{{Infobox military conflict | conflict = Capture of Laguna | partof = the Ragamuffin War | image = | caption = | place = Laguna, Santa Catarina, Empire of Brazil | date = 22 July 1839 | result = Riograndense victory | combatant2 = {{flag|Empire of Brazil}} | combatant1 = {{flag|Riograndense Republic}} | commander1 = David Canabarro<br>Giuseppe Garibaldi<br>{{ill|John Griggs (mercenary)|lt=John Griggs|pt|John Griggs}} | commander2 = Vicente Vilas-Boas | strength2 = 1,000 men<br>2 schooners<br>3 launches<br> '''Total guns:''' ~16{{Sfn|Donato|1996|p=340}} | strength1 = 1,000 men<br>2 launches<br> '''Total guns:''' 8 | casualties2 = 17 dead<br>77 captured<br>2 launches captured<br>1 schooner captured<br>1 launch destroyed{{Sfn|Donato|1996|p=340}} | casualties1 = 1 dead | campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Ragamuffin War}} }}
The '''Capture of Laguna''' was a battle between the rebel Riograndense Republic and the Empire of Brazil during the Ragamuffin War, taking place on 22 July 1839 in Laguna in Santa Catarina.
== Background == The Ragamuffin War had been going on since 1835 and the breakaway Riograndense Republic had control over no ports; this gave rise to the idea of an invasion of the province of Santa Catarina to the north, and specifically the conquest of Laguna, a coastal city which they knew to be only lightly fortified.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Laguna foi atacada por terra e mar pelas tropas farroupilhas |url=https://gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br/geral/noticia/2012/09/laguna-foi-atacada-por-terra-e-mar-pelas-tropas-farroupilhas-3885501.html |access-date=19 December 2025|year=2012 |publisher=Gaúcha Zero Hora|language=pt}}</ref>
== Engagement == David Canabarro commanded a troop of men, and Giuseppe Garibaldi and {{ill|John Griggs (mercenary)|lt=John Griggs|pt|John Griggs}} commanded two launches, ''{{ill|Seival|pt|Seival}}'' and ''{{ill|Farroupilha II|pt|Farroupilha II (navio)}}'', which had been transported overland from the Lagoa dos Patos to the mouth of the Tramandaí River.{{sfn|Spalding|1939|p= 264}} The Imperial garrison, aware of the impending arrival of the rebel force, expected an attack by day and directly to the port, but the attack came at night and through the south. After the rebel launches were spotted, two out of the five Imperial ships opened fire against them, and they replied in kind. Eventually, one of the Imperial ships ran aground and was set on fire by its crewmen, and the other captured.{{Sfn|Donato|1996|p=340}}
Soon afterwards, Canabarro arrived with his troops, but only engaged the defenders after sunrise. Colonel Vilas-Boas, the Imperial commander, ordered a withdrawal, seeing that his forces were inferior.{{Sfn|Donato|1996|p=340}}{{sfn|Spalding|1939|p= 269}} Out of the five Imperial warships in the region at the beginning of the battle, only the launch ''Cometa'' under his command managed to escape.{{sfn|Fragoso|1938|pp= 140-141}}
A few days after this victory, Canabarro proclaimed a new breakaway state, the Juliana Republic.{{Sfn|Donato|1996|p=340}}{{sfn|Fragoso|1938|p= 140}}
==References==
===Citations=== {{Reflist}}
===Bibliography=== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book |last=Donato |first=Hernâni |author-link= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xeyuqtq3ImUC |title=Dicionário das Batalhas Brasileiras |publisher=Instituição Brasileira de Difusão Cultural Limitada |year=1996 |location=São Paulo |isbn=978-85-348-0034-1 |language=pt}} * {{cite book |last=Fragoso |first=Augusto Tasso |author-link=Augusto Tasso Fragoso |year=1938 |title=A Revolução Farroupilha (1835-1845) |publisher=Oficinas Gráficas da Emp. Almanak Laemmert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vsMwAAAAIAAJ |language=pt |location=Rio de Janeiro}} * {{cite book |last=Spalding |first=Walter |title=A Revolução Farroupilha |publisher=Companhia Editora Nacional |year=1939 |url=https://bdor.sibi.ufrj.br/bitstream/doc/242/1/158%20PDF%20-%20OCR%20-%20RED.pdf |language=pt}} {{refend}}
{{coord missing|Santa Catarina (state)}}
Category:Battles involving Brazil Category:Battles of the Ragamuffin War