brazilian divisions fared no better. French gunnery, both artillery and Gatlings made mincemeat out of the Brazilians. With both the 1st & 23rd Armies greatly depleted, the two armies had no choice but to withdraw back over the Santo Aleixo River just after 3:00 PM. No sooner had they retreated when the French counter-attack began. General Gentile's 43rd led the way and crossed over the small river (creek), taking very few losses. The Brazilians, shocked, began a headlong retreat. The Brazilians would retreat some 7mi/11km to the west before crossing and stopping along the Rio Sacacuruna. Only the discipline of the troops kept the retreat from becoming a rout."
" General Altamirano did his best to regroup his battered forces. Although he had taken heavy losses, Altamirano retained all of his artillery. General Altamirano and General Ortiz then began to coordinate a plan in order to drive the French back before they had dug themselves in the hills to the west of Mage. The next day, General Altamirano launched his assault to try to drive the French back from their present position. The Brazilian counter-attack was a costly mess. Although not heavily dug in, the French held the Brazilians back for three days. The Brazilians were relentless in their attacks upon the French positions but the thing that would come to be so valuable for the French during the war, their artillery, would prove decisive in driving every Brazilian attack back with frightful losses."
" When news of the fall of Mage and the failed counter offensive reached Rio a few hours later on December 8th, a sense of dread and panic began to grip the High Command. At once, word was sent out to all available troops to make their way towards Mage. The only problem was that there were too few troops anywhere within Rio on December 8th. More troops would not be arriving for at least another week. Army Chief of Staff, General Manuel T. Lucena then sent for General Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca, the commander of the Imperial Guards. The Brazilians had no choice but to use the Imperial Guard to defend the city. Within 24 hours, the Imperial Guard, along with a regiment of Imperial Horse Guards were moving with all haste towards Mage."
" The Brazilian Imperial Guards would set out fully supplied and with a determination not to fail their Empire or Emperor. General da Fonseca took a bold gamble. Three days of rain would help to mask the movement of his 18,000 men towards the French positions west of Mage. Meanwhile, the relentless attacks on the French positions had greatly reduced their ammunition supplies and it would take time for their supply trains to catch up to where they were. It was this "hunch" that da Fonseca was counting on. He believed that with a reduced supply, the French might be able to be thrown back from where they were. General da Fonseca decided to launch his attack without artillery support just after 8:30 PM on Saturday, December 11th. The French troops on the front lines in the hills were taken completely by surprise as the Imperial Guards swarmed over their positions. Hundreds of French soldiers were captured without any resistance by the Brazilians. The initial attack was so rapid that dozens of French officers were captured and shocked that the Brazilians were even there. The French were able to recover rather quickly as word spread of the Brazilian attack. Gunfire began just after midnight on the 12th and the combat lasted for another two days. The French held their ground in several areas inflicting heavy casualties on the Brazilians but were forced to retreat due to low ammo supplies. Upon hearing of the Brazilian counter attack, and knowing of his supply situation, General Chamfort ordered a general retreat from the area. General LeFebrve & General Gentile began an orderly retreat of their troops back to Mage early on December 15th. The Imperial Guards attempted to attack Mage on the morning of December 16th but were driven back with massive casualties. It was then that General da Fonseca ended his offensive. The assault on the French by the Imperial Guards was crucial in not just pushing the French back from the Capital, it was crucial for the morale of the public at large throughout Brazil. After hearing of defeat after defeat and with the enemy approaching Rio, the Brazilian people needed a victory. The efforts of the Imperial Guards gave the Brazilian people what they needed to hear and believe in."
Results of the battle:
French losses; December 2nd-16th:
1893 killed
3479 wounded
212 missing
1943 captured
Brazilian losses; December 2nd-16th:
9772 killed
13706 wounded
1926 missing
2676 captured
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The Tuileries Palace, the Emperor's study, Paris, France
December 16, 1886
Time: 3:30 PM
The Prime Minister sat quietly alongside of Foreign Secretary Maris while Marshal Le Boeuf read the reports coming in from Brazil. Off to their left, Napoleon sat at his desk seemingly reading a book and appearing not to be paying any attention to the briefing at all. The news was glowing. The Brazilians had not only been defeated at the Caceribu River, they had also lost the important city of Niteroi across the bay from Rio de Janeiro. Maris asked a few questions to Le Boeuf regarding the aftermath of the conflagration that had engulfed Niteroi. Le Boeuf assured the Foreign Minister that although there had been some fires, it had not damaged the docks. Meline smirked at that. As long as the Brazilians held their Capital, the docks in Niteroi were useless. Brazilian batteries on the western side of the inlet would pound any French ship that tried to come into Niteroi's harbor. Marshal Le Boeuf also made mention of the battle taking place at a town called Mage. All present smiled when Le Boeuf mentioned that if Mage fell, it would open up the Brazilian Capital to attack from the north.
