Chapter 2 traces the early phase of the rebel movement, showing that, although its mythology claims that the column always intended to march into Brazil's interior, the inland route was accidental: once most of the original São Paulo rebels stopped fighting and went into exile, the column turned north only when federal troops blocked the path to Rio de Janeiro. Highlighting the accidental nature of the march is vital to foreground the mythologizing that, in the years and decades to come, would depict the column as a heroic quest to liberate the interior. More than just calling attention to a misleading narrative in the rebel legend, such an intervention helps explain how the symbolism of Brazil's interior could have a profound real-world impact—in this case, shaping the route and legitimacy of a military campaign.