John MacRae Washington (died 1853) was a
United States artillery officer who became military governor of
New Mexico shortly after the end of the
Mexican–American War of 1846–1848.
Early career
John M. Washington was born in
Virginia, and was a remote relative of President
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
. He graduated from
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
in 1817, and fought in
Florida against the
Seminole and
Creek people. He served with distinction in the Mexican–American War of 1846–1848 under Brigadier General
John E. Wool
John Ellis Wool (February 20, 1784 – November 10, 1869) was an officer in the United States Army during three consecutive U.S. wars: the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. By the time of the Mexican-American War ...
, being promoted to
Major and brevet
Lieutenant Colonel following the
Battle of Buena Vista
The Battle of Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847), known as the Battle of La Angostura in Mexico, and sometimes as Battle of Buena Vista/La Angostura, was a battle of the Mexican–American War. It was fought between the US invading forces, l ...
. He reached
Santa Fe on 10 October 1848 with four
dragoon
Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...
companies. The next day he assumed office as governor, combining the civil and military roles.
Governor of New Mexico
Washington's main priority was to settle a war against the
Navajo people. He assembled a strong force of soldiers and volunteers that moved west into Navajo country, where they were met by Navajo envoys saying they were willing to discuss peace,
and then met the main Navajo forces. A scuffle broke out when a militiaman spotted a horse that he claimed had been stolen from him. The Navajos fled, and Washington's troops killed six of the fleeing men. One was the old warrior
Narbona
Narbona or Hastiin Narbona (1766 – August 31, 1849) was a Navajo chief who participated in the Navajo Wars. He was killed in a confrontation with U.S. soldiers on August 31, 1849.
Narbona was one of the wealthiest Navajo of his time due to th ...
, now in favor of peace, who was scalped by a U.S. militiaman. The expedition moved on through a pass that one of them named "Washington Pass".
In 1992, in response to a proposal by the Navajo people, the pass was renamed
Narbona Pass
Narbona Pass (formerly Washington Pass) is a pass through the natural break between the Tunicha and Chuska Mountains, an elongated range on the Colorado Plateau on the Navajo Nation.
A paved road, New Mexico Highway 134, crosses the range through N ...
.
There were no positive results from the expedition. On returning to Santa Fe Washington became involved in a scandal, probably unjustified, over a child he allegedly fathered on an orphan girl.
In April 1849 Father
Ramón Ortiz y Miera
Ramón Ortiz y Miera (commonly Padre Ramón Ortiz) (28 January 1814 – 11 March 1896) was a Mexican priest who helped organize armed resistance during the Mexican–American War of 1846 to 1848, and who was frustrated by the U.S. authorities in hi ...
arrived in New Mexico from
Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to:
Places
* Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state
**Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state
**Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state
**Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state
**Chihuahua Mu ...
as commissioner in charge of assisting Mexicans who wished to resettle in Chihuahua. He was welcomed by Governor Washington and Secretary
Donaciano Vigil
Donaciano Vigil (1802-1877) was an American politician who served as the second governor of the New Mexico Territory. Born a subject of the Spanish Crown in Santa Fe to Nuevomexicanos parents, he served in the militias during Mexican rule in Ne ...
, who both thought he was unlikely to succeed and even offered to supply transport to Mexicans seeking
repatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...
. Their mood changed quickly when the people of
San Miguel del Vado
San Miguel del Vado (, also spelled ''Bado'') is an unincorporated community in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States.
Description
The community is located about south of Interstate Highway 25 and Ribera, a census designated place. The ...
alone submitted 900 requests for repatriation assistance. Vigil said that Ortíz could not conduct recruitment in person since his presence would disturb the peace. Ortiz then appointed agents to recruit New Mexico families, and they met with considerable success. In response Vigil cracked down further on recruitment. The United States' position was that the
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo had not covered repatriation, and Ortíz's activity was therefore illegal.
Later career
By order of 26 May 1849, Brevet Colonel
John Munroe was ordered to Santa Fe to relieve Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Washington. On 23 October 1849 Munroe took office as military governor of New Mexico. Washington was transferred to a position in
Fort Constitution
Fort William and Mary was a colonial fortification in Britain's worldwide system of defenses, defended by soldiers of the Province of New Hampshire who reported directly to the royal governor. The fort, originally known as "The Castle," was sit ...
in
New Hampshire. From there, in 1853 he was assigned to lead a body of troops from the 3rd Artillery Regiment in California, but at the start of the journey the steamer ''San Francisco'' ran into a storm. Washington and 181 soldiers were drowned.
References
;Citations
;Sources
Service Profile
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, John M
Year of birth missing
1853 deaths
Governors of New Mexico Territory
American military personnel of the Indian Wars
American military personnel of the Mexican–American War
United States Military Academy alumni
People from Virginia