Plácido Benavides (1810–1837) was an early Mexican-born settler in
De Leon's Colony,
Victoria County, Texas
Victoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 91,319. Its county seat is Victoria. Victoria County is included in the Victoria, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
* Paleo-I ...
. Benavides earned himself the sobriquet of the
Paul Revere of Texas for his 1836 journey from
San Patricio to
Goliad
Goliad ( ) is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It is known for the 1836 Goliad massacre during the Texas Revolution. It had a population of 1,620 at the 2020 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Gol ...
to Victoria, warning residents of the approaching Mexican army. He was twice elected
alcalde of Victoria, Texas. He married into the powerful De León family, and with his wife Agustina became the father of three daughters. Benavides fought against the dictatorship of
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (; 21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. usually known as Santa Ann ...
, but did not feel Texas should be separated from Mexico.
He led a unit of
Tejano fighters at the
Battle of Goliad
The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In the early-morning hours of October 9, 1835, Texas settlers attacked the Mexican Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía, a fort near the Mexican Texas settlem ...
, and then he proceeded with his company to
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, where they fought against
Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos (1800–1 October 1854) was a Mexican Army general and politician during the mid-19th century. Born in Veracruz, the son of an attorney, he became an army cadet at the age of 20, a lieutenant in 1821, and a brigadier gener ...
in the
Siege of Bexar
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterize ...
. On February 11, 1836, Benavides sent a warning to
James Bowie
James Bowie ( ) ( – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American pioneer, slave smuggler and trader, and soldier who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He was among the Americans who died at the Battle of the Alamo. Stories of h ...
inside the Alamo that Santa Anna was approaching. Benavides escaped the
Battle of Agua Dulce
The Battle of Agua Dulce Creek was a skirmish during the Texas Revolution between Mexican troops and rebellious colonists of the Mexican province of Texas, known as Texians. As part of the Goliad Campaign to retake the Texas Gulf Coast, Mex ...
and was able to warn
James Fannin
James Walker Fannin Jr. (1804 or 1805 – March 27, 1836) was an American military figure and slave trader in the Texas Army and leader during the Texas Revolution (1835-1836) against Mexico. After being outnumbered and surrendering to Mexi ...
headquartered in Goliad of the enemy army's approach, as he had warned all towns between Agua Dulce and Goliad. When the
Texas Declaration of Independence
The Texas Declaration of Independence was the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. It was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, and was forma ...
was signed on March 2, 1836,
James Fannin
James Walker Fannin Jr. (1804 or 1805 – March 27, 1836) was an American military figure and slave trader in the Texas Army and leader during the Texas Revolution (1835-1836) against Mexico. After being outnumbered and surrendering to Mexi ...
discharged Benavides from the army and sent him home. On his route back to Victoria, Benavides spread the alarm about the march of the Mexican army. In 1836, Benavides and his family were among the Mexicans evacuated out of Victoria by
Brigadier General Thomas Jefferson Rusk. His family exiled to Louisiana, where he died of an unknown cause the next year. Texas Historical Marker number 6563 placed in 1936 at the SW Corner of S. Main and Juan Linn in Victoria, marks the site of the Benavides Round Top house.
Early life
Plácido Benavides was born in 1810, in
Reynosa, Tamaulipas
Reynosa () is a border city in the northern part of the state of Tamaulipas, in Mexico. It is also the municipal seat of Reynosa Municipality.
The city is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande in the international Reynosa–McAllen Met ...
, Mexico.
[Hardin, del la Teja (2010) p.58] Details of his youth are unknown, except that he was taken under the wing of his godfather Captain Henrique Villareal.
In 1828, Benavides moved to
Victoria, Texas
Victoria is a small city in South Texas and county seat of Victoria County, Texas. The population was 65,534 as of the 2020 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 as of the 2000 censu ...
with his brothers Ysidro, Nicolás and Eugenio. He became secretary to
Fernando De León
Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...
