Santos Benavides (November 1, 1823 – November 9, 1891) was a Mexican-American

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Benavides was the highest-ranking

Tejano Tejanos ( , ) are descendants of Texas Creoles and Mestizos who settled in Texas before its admission as an American state. The term is also sometimes applied to Texans of Mexican descent. Etymology The word ''Tejano'', with a ''J'' instead ...

soldier in the Confederate military.

Biography

Benavides was born in Laredo, a descendant of Tomás Sánchez de la Barrera y Garza, the founder of Laredo, as well as the descendant of Captain Francisco Baez De Benavides, born in the Canary Islands and a Spanish early colonist of Northern Mexico. Benavides was elected Mayor of Laredo in 1856 and then became Webb County Judge in 1859. He was a Captain of the 33rd Texas Cavalry, also called Benavides's Regiment, until he was promoted to Colonel in November 1863. Colonel Santos Benavides became the highest ranking Tejano officer in the Confederate Army. There are instances of him acting as a slave catcher, venturing into Mexico and retrieving runaway slaves and returning them to their masters, for which he was compensated. On May 22, 1861, at the Battle of Carrizo (also called Battle of Zapata), Benavides engaged the local Tejano leader

Juan Cortina Juan Nepomuceno Cortina Goseacochea (May 16, 1824 – October 30, 1894), also known by his nicknames Cheno Cortina, the Red Robber of the Rio Grande and the Rio Grande Robin Hood, was a Mexican rancher, politician, military leader, outlaw ...

(who had invaded Zapata County, an event usually referred as the '' Second Cortina War''), and drove him back into

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Probably his greatest contribution to the Confederacy was securing passage of Confederate

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

Matamoros, Tamaulipas Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and the municipal seat of the homonymous municipality. It is on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Bro ...

, Mexico, in 1863. Due to the Union blockade of ports along the Gulf of Mexico, shipping cotton to Mexico was one of the few ways the Confederacy was able to earn needed cash. On March 18, 1864, Major Alfred Holt led a force of about two hundred men of the Union First Texas Cavalry who were stationed near

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border, border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas ...

under the command of Colonel Edmund J. Davis, who had earlier offered Benavides a Union generalship. Their mission was to destroy five thousand bales of cotton stacked at the San Agustín Plaza in Laredo. Colonel Benavides commanded 42 men and repelled three Union attacks at the Zacate Creek in what is known as the Battle of Laredo. Colonel Benavides secured passage of the 5,000 cotton bales into Mexico. In May 1865, Benavides's regiment participated in the last land battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Palmito Ranch. After the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

ended, he resumed his merchant and

ranching A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often applied to li ...

activities and remained active in politics. He served three terms in the Texas State Legislature from 1879 to 1885. He died in Laredo and is buried there.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benavides, Santos 1823 births 1891 deaths Confederate States Army officers Hispanic and Latino American Confederates People from Laredo, Texas People of Texas in the American Civil War American politicians of Mexican descent Ranchers from Texas Members of the Texas Legislature Mayors of Laredo, Texas American people of Portuguese descent Tejano politicians Military personnel from Texas 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature

Biography

See also

References

External links