The article examines the activities of General Reginald (Reynaldo) McDonnell during the Portuguese Civil War in 1846-1847 and the interpretation of these events in the works of Camilo Castelo Branco (1825-1890). The subjects of research are the transformations that the figure of R. McDonnell receives in artistic mind of C. Castelo Branco, and the legend of the writer’s participation in the civil war, invented by himself. The author of the article concludes that the romantic artistic image of the leader of the insurgents, created by C. Castelo Branco, noticeably influenced the reception of his activities in the historiography of the civil wars in Portugal in the second third of the 19th century.