, the eldest son of the influential De León family in
Victoria County. There, Benavides was put in the position of overseeing land titles and general business transactions. He married into the De Leon family in 1831.
The Mexican government authorized Benavides to continue recruiting colonists to De Leon's Colony after the 1833 death of empresario Martín De León.
In 1832 and 1834, Benavides was elected second
alcalde of Victoria. Martín De León had held the position as the first alcalde, and
Silvestre De León served as the third alcalde. Benavides built a house fortress with first-floor gun slits and reinforced door, that became known alternately as "Plácido's Round House" and the "Round Top House". Benavides and his brother-in-law Silvestre De León, led several attacks against the
Tonkawa
The Tonkawa are a Native American tribe indigenous to present-day Oklahoma. Their Tonkawa language, now extinct, is a linguistic isolate.
Today, Tonkawa people are enrolled in the federally recognized Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. ...
and
Karankawa
The Karankawa were an Indigenous people concentrated in southern Texas along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, largely in the lower Colorado River and Brazos River valleys."Karankawa." In ''Cassell's Peoples, Nations and Cultures,'' edited by John ...
Indian tribes. After the death of Benavides, many lives were saved in 1840 by hiding in the round house during a raid by 600
Comanches.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...
number 6563 placed in 1936 at the SW Corner of S. Main and Juan Linn in Victoria, marks the site of the Benavides Round Top house.
At war with Santa Anna
When
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (; 21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. usually known as Santa Ann ...
became President of Mexico on April 1, 1833, he revoked the
1824 Constitution of Mexico
The Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1824 ( es, Constitución Federal de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos de 1824) was enacted on October 4 of 1824, after the overthrow of the Mexican Empire of Agustin de Iturbide. In the new Fr ...
and replaced its
Federalist form of government with a Centralist regime to further his military dictatorship. He appointed his brother-in-law
Martín Perfecto de Cos
Martín Perfecto de Cos (1800–1 October 1854) was a Mexican Army general and politician during the mid-19th century. Born in Veracruz, the son of an attorney, he became an army cadet at the age of 20, a lieutenant in 1821, and a brigadier gener ...
as commandant-general northeast of
Saltillo
Saltillo () is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. Mexico City, Monterrey, and Saltillo are all connected by a major railroad and highwa ...
. Some in the De Leon extended family felt loyal to the Federalist government of the constitution.
[Chance (2006) p.28]
José María Jesús Carbajal
On April 28, 1835, federal legislation in Mexico invalidated the Four Hundred League Law that had been passed by the
Coahuila y Texas
Coahuila y Tejas, officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila y Tejas (), was one of the constituent states of the newly established United Mexican States under its 1824 Constitution.
It had two capitals: first Saltillo (1822–1825) for ...
legislature.
[Chance (2006) p.32] Benavides' brother-in-law
José María Jesús Carbajal was an elected representative from Bexar to that legislature.
[Chance (2006) p.30] General Martín Perfecto de Cos sent troops to shut down the legislature, and ordered the arrest of all who voted for the Four Hundred League Law. Colonel
Domingo Ugartechea, as principal commandant of Coahuila y Texas, ordered Cabajal arrested, but soldiers searching for him in Victoria were unsuccessful in their attempts at doing so. Alcalde Benavides had refused to surrender Carbajal, and ordered his local militia to block the soldiers from entry into Victoria.
La Bahia
After
Gonzales, Texas repelled the Mexican attempted seizure of their cannon on October 2, 1835, Benavides teamed up with John Joseph Linn
to capture General Cos. In Victoria, they joined with George M. Collinsworth and
Benjamin Milam
Benjamin Rush "Ben" Milam (October 20, 1788 – December 7, 1835) was an American colonist of Mexican Texas and a military leader and hero of the Texas Revolution. A native of what is now Kentucky, Milam fought beside American interests during t ...
who were training men for the same purpose. During the
Battle of Goliad
The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In the early-morning hours of October 9, 1835, Texas settlers attacked the Mexican Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía, a fort near the Mexican Texas settlem ...
