Noted Hispanics in the war.

UNION

Admiral David Glasgow Farragut:

The most famous Civil War personality of Spanish descent, his father was a Spaniard, born in Minorca and served in the Russian Navy prior to coming to America and fighting in the American War for Independence. Born in Tennessee, David began his naval career at age nine and went on to serve in the War of 1812 and Mexican War.

Farragut was sixty when the Civil War broke out and in February 1862 he sailed for New Orleans in command of the expedition that captured that important southern port and opened the Mississippi to Vicksburg. He was promoted to Rear Admiral for his success and spent part of 1863 in operations against Port Hudson. He is perhaps most known for his capture of Mobile Bay in August 1864 and his famous command "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead". In December 1864 he was promoted to the newly created rank of Vice Admiral. In July 1866 he was promoted to Admiral, the first person to hold that rank in the U.S. Navy. From 1867-1868 Farragut commanded the European Squadron. He died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on August 14, 1870, and remains one of the most noted naval commanders in American history.

Lt. Colonel Frederico Fernandez Cayada:

Born in Cuba to a Spanish father and American mother, Lt. Colonel Cavada served in the 114th Pennsylvania (Collis Zouaves). At Gettysburg he commanded the regiment and was captured while leading it on the second day of the battle. He was taken to Libby Prison and after the war wrote a book about his experiences there. He returned to Cuba where he became a prominent leader in the revolutionary movement for Cuban independence from Spain. He was eventually captured and executed by the Spanish.

Lt. Colonel Manuel Chaves:

A member of an old and distinguished family, Chaves was descended from a Spanish soldier who had arrived in the Southwest in 1600. During the Mexican War he fought against the United States but when New Mexico became a territory he became a loyal citizen. From 1855-1863, he became well known as an Indian fighter. During the Confederate invasion of New Mexico he served as an officer in the territorial volunteers. At the Battle of Glorietta Pass he served as a guide for Colonel Chivington in the movement that resulted in the destruction of the Confederate supply train.

Colonel Miguel E. Pino:

He raised and commanded the 2nd New Mexico Volunteers. He led them at the battle of Valverde in March 1882.

Lt. Colonel Jose M. Valdez:

He commanded the 3rd New Mexico volunteers at Valverde. Both he and Colonel Pino were cited by Union General Canby in his official report for their efforts in this action.

CONFEDERATES

Colonel Santos Benevides:

He was born November 1, 1823 in Laredo, to an old Texas family (His great-great grandfather Tomas Sanchez founded Laredo in 1755). Benenvides served under five flags-Republic of Mexico, Republic of the Rio Grande, Republic of Texas, Confederate States of America and United States. In 1856 he served as mayor of Laredo and was a prominent political and financial leader in the area. When the war broke out he and his family sided with the Confederacy. He rose quickly from Captain to Colonel in command of his own regiment of cavalry composed primarily of Tejanos. His brother Refugio and half brother Cristobal were captains in the regiment. Benevides is credited with repulsing major Union attempts to capture Laredo and Brownsville. In a joint resolution of the Texas Legislature, he was commended for his efforts against Union sponsored guerilla raids along the Rio Grande. The highest ranking Mexican American in the Civil War, he was one of the last Confederate officers to surrender__July 1865.

Loretta Janet Velesquez:

A legendary Civil War figure, she masqueraded as a soldier in order to be with her husband and fought at 1st Manassas. Balls Bluff and Fort Donelson. She was discharged when her identity was discovered, yet re-enlisted in another regiment in time to fight at Shiloh. Later, she is said to have served as a spy, using both male and female guises. Whether her exploits are fact or fiction, she is certainly one of the most interesting characters of the Civil War.

Col. A.J. Gonzales:

He was born in Cuba, had participated in a revolt against Spain in 1848 and went into exile in the U.S. where he supported the Lopez filibustering expedition. Attended school in New York and was classmate of General P.G.T. Beauregard. Became U.S. Citizen in 1849. In 1856 he settled in Beaufort, South Carolina and married into prominent local family. Served briefly as inspector general on Beauregard's staff, and was commended by his old classmate for his conspicuous service at the bombardment of Fort Sumter. Then appointed Lt. Colonel of artillery and assigned to duty as Chief of Artillery in the department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

His most notable contribution to the Confederate war effort was as a special aide to the governor of South Carolina, he surveyed and studied a large part of that states coast to pinpoint appropriate locations for coastal defenses. He then submitted plans for the efficient use of barbette and siege guns, with special emphasis on the ability to move batteries quickly to other locations and concentrate fire on a given target. By placing his heavy artillery on special carriages for increased mobility, he was able to fend off Union gunboat attempts to destroy railroads and other important points on the Carolina coast.

Hispanic Medal of Honor Winners

Philip Bazaar: Born in Chile, he apparently enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Massachusetts. He won the Medal of Honor for bravery at the Battle of Fort Fisher, January 15, 1865.

John Ortega: Born in Spain, he joined the U.S. Navy from Pennsylvania. He served as a seaman on the U.S.S. Saratoga. Was promoted to acting master's mate and awarded the medal for courageous service during two actions on this ship.