Minister Maris then stood up. " I am sorry to mention this but Ambassador Coutinho politely stated that his Government was still unwilling to discuss any terms with us at this time. As far as they are concerned, they are willing to let our armies fight their armies to the last man before they are even willing to consider discussing any sort of cease-fire agreement with us." Meline then decided to speak up. "So, they are willing to fight us to the last man? Well, we will see about that! I wonder how willing they are going to be when we capture their Capital, loot it and let it burn to the ground. I have to wonder about these people and their stubbornness, I really do." It was at that moment that H.I.H. decided to say something at long last.
"Gentlemen, I strongly urge and, well, I find it difficult to allow our troops to destroy the Brazilian Capital. Or, for that matter, any Brazilian city or town. I think it puts us in the position of being, well,...rather barbaric & cruel. I feel very strongly about this. I am disturbed by the thought that our troops may have had a hand in destroying that city, ah,....Nyderoy is it? I am also disturbed by the reports that I have read indicating that a human tragedy is taking place in the coastal cities of...Salvador, Recife, Maceio, Aracaju, and Natal. Reportedly there are thousands of civilians who are starving to death. I want no further suffering to happen to the Brazilian people. It is not right that civilians should suffer so."
Prime Minister Meline stood up and gleefully reveled in having the opportunity to correct H.I.H. by stating that the city in question was named Niteroi. Meline casually ignored the Emperor's mention of the starving thousands in Brazil's coastal cities. The P.M. then nonchalantly walked over to the Emperor's desk. Smiling smugly, Meline then began to speak almost in a condescending tone towards Napoleon. "Majesty,...in time of war, during the heat of battle, as you may recall and verily attest to,...events,......sometimes do get out of hand. Passions rise,...tempers flare,...and sometimes,...Majesty,....fists do fly." Meline enjoyed throwing in that cheap shot, a jab to the Emperor's memory of what had happened to him & his nose back in June of 1879 outside of the town of Meaux. Grinning, the Prime Minister then went on. " The fires in question your Majesty were begun by artillery and not intentionally set by our troops at all. Why should we burn the city? We need the city to function in order to make it easier for our troops to occupy it. We need the docks and warehouses in Niteroi for ourselves to use. The city offers us an excellent place for our forces to not only bombard Rio, we can also prevent any of their ships from entering or leaving Guanabara Bay. As for the Brazilian Capital, your Highness,....how are we, here in Paris going to be able to stop our soldiers over in the Western Hemisphere when their passions and anger have been aroused? So what if they take out their vengeance upon the enemy Capital? Is not Rio de Janeiro the filthy warren where these Mulatto rats planned the destruction of our ships and our splendid colonial city of Cayenne? Perhaps, vengeance for the destruction of Cayenne is in fact and indeed just what is needed. We need to show these People that they cannot get away with wrecking our city. Perhaps if our troops were allowed to run wild, we will in fact put the fear of God into the Brazilians. These gray rats need someone to give them their comeuppance! I am grateful that the Lord has put our men in the position to inflict a just punishment on the Brazilians and their aggressive hubris! Majesty,....during times of war...." Meline never finished his sentence. He along with Maris & Le Boeuf were shocked by what happened next. The Emperor raised his voice and spoke with an authority that up until now he had refrained from using.
" Prime Minister! I hereby order and demand that none of our troops are to participate or undertake in any, and I reiterate, Prime Minster, any looting or wanton destruction of any Brazilian town or city! Our troops are not to burn, loot, rape or cause any destruction to the civilian population or private property! I want our troops to in fact,....guard and protect any private property and or structure of a religious, historical, or cultural import to Brazil. Our mission is to punish Brazil for their perfidy! Not to destroy their culture or government! Is that understood Prime Minister?! If Rio de Janeiro or any other Brazilian city is pillaged or destroyed by our troops,....Prime Minister Meline, I will hold you personally responsible for that destruction. If Rio is destroyed Prime Minister, so too will be your ministry. Now, I demand Prime Minister that you see to it personally that the order is sent out declaring that no Imperial soldier, sailor, or marine is to participate in any wanton destruction of private property in Brazil especially in regards to fire. I hope for your sake Prime Minister that they follow your directive to the letter in this and that they somehow are able to curb their passions and anger."
The Emperor stood up and as he did His ministers stood and bowed. Napoleon then exited the office leaving the three men in stunned silence. After the doors were closed, it was Maris who spoke first. "Well Felix, now what are you going to..." He was immediately cut off. "Marshal Le Boeuf,..." Meline gulped. " Marshal Le...., cable the order,.....find out from General Chamfort the situation on the ground over there. Determine whether or not our troops can make an assault upon Rio. Find out when they can go and how,....make certain of,....supplies....and...." The P.M. was grasping for words, the Emperor's outburst had caught him off guard. "Let me know at your earliest convenience when they can move against the Brazilian Capital." Meline then swallowed hard. "Also, Marshal, send a directive to all commands that,.....upon pain of death and at the express directive of the Emperor, no burning, looting, or pillaging, is to be tolerated. Any structure not being used as refuge by the enemy is to be left alone by our troops. Repeat that part of the message regarding what will happen to any of our troops, regardless of rank especially if they participate in arson."
