O artigo procura revelar que, ao longo do século XIX, a Marinha de Guerra Brasileira era um dos caminhos seguidos pelos escravos fugidos para alcançar a liberdade. Já existem algumas obras que tratam dos escravos emancipados para a guerra do Paraguai. Contudo, temos somente alguns poucos comentários na historiografia sobre os escravos não-emancipados - que fugiam e burlavam os aparato policial e de recrutamento militar ao longo do século XIX. Analisei os ofícios trocados entre o chefe de polícia da Corte e o encarregado do quartel general da Marinha, que revelaram as falhas do alistamento militar provocadas pela necessidade de homens para a Armada e pelo interesse do aparato policial em se livrar daqueles tidos como vadios, mendigos, menores, etc. Além disso, em momentos de guerra, crises políticas e revoltas, os escravos poderiam ter variadas interpretações da palavra liberdade. No processo de independência, na Sabinada, na guerra Paraguai e em outros momentos de crise, os escravos fugiram, enganaram recrutadores, assumiram seus postos no front em forças legalistas ou separatistas e alcançaram a liberdade. Todavia, essa mesma liberdade não estaria garantida, se eles não lutassem com unhas e dentes pela causa da guerra. O que revela um sentido político não ligado à Força Armada que participavam, mas aos seus próprios interesses.
This paper aims at showing the Brazilian Navy used to be one of the routes followed by fugitive slaves throughout the nineteenth century. Some works have already been published on free slaves that took part in the war against Paraguay. However, with regard to non-emancipated slaves ¾ those who escaped and cheated the apparatuses of both the police and conscription during the nineteenth century ¾ historiographic comments are rather scarce. The author has analyzed official communications exchanged between the court’s chief of police and the officer in charge of Navy headquarters, which have revealed flaws in enlistment caused by the need to man warships and by police interest in ridding themselves of men regarded as vagrants or beggars, as well as minors etc. On the other hand, in wartime and during political crises and revolt slaves could give variable meanings to the word freedom. During the process of independence, the Sabinada rebellion, the war against Paraguay and other times of crisis, slaves would escape, cheat draft officials, take up their posts on the front in either loyalist or separatist forces, and thereby gain liberty. That freedom, however, was not to be ensured unless they fought tooth and nail for the cause of war, all of which discloses a political meaning not so much related to the branch of the armed forces they were enrolled in as to their own personal interests.
L’article vise à montrer que la marine de guerre brésilienne était une des voies empruntées par les esclaves en fuite au long du XIXème siècle. Quelques oeuvres traitant des esclaves émancipés pour la guerre du Paraguay, existent. Toutefois, quant aux non émancipés qui fuyaient et trompaient l’appareil policier et le recrutement militaire pendant le XIXème siècle, nous n’avons que quelques rares commentaires dans l’historiographie. Nous avons analysé la correspondance échangée entre le chef de police de la cour et le responsable du quartier général de la marine, laquelle a révélé des failles dans l’enrôlement militaire provoquées par le grand besoin en hommes de l’escadre et par l’intérêt du sytème policier de se débarasser de ceux qui étaient tenus pour vagabonds, mendiants, mineurs etc. Par ailleurs, en période de guerre, de crise politique et de révolte, les esclaves pouvaient avoir diverses interprétations du mot liberté. Dans le processus d’indépendance, à Sabinada, pendant la guerre du Paraguay et à d’autres moments de crise, les esclaves s’enfuirent, se jouèrent de leurs recruteurs, prirent leurs postes au front comme forces légalistes ou séparatistes et obtinrent leur liberté. Cependant, cette liberté n’aurait pas été garantie s’ils n’avaient lutté bec et ongles pour la cause belliqueuse. Ce qui révèle moins un sens politique indépendant des forces armés participantes qu’un sens lié à leurs propres intérêts.