, Benavides was put in charge of thirty
Tejano volunteers, who were part of the October 1835 storming of
Presidio La Bahía
The Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía, known more commonly as Presidio La Bahía, or simply La Bahía is a fort constructed by the Spanish Army that became the nucleus of the modern-day city of Goliad, Texas, United States. The curre ...
.
Goliad
Goliad ( ) is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It is known for the 1836 Goliad massacre during the Texas Revolution. It had a population of 1,620 at the 2020 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Gol ...
was captured by Collinsworth and Milam on October 9, 1835.
James Bowie
Following the capture of Goliad, Benavides and his men were ordered to join
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...
in the two-month
Siege of Béxar
The siege of Béxar (or Béjar) was an early campaign of the Texas Revolution in which a volunteer Texian army defeated Mexican forces at San Antonio de Béxar (now San Antonio, Texas). Texians had become disillusioned with the Mexican governme ...
campaign to drive out General Cos. As part of the campaign, Benavides and his men joined with the
James Bowie
James Bowie ( ) ( – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American pioneer, slave smuggler and trader, and soldier who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He was among the Americans who died at the Battle of the Alamo. Stories of h ...
group in October 1835. In the process of searching for enemy horses, Benavides suggested to Bowie that they torture a simple Mexican herder into admitting he was hiding horses for the Mexican soldiers. The particular torture method used by Benavides and Bowie was to hang the herder by the neck until he almost choked to death, then let him down and threaten him with guns. After executing this method of torture three successive times on the man, the herder confessed and surrendered his herd to Bowie.
Matamoros jail break
José María Jesús Carbajal, his brother-in-law
Fernando De León
Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...
, and
Peter Kerr, responded to an arms plea from Stephen F. Austin and began to run horses and mules to
in a trade for munitions. The trio were captured by Mexicans and taken prisoner. Kerr was set free, and Fernando De León bribed his way out. Carbajal was transferred to
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 ...
, with an intended transfer for imprisonment at
San Juan de Ulloa. In February 1836, Plácido Benavides was serving at
San Patricio under Major Robert C. Morris. When word arrived of Carbajal's imprisonment, Benavides took a small group of men to break Carbajal out of incarceration. He bribed the guards at Matamoros. Although Mexicans gave pursuit, the escape back to Victoria was a success.
Goliad
The alcalde of Matamoros had leaked to Benavides that
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (; 21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. usually known as Santa Ann ...
planned to draw the Texas forces below the
Rio Grande. Benavides reported the information to Major Morris, who in turn passed it along to
James Fannin
James Walker Fannin Jr. (1804 or 1805 – March 27, 1836) was an American military figure and slave trader in the Texas Army and leader during the Texas Revolution (1835-1836) against Mexico. After being outnumbered and surrendering to Mexi ...
. Upon receipt of the information, Fannin decided against his planned invasion of Matamoros and instead moved his men to Goliad.
[Hardin, del la Teja (2010) p.64]
Alamo
Inside the
Alamo Mission in San Antonio
The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anton ...
, at 1 a.m. on February 11, 1836, messenger
Blas María Herrera
Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (BLAS) is a specification that prescribes a set of low-level routines for performing common linear algebra operations such as vector addition, scalar multiplication, dot products, linear combinations, and matrix ...
delivered to James Bowie a letter from Benavides, that stated Santa Anna was moving towards San Antonio with a large deployment of troops.
