The Battle of Ituzaingó, also known as the Battle of Passo do Rosário, was a pitched battle fought in the vicinity of the Santa Maria River, in a valley of small hills where a stream divided the valley into two. After a two-year series of continuous sundry skirmishes in the Banda Oriental (present-day Uruguay and Rio Grande do Sul) and along the border of this region with Brazil, the advancing Argentine Army (including Orientals) engaged in combat with the Imperial Brazilian Army. The battle lasted for about six hours, beginning at around six in the morning of 20 February 1827. Background The Banda Oriental was incorporated as a Brazilian province in 1822, when Brazil became independent from Portugal. The centralized government, under the reign of Emperor Pedro I, led to many revolts inside Brazil. Seeing a chance to break the rule of a foreign nation over their country, some Orientals raised the flag of rebellion against the Brazilian government in 1825. At first, the fight did not attract much attention from the Brazilian government, which was dealing with revolts even in Rio de Janeiro at the time. Nevertheless, as the rebellion spread fast, Pedro I had to gather an army by any way that he could to send to Cisplatina (the province's name under Brazilian control). The Brazilian Army was, at first, led by Pedro I himself. Political problems and the death of Empress Leopoldina forced him to return to the capital without getting close to the battlefield. By December 1826, the command was given to General Felisberto Caldeira Brant, the Marquis of Barbacena. By then, the appeal the Orientals sent to Buenos Aires brought the United Provinces into the conflict. The Buenos Aires leadership saw a chance to bring the Banda Oriental back into the United Provinces as a province. General Carlos María de Alvear was appointed as commander of the Republican Army. On January 20, 1827, Alvear moved to the border with Brazil. He attacked some small towns and villages and successfully tried to bring Barbacena to him. Battle By February 18, the Republican Army reached a stream of Santa Maria River. Alvear had previously chosen that place to maximize his advantage in cavalry. The Brazilian Imperial Army arrived in the battlefield the next day. Refusing some objections over the exhaustion of the army, the Marquis of Barbacena prepared his forces for action as soon as possible the