Manuel Jorge Rodrigues

Manuel Jorge Rodrigues, 1st Baron of Taquari, (23 April 1777 – 14 May 1845) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian general and politician. A veteran of the Peninsular War, Rodrigues distinguished himself in many battles during that campaign fighting alongside the British. During the Cisplatine War he commanded the defense of the town of Colonia del Sacramento from an Argentine attack over the course of February–March 1826. Later on he also fought internal revolts in Brazil. Rodrigues briefly held the office of president of the Pará province during the Cabanagem revolt in 1835, after which he was sent to southern Brazil in order to fight the rebels in the Ragamuffin War, the longest civil war in Brazilian history, that broke out during the Regency period in the provinces of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.

Biography Manuel Jorge Rodrigues was born on 23 April 1777 in Lisbon. On 18 September 1794 he joined the Infantry Regiment 8 of the Portuguese army, quickly reaching the rank of alferes by decree on 24 June 1807. In 1808 he was commissioned in the rank of captain, taking part in the Peninsular War and tasked with organizing the first battalion of Caçadores, being effectively promoted to captain on 21 January 1809.

Over the course of the 1810s Rodrigues took part in several battles, most notably Bussaco, Fuentes de Oñoro, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Orthez and Toulouse. In Toulouse he commanded the first battalion of Caçadores, distinguishing himself in the battle, which earned him the praise of the commander of his brigade. In 1815 he earned a British medal for his role in the battles of Orthez and Toulouse. taking office on 25 June 1835. The province was being ravaged by a revolt. The rebels attacked the capital of the province on August 14, killing Rodrigues' son, captain Jerônimo Herculano Rodrigues. Jorge Rodrigues was dismissed from his office in November 14 of that same year, retiring to the court in Rio de Janeiro and being commissioned to the rank of lieutenant general.