- Santos Benavides
Infobox Military Person
name= Santos Benavides
lived=November 1 ,1823 –November 9 ,1891 (aged 68)
placeofbirth=Laredo, Texas
placeofdeath=Laredo, Texas
caption=
nickname=
allegiance=Confederate States of America
serviceyears=1861–65 (CSA)
rank=Colonel (CSA)
commands=
battles=American Civil War
awards=
laterwork=merchant ,rancher Santos Benavides (
November 1 ,1823 –November 9 ,1891 ) was a Confederatecolonel during theAmerican Civil War . Benavides was the highest-rankingTejano soldier to serve in the Confederate military.He was born in
Laredo, Texas in 1823, a descendant ofTomas Sanchez de la Barrera y Garza , Laredo's founder. Benavides also served as county judge in Webb County in 1859.Fact|date=March 2008 He was the captain of the 33rd Texas Cavalry, also called Benavides' Regiment, until he was promoted to colonel in November 1863.On
May 22 ,1861 , at theBattle of Carrizo , he engaged the local Tejano leaderJuan Cortina (who had invadedZapata County , an event usually referred as the "Second Cortina War "), and drove him back intoMexico . OnMarch 19 ,1864 , he defended Laredo against the Union's First Texas Cavalry, whose commander was ColonelEdmund J. Davis (who had previously offered Benavides a Union generalship) and defeated the Union forces. Probably his greatest contribution to the Confederacy was securing passage of Confederatecotton toMatamoros in 1863.After the
American Civil War ended, he resumed his merchant andranching activities and remained active in politics. He died inLaredo, Texas and was later buried there.External links
*Handbook of Texas|id=BB/fbe47|name=Santos Benavides
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