The Prime Minister all of a sudden began to look pale. He seemed to have had the wind taken out of his sails so to speak. After regaining his composure, he began again. "Also, Marshal Le Boeuf, add that we will hold the senior officers as well as senior NCO's responsible if their men do any more destruction than is necessary." Marshal Le Boeuf wrote everything down as fast as he could. Minister Maris quietly packed up his belongings and before he could open his mouth, Meline held up his hand to indicate that he did not want to talk about anything at the present time. As the Prime Minister slowly made his exit from the office, he had a very disquieting feeling down in the pit of his stomach. That feeling put there, by a young man named Bonaparte.
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The Ile de Nantes, Nantes, France
December 20, 1886
Time: 4:00 PM
The Prime Minister walked off of the platform as the troops assembled before him gave him a rousing cheer. The P.M. had given them a great send off and had delivered a speech full of patriotic vigor. The troops in question would be boarding ships in the next few hours that would take them to Brazil after an eighteen day journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier, in the morning, the P.M. had observed a demonstration of the Pettit Fusil-Automatique. The automatic rifle, or machine gun worked to perfection. What the P.M. noted was that despite purchasing some 4,000 of these new automatic rifles, none as of yet were in active service in Brazil. Meline thought wistfully as to how these weapons could really wreak havoc on the Brazilians. The problem was the delivery of ammunition for the automatic rifle. Pettit & Co. simply could not yet keep up with the demands placed upon them. Pettit was striving to deliver as much ammunition and weapons as possible. Not only was Imperial France purchasing regular rifles and ammunition from Pettit, so too were, the Italians, Swedes, Danes, Greeks, and above all, the Belgians as well. Meline was a bit miffed about the slow arrival of the new machine guns particularly its' ammunition. On the other hand, the Pettit 7-85 rifle was being delivered without difficulty. French armories could also manufacture the required ammunition for the 7-85. They were unable at this time, however, to manufacture the ammunition that the automatic weapon required. Also, the Pettit 7-85 had a magazine that held the rounds that were to be fired. The magazines were also manufactured up in Belgium but these were of course delivered with the rifle that they were meant to accompany.
What the P.M. was also there to do was to personally remind the officers and senior NCO's, face-to-face, that there was to be no looting, arson, or rape against the Brazilian populace. Meline was quick to remind all of the officers that he met (and he made sure to speak to every last one of them), that the penalty for allowing their troops to break the directive of the Emperor was a death sentence. The officers took notice of what Meline said. As a result, few would dare to allow their troops to break the wishes of the Emperor. Finally when the Prime Minister departed from the train station just before 8:00 PM, many of the officers and senior NCO's still had a very disquieting feeling and sense of dread in the pits of their stomachs. For the P.M. had transferred some of his ill feeling to his men. A way of...."sharing his burden", so to speak. What no one could foresee was that the P.M.'s uncomfortable feeling in his stomach would not disappear for quite a long time.
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Embassy of the Empire of Brazil, Rome, Italy
December 27, 1886
Time: 1:30 PM
As Ambassador Coutinho read the message again he was amazed, relieved, and surprised all at once. A messenger from the Holy See had delivered this message to his embassy earlier today. What amazed the ambassador was that the message was from the Emperor of France, Napoleon IV himself. Ambassador Coutinho knew that his government would look favorably upon this outreach by the French Emperor. Then again too, it could just be a ploy to lull Brazil into a trap. As far as Coutinho could tell, it was up to the politicians and his Emperor to decide what to do regarding Napoleon's message. What the message basically stated was that Napoleon had forbidden his troops from conducting any pillaging or plundering while in Brazil. Napoleon also stated that if his troops entered any Brazilian city, they would be prevented by their officers from engaging in any wanton acts of destruction. The French Emperor also went further by saying that he had no desire to see Rio de Janeiro suffer any destruction whatsoever. He then added that if the Brazilians were to declare their capital an "Open City", that French troops would not cause any destruction to the city. On the other hand, if the Brazilians set up defensive lines within their capital, then Imperial France could not be held responsible for what may or may not happen to the capital. Essentially, what Napoleon was hinting at was if the Brazilians decided to not defend their city, then no harm would come to it by the French. It was a crafty outreach by Napoleon. He was almost telling the Brazilians what he would have his troops do. It was also a way for having them abandon their splendid capital rather than see it destroyed. Coutinho could not fathom his country just abandoning their capital yet, even more, he could not see Rio in flames either. It was a wicked choice that the Brazilians were given. As the ambassador walked over to look out of his window, he was grateful that it was not he who would have to make the decision on what the French had just offered.
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. The bankers would be in collusion with the rubber planters in Indo-China and get a behind the scenes "kickback" from the "planters" who are really not planters but "flim-flam" men or con-artists. This way the bankers will give loan after loan to new planters for years and years meanwhile no rubber ever comes out of Indo-China