Let’s face it! Most of
us know little about the role Hispanics played in America’s bloodiest
conflict. We think of them as mere
bystanders who could care less about the Gringos’ big fight. After all, there was little slavery in the Southwest
and the recent War with Mexico left them feeling more like conquered subjects
rather than U.S. citizens. However,
there was one very notable exception, a former Tejano mayor named Santos
Benavides.
Santos Benavides
The Laredo native was born in 1823 to an affluent family whose
ancestry included Laredo’s founder, Thomas Sanchez. When Texas was under Mexican rule, Benavidez
was a strong backer of the Federalists during their decades- long struggle with
the Centralists in Mexico City. Isolated in a remote stretch of Northern
Mexico, he believed Laredo was best served by a decentralized, regional
government. Because of his belief, it’s
not surprising Benavides was attracted to the states rights doctrine of the
Confederacy.
After Texas seceded, Benavides was commissioned a captain in
the Texas 33rd Cavalry and assigned the task of patrolling the Rio
Grande Valley; a job he was highly suited for. Because of his ties to the region, Benavides
maintained an effective network of spies, informants and scouts on both sides
of the border. Eventually, he became
colonel of the regiment, the highest ranking Hispanic during the war. Mexican governors, with mounting problems of
their own, negotiated with him, befriended him or simply looked the other way
if he crossed their borders. Vital cotton
shipments from Laredo to Matamoros (see “The Mexico Connection” posting) were
often guarded by Benavides’ men.
Juan Cortina
Benavides' main adversary was a Mexican rancher, politician
and outlaw named Juan Cortina. Owner of
a large ranch near Brownsville, Cortina fought against the U.S. during the
Mexican War. He hated the Anglo Texas politicians
who tried to take his land and exploit poor Hispanics. In one instance, he shot Brownsville’s town
marshal for pistol whipping a former ranch hand of his. Prior to the Civil War, Cortina supporters
occupied Brownsville until driven off by the U.S. Cavalry and local militia. When Federal forces invaded South Texas in
1863, Cortina sided with them and offered his services to Union General Nathaniel
Banks. To this day, his legacy fuels
debate. Was Cortina a glorious hero of the downtrodden or an opportunistic outlaw
thug?
In April 1861, Hispanic residents in Zapata County revolted
against Confederate authority. With Cortina’s
support, they marched on the village of Carrizo. At
Henry Redmond’s Ranch outside the village, Benavides’ Tejano cavalry plowed
into Cortina’s men, routing them into the Rio Grande. In a note to the Confederate command, he
showed his ruthless side. “I
particularly ordered my men not to arrest any of the bandits, but to kill them
all,” Benavides reported. “Consequently, I have no prisoners.” As a reward, the
Governor of Texas presented him with an engraved pistol.
This led to an ongoing border conflict between the Confederate
Benavidez in Texas and the Union supporting Cortina in Mexico. If provoked, Benavides did not hesitate to
pursue his adversaries across the border and attack them wherever they camped. An example was Octaviano Zapata, a Mexican
bandit who received U.S Consulate support from Matamoros. After attacking Confederate supply trains and
displaying a U.S. flag in the process, he thought he was safe in Mexico. He didn’t count on Benavides tracking him
down. In 1863, near the Mexican town of Mier, Benavides surprised the Zapatista
camp and brutally dispersed them. All of
Zapata’s lieutenants were killed. Zapata,
firing his pistol to the end, had his head caved in with a rifle butt.
In March 19, 1864, a detachment of 200 Texas Unionists set
out to attack Laredo from the Mexico side of the border. Benavides was sick in bed when warned of
their approach. Half dead from illness,
he arose from his bed and quickly gathered forty two of his men and a handful
of locals to act as snipers. Laredo’s
streets were barricaded with cotton bales.
For three hours, he held off repeated Union assaults. Benavides exclaimed, “As it is, I have to
fight to the last; though hardly able to stand I shall die fighting. I won’t retreat, no matter what force the
Yankees have-I know I can depend on my boys.”
At nightfall, the Union force retreated with no casualties on the
Confederate side.
After the war, Benavides served three successive terms in
the Texas Legislature. In 1884, he was
appointed the Texas delegate to the World Cotton Exposition. He remained a rancher and political force until
his death in 1891. Benavides' guarding
presence was vital to the defense of Texas during the Civil
War. As the war progressed, he made
Federal invasion more daunting and more doubtful of success. Today, his contributions are honored by the
Laredo school that bears his name, Colonel Santos Benavides Elementary
School. Go Broncos !
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