The Civil War in the American Southwest

Most people think of Virginia, and other states east of the Mississippi River as the major battleground of the war. However, a number of important Civil War campaigns and battles took place in what was known as the Trans-Mississippi Theater, west of the river. Ninety Civil war actions took place in Texas and seventy five in New Mexico. Many of the participants in these were Mexican-Americans.

In Texas, a civil war within a civil war took place as "Tejano" fought "Tejano". Many of the poor class of Mexican-Americans were ambivalent toward the conflict and looked upon it as a plague upon both "Anglo" house north and south.

Many of these people were against slavery. Indeed, in 1860 only sixty slaves were owned by "Tejanos" and this was mostly in Bexar and other nearby counties. Feeling ran so strong against secession in Zapata County, that a group of 40 "Tejanos" led by Antonio Ochoa, marched on the county seat on April 12, 1861 to prevent the county officials from taking the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy.

Later, Ochoa fled across the border into Mexico. From there, Ochoa and others led raids into Texas. Although called bandits by Confederate authorities, Union agents supported their activities in order to tie down Confederate troops and disrupt the lucrative cotton trade between the Confederacy and Mexico. In one brutal raid, pro-Union raiders commanded by Octaviano Zapata rode to the ranch of Zapata county judge, Isidro Vela, and hanged this Confederate official in front of his wife and children.

Confederate retaliation was swift. Captain Refugio Benevides led a company of cavalry into Mexico in pursuit of Zapata. In the ensuing action, the Confederates killed 18 and wounded 14. Zapata escaped however, but was ambushed and killed by confederate troops led by Major Santos Benevides on September 2, 1863.

Fighting continued in Texas and along the Mexican border, throughout the war. Many Tejanos, particularly the more well to do, served in the Confederate army. The Benevides Cavalry remained active in Texas throughout the war.

The last battle of the Civil War was fought at Palmetto Ranch, near Brownsville on May 13, 1865. A number of Tejanos participated in this fight on both sides.

In 1861, the territory of New Mexico (which also included much of what is now Arizona) had a population of 80,567. Most of these were Mexicans. The territory had strong ties to Missouri because of trade on the Santa fe Trail. In 1855 the influence of the South was strengthened with the election of Miguel Otero as territorial delegate. He had married a South Carolina girl and was a Southern sympathizer. Because of this Southern connection, many people thought that New Mexico would go Confederate.

Many of the native population of the territory turned out to be neutral when the war broke out. However, many Hispanics became pro-Union, especially after Confederate abuses of the civilian population when they invaded New Mexico.

In July and August 1861, Lt. Colonel John R. Baylor led the 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles up the Rio Grande Valley into New Mexico. On August 1, he proclaimed the creation of the Confederate territory of Arizona, (comprising what is today Arizona and New Mexico below the 34th parallel) with himself as governor.

In mid December, 1861 Brigadier General Henry Sibley marched into the territory with a Confederate Army of 2,600. On February 21, 1862 he defeated a numerically stronger force of Federals under Colonel Edward Canby at Valverde. Sibley next occupied Santa Fe, which had been evacuated by the Federals, who destroyed all the supplies they were not able to carry rather than have them fall into Confederate hands.

Events took a turn for the worse for the Confederates when most of their supply train was destroyed by the 1st Colorado Volunteers near Glorietta Pass on March 28, 1862. Lack of supplies, a hostile population and news that Major James H. Carlton's 2,000 man "California Column" was coming to Canby's rescue, check mated Confederate designs on New Mexico and Arizona. Sibley withdrew to San Antonio and the Union army in New Mexico spent the rest of the war guarding the territory against Indian raids.

Conclusion

Hispanic-Americans fought in every major theater of the Civil War. Some were immigrants to America. For many, their families had lived for generations in places such as Florida, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico. Some had aristocratic ties but most were of the laboring class like the majority of other Americans who joined the Union and Confederate Armies. Like their brothers in arms of other ethnic backgrounds they knew hardships, fear, excitement, death, destruction and finally peace in America's greatest struggle__the Civil War.

For Further Reading:

Booth, Andrew B. compiler, Records of Louisiana Confederate Soldiers and Louisiana Confederate Commands New Orleans 1920.

Hall, Martin H. Sibley's New Mexico Campaign Austin. U. of Texas Press 1960.

Hispanics in America's Defense U.S. Department of Defense Publication.

Jones, Terry L. Lee's Tigers: The Louisiana Infantry in the Army of Northern Virginia Baton Rouge University of Louisiana Press 1987.

Lonn, Ella Foreigners in the Confederacy UNC Press 1940.

Lonn, Ella Foreigners in the Union Army and Navy Baton Rouge. LSU Press 1951.

Simpson, Harold B. Hoods Texas Brigade: A Compendium Hillsboro, Texas Hill Junior College Press 1977.

Thompson, Jerry Don Mexican Texans in the Union Army El Paso, Texas Western Press 1986.

Thompson, Jerry Don Vaqueros in Blue and Gray Austin. Presidial Press. 1976.

Todd, Frederick P. American Military Equipage Chatham Square press, Inc. 1983.

Wiley, Bell I. The Life of Billy Yank Baton Rouge, LSU Press 1952.

Wiley, Bell I. The Life of Johnny Reb New York. Bobbs Merrill Company 1943.