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Bernardo de
Gálvez the Spanish governor of Louisiana and commander of Spanish forces in
North America is the best-known Hispanic of the American Revolution. When Spain joined the fight against England, Galvez
captured Baton Rouge, Natchez, Mobile, and Pensacola, opening a second front
against Britain and supplying the Continental Army with weapons, ammunition,
medicine, and funding. Congress later granted him honorary U.S. citizenship.
Luis F. Emilio
Augusto Rodríguez
Son of a Spanish immigrant, Luis F. Emilio lied about his age to enlist young and became a captain (later acting commander) in the famed 54th Massachusetts Infantry, one of the first African American regiments. He fought in the brutal assault on Fort Wagner and later chronicled the regiment’s history.
A Puerto Rican immigrant and Union
lieutenant in the 15th Connecticut Regiment, Augusto Rodríguez helped defend Washington, D.C., and fought at Fredericksburg.
A West Point attendee or graduate in some accounts, he exemplified immigrant
service and continued public service as a firefighter after the war.
There were two notable Latino Medal of Honor recipients in the Union Navy:
John Ortega (Spanish-born) served on the USS Saratoga enforcing the blockade,
while Philip Bazaar (Chilean) distinguished himself in the assault on Fort
Fisher.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to an
American father and Spanish mother, Henry Clay Pleasants was a mining engineer who rose to brevet brigadier general
in the Union Army. He masterminded the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg by
designing a massive mine tunnel under Confederate lines (though the follow-up
assault failed). His engineering innovation highlighted Latino contributions to
tactical ingenuity.
Latinos
played significant but often overlooked roles in the American Civil War.
Estimates suggest around 10,000–20,000 served.
A
Union soldier of Hispanic descent serving with the 19th Massachusetts Infantry,
Joseph H. De Castro became the first
Hispanic American to receive the Medal of Honor. At Gettysburg during Pickett’s
Charge, he seized a Confederate flag in hand-to-hand combat, helping defend
Cemetery Ridge.
Treasure Legends of the Civil War
Latinos
played significant but often overlooked roles in the American Civil War.
Estimates suggest around 10,000–20,000 served.
The
highest-ranking Mexican-American in the Confederate Army, Colonel Santos Benavides commanded the 33rd Texas Cavalry. From
Laredo, Texas, he and his brothers defended the Rio Grande border, repelled
Union forces at Brownsville, and protected Confederate cotton trade. He is
widely regarded as a hero in Texas Confederate history.
Treasure Legends of the Civil War
Hispanics played significant but often
overlooked roles in the American Civil War. Estimates suggest around 10,000–20,000
served.
The most prominent Hispanic figure in
the war, David Farragut was a Union Navy
admiral of Spanish descent (son of a Spanish-born captain). He led the capture
of New Orleans in 1862 and achieved a stunning victory at the Battle of Mobile
Bay in 1864, famously ordering, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” He
became the first full admiral in U.S. Navy history and remains one of the most
celebrated naval commanders in American history.
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