Texas Paul Revere
On February 27, 1836, while Benavides and
James Grant were out with a detachment hunting wild mustangs,
General José de Urrea captured San Patricio. On March 2, 1836, Benavides and Grant stumbled into a trap set by Urrera at Agua Dulce Creek, south of San Patricio. Benavides tried to rejoin the men but was ordered by Grant to save himself and warn Fannin of Urrea's approach. Upon reaching Fannin with the warning, and learning that the
Texas Declaration of Independence
The Texas Declaration of Independence was the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. It was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, and was forma ...
had just been signed at
Washington-on-the-Brazos
Washington-on-the-Brazos is an unincorporated community along the Brazos River in Washington County, Texas, United States. The town is best known for being the site of the Convention of 1836 and the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independenc ...
, Benavides informed Fannin that he did not wish to help Texas to be torn from Mexico. Fannin discharged Benavides from the army and sent him home to Victoria. From San Patricio to his final destination of Victoria, Benavides warned every person and town along the way of Urrea's approach. Benavides became known as the
Paul Revere of Texas.
Isaac D. Hamilton
On March 27, 1836, following the Battle of Coleto, Mexican soldiers under
General José de Urrea gunned down 342 unarmed Texans. Isaac D. Hamilton, who had served with Benavides at Goliad, escaped and found refuge on a ranch owned by Benavides. Upon finding the wounded Hamilton, Benavides attempted to take Hamilton to safety. Encountering a Mexican unit, Benavides saved himself by claiming Hamilton was his prisoner. Hamilton was tortured and taken to Victoria to face a firing squad. He was rescued by "The Angel of Goliad",
Francita Alavez Francita Alavez (c. 1816 – c. 1906) was known as the "Angel of Goliad," for saving the lives of Texas prisoners of war in the Goliad Massacre and at Copano and Victoria, Texas, by interceding on their behalf and persuading the help of Mexican ...
. With the help of Alavez, Hamilton escaped back to his hometown of
Courtland, Alabama
Courtland is a town in Lawrence County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The population was 609 at the 2010 census, down from 769 in 2000.
Hi ...
. Hamilton returned to Texas, and in 1858 the Texas legislature awarded him a bounty certificate for league of land, as part of the state's bounty grants for participants in the battle of the Alamo, the siege of Bexar, the Goliad campaigns. Hamilton died in 1859 before he was able to take possession of the land.
Exile to Louisiana
During the
Texas War of Independence many Mexicans were opposed to Santa Anna's regime, but felt loyal to Mexico and its 1824 constitution.
Brigadier General Thomas Jefferson Rusk ordered the evacuation of Mexican families ''"...who were likely to afford information to the enemy."'' The Carbajal, Benavides and De Leon families evacuated to New Orleans, leaving behind their wealth and everything they owned.
Personal life and death
In 1831 Benavides married Agustina De León, daughter of
empresario
An empresario () was a person who had been granted the right to settle on land in exchange for recruiting and taking responsibility for settling the eastern areas of Coahuila y Tejas in the early nineteenth century. The word in Spanish for entre ...
Martín De León
Martín De León (1765–1833) was a rancher and wealthy Mexican empresario in Texas who was descended from Spanish aristocracy. He was the patriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. De León and his wife Patricia de ...
and his wife
Patricia de la Garza De León
Patricia de la Garza De León (1775–1849) was the matriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. Doña Patricia raised ten children, some of whom helped change the course of history. At age 49, she uprooted her life in 1824 t ...
.
The couple had three daughters, Pilar, Librada and Matiana.
Benavides died in
Opelousas, Louisiana :''Opelousas is also a common name of the flathead catfish.''
Opelousas (french: Les Opélousas; Spanish: ''Los Opeluzás'') is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 ...
in 1837, cause unknown.
Legacy
The following are Anglicized spellings, named after Plácido Benavides:
*
Placedo Creek
*
Placedo, Texas
Placedo is a census-designated place (CDP) in Victoria County, Texas, United States. This was a new CDP for the 2010 census with a population of 692.
It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Placedo is located ...
Further reading
*
Notes
References
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benavides, Placido
1810 births
1837 deaths
19th-century Mexican people
People of the Texas Revolution
People of Mexican Texas
People from Reynosa