Santos Benavides (November 1, 1823 – November 9, 1891) was a Confederate

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge ...

during the

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

. Benavides was the highest-ranking

Tejano Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in t ...

soldier in the Confederate military. Col

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 Portuguese early colonist of Northern Mexico. Benavides was elected Mayor of Laredo in 1856 and then became Webb

County Judge The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a county court. In most cases, such as in Northern Ireland and the Victorian County Courts, a county judge is a judicial officer with civil ...

in 1859. He was a Captain of the 33rd Texas Cavalry, also called Benavides' Regiment, until he was promoted to Colonel in November 1863. Colonel Santos Benavides in Laredo actually became the highest ranking tejano officer in the Confederate Army. There are instances of him acting as a slave catcher, where he’s actually going 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 a ...

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

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

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

cotton Cotton 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 cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

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 ...

, 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 Alfred Holt (13 June 1829 – 28 November 1911) was a British engineer, ship owner and merchant. He lived at Crofton, Aigburth in Liverpool, England. Holt is credited with establishing the long distance steamship by developing a type tha ...

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 Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. I ...

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 forty-two men and repelled three Union attacks at the Zacate Creek in what is known as the

Battle of Laredo The Battle of Laredo was fought during the American Civil War. Laredo, Texas was a main route to export cotton to Mexico on behalf of the Confederate States. On March 18, 1864, Major Alfred F. Holt led a Union force from Brownsville, Texas, to de ...

. In May 1865, Benavides' regiment participated in the last land battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Palmito Ranch After the

ended, he resumed his merchant and

ranching A ranch (from es, rancho/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 a farm. These terms are most ofte ...

activities and remained active in politics. He served three terms in the Texas State Legislature from 1879 to 1885.Legislative Reference Library of Texas: Santos Benavides
/ref> 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 19th-century American politicians Burials in Texas Mayors of Laredo, Texas American people of Portuguese descent Tejano politicians Military personnel from Texas

Biography

See also

References

External links