The Hispanic legacy in
North America predates the Confederacy by hundreds of years with many Spanish
conquistadors exploring North America in the 16th century. The first permanent settlement in what is now
the United States was in St. Augustine FL which was established in 1565. In the run up to and during the WBTS, “In
the Southeast, lands that had once been Spanish West Florida and Louisiana,
Hispanics commonly supported the Confederate cause. This population represented a rich mixture of
cultures and languages: French, Spanish, Caribbean, American Indian, African,
German, and Anglo American. These "Creoles" were often well-to-do
planters with plantations or established merchants with homes in the bustling
ports of New Orleans and Mobile. Many held slaves. Others made their money
through the cotton trade that relied on the "peculiar institution" of
slavery, part of the aristocracy of the region and joined their like-minded
Southern neighbors and actively fought to preserve their way of life.”
(https://www.nps.gov/articles/hispanics-and-the-civil-war.htm) “New Orleans mustered nearly 800 Hispanics as
part of the "European Brigade," a home guard of 4,500 to keep order
and defend the city. The brigades of Brigadier General Harry T. Hays's and
Brigadier General William E. Starke, popularly known as the "Louisiana
Tigers," included native Louisianans of Anglo and Creole descent, plus men
from Spain, Cuba, Mexico, and other Latin American countries. Both brigades
campaigned with Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and fought at battles such as
Antietam and Gettysburg. One Alabama
company, the Spanish Guards, was made up exclusively of men of Spanish ancestry
and served as a home guard for the city of Mobile. Alabama's 55th Infantry,
which served in the Vicksburg, Atlanta, and Nashville campaigns, and Florida's
2nd Infantry, which fought at Antietam and Gettysburg, included significant
numbers of Hispanic soldiers as well.
One of the most daring officers in the Confederate navy was Capt.
Michael Usina, a blockade runner who was born in St. Augustine, Florida, to
Spanish parents; Usina started the war as a private in the 8th Georgia
Volunteer Infantry and after suffering serious wounds in the battle at
Manassas, joined the Confederate Navy.”
In the Southwest, the
Hispanics were chiefly of Mexican descent and as slavery was outlawed in
Mexico, “many Hispanics opposed the idea of bringing the institution into their
homeland and endorsed Union efforts to prevent it.” But, there were some “African American”
slaves and native American “coerced labor” in Texas and New Mexico and so
allegiances were mixed. By the start
of the War, Texas joined the CSA.
California remained in the Union although the southern portion dominated
by Hispanics leaned toward the Confederacy.
In Texas in 1861, “Tejanos led by Antonio Ochoa marched on the Zapata
(TX) County seat to prevent local officials from taking an oath of allegiance
to the Confederacy. Confederate troops responded by forcing Ochoa to flee
across the border into Mexico. There Ochoa gained the support of Juan
Nepomuceno Cortina, a Mexican general and folk hero, who had already gained a
reputation as a fearless defender of Mexican American rights. From the safety
of Mexico, Ochoa, Cortina and others attacked military and economic targets in
south Texas, keeping Confederate troops constantly preoccupied. In one brutal
attack, pro-Union raiders commanded by Octaviano Zapata rode to the ranch of a
Confederate county judge and hanged him. Confederate retaliation was swift.
Capt. Refugio Benavides led a company of cavalry into Mexico in pursuit of
Zapata, killing 18 and wounding 14 of his men.”
With the Union naval blockade along the SC, AL and LA ports, the ports
in Texas at Laredo and Brownsville along with wagon trains into Mexico became
critical in establishing a trade route; cotton “carried across the Río Grande
and loaded on Mexican flagships could sail safely past Union warships. This
trade, established largely through the efforts of the Cuban-born,
Harvard-educated diplomat José Agustin Quintero, helped maintain a vital line
of trade for the cash-strapped Confederacy.”
The last battle of the WBTS occurred in Texas when Union troops from
Brazos Island “made one final foray toward Brownsville on May 12-13.
Confederate troops including Hispanic soldiers responded, and on the coastal
plains near the mouth of the Río Grande at Palmito Ranch, they defeated the
Union forces--a final Confederate victory.”
“For Hispanics, like
all other Americans, the decision of which side to support in the Civil War
(sic) often came down to personal motives and desires. Hispanic citizens in the
South often acted to preserve a lifestyle and defend lands that they had
occupied for generations.” Many
Hispanics held prominent positions in Confederate society, government and the
military and served with distinction. As
we honor our Confederate ancestors so do they.
The Confederate forces were markedly diverse and the FDA and Hispanics,
as us SCV members, rightfully “defend the Confederate soldier’s good name,
guard his history, and perpetuate those principles which he loved and those
ideals which made him glorious.” Deo
Vindice.
