Diego Archuleta
Encyclopedia
Brigadier General Diego Archuleta (March 27, 1814 – 1884), was a member of the Mexican Congress. He joined the Mexican Army to fight against the United States in the Mexican American War. Later, he was appointed an Indian (Native Americans
) Agent by President Abraham Lincoln
, and joined the Union Army
(US Army) during the American Civil War
. Archuleta became the first Hispanic
to reach the military rank of Brigadier General
.
, then a province of Mexico
. His family were wealthy ranchers and, as such, they had the economic means to send him to Durango, Mexico
where he received his primary and secondary education.
before the Mexican National Congress, and served as such until 1845. As a congressman, Archuleta supported Mexico upon the outbreak of the Mexican-American War.
The Mexican-American War was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico
from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas
, which Mexico considered part of its territory despite the 1836 Texas Revolution
. In 1846 and 1847, Archuleta participated and led two unsuccessful rebellions against the U.S.
On August 9, 1846, Archuleta, who was appointed to the rank of Colonel in the Mexican Army, wanted to fight the invading American forces headed towards the Mexican city of Santa Fe
. He was joined by other militia officers Manuel Chaves
and Miguel Pino, who wanted Governor Manuel Armijo
to muster a defense. Armijo set up a position in Apache Canyon, a narrow pass about 10 miles (16.1 km) southeast of the city. On August 14, before the arrival of the American Army, Armijo decided not to fight and dismissed Archuleta. No shots were fired in the Capture of Santa Fe and the New Mexican Militia retreated from Santa Fe while Armijo fled to Chihuahua.
Archuleta also participated in the January 24, 1847, Battle of Cañada
which was part of the Taos Revolt
, a popular insurrection against the American occupation of New Mexico by Mexicans
and Pueblo Indians.
The U.S. won the Mexican-American War and forced Mexico into the cession of its northern territories, which included New Mexico. After the war, Archuleta returned to New Mexico and swore allegiance to the American government. He became involved in the politics of what was now a territory of the United States, and was elected to the New Mexico territory assembly. John S. Watts, a pro-Lincoln Republican congressional delegate from New Mexico, advocated for Archuleta's appointment as the U.S. Indian (Native Americans
) agent.
In 1857, Archuleta was named the U.S. Indian agent for the Ute Indian tribe.
slave state
s of the United States of America declared their secession from the U.S.
and formed the Confederate States of America
. The U.S. government (The Union
) rejected secession as illegal, and the Civil War ensued.
Initially, Archuleta's sympathies lay with the Confederates. This led Watts and other pro-Union colleagues to lose faith in Archuleta. In 1861, Watts asked the president of the Union, Abraham Lincoln
, to replace Archuleta and to name Jose Antonio Mansinares to the position of Indian agent.
Archuleta recanted from his secessionist views, joined the Union Army with the rank of Colonel
, and was assigned to the "New Mexico Volunteer Infantry" (NMVI). With 157 Hispanic officers, the NMVI had the most Hispanic officers of any unit in the Union Army. Besides Archuleta, who served as the commanding officer of the NMVI, the unit included Colonel Miguel E. Pino, Lieutenant Colonel
Jose Maria Valdez, Colonel Jose G. Gallegos, and Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Perea. These units fought in the Battle of Valverde
on February 21, 1862. When Archuleta was promoted to Brigadier General, he became the first Hispanic in history, to reach that rank in the United States Military.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
) Agent by President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, and joined the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
(US Army) during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Archuleta became the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
to reach the military rank of Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
.
Early years
Archuleta was born in Albuquerque, New MexicoAlbuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, then a province of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. His family were wealthy ranchers and, as such, they had the economic means to send him to Durango, Mexico
Durango, Mexico
Durango, Mexico, may refer to:*The state of Durango, one of the 32 component federal entities of the United Mexican States*Durango, Durango, capital city of the State of Durango...
where he received his primary and secondary education.
Mexican-American War
In 1843, Archuleta was elected to represent New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
before the Mexican National Congress, and served as such until 1845. As a congressman, Archuleta supported Mexico upon the outbreak of the Mexican-American War.
The Mexican-American War was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas
Texas Annexation
In 1845, United States of America annexed the Republic of Texas and admitted it to the Union as the 28th state. The U.S. thus inherited Texas's border dispute with Mexico; this quickly led to the Mexican-American War, during which the U.S. captured additional territory , extending the nation's...
, which Mexico considered part of its territory despite the 1836 Texas Revolution
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
. In 1846 and 1847, Archuleta participated and led two unsuccessful rebellions against the U.S.
On August 9, 1846, Archuleta, who was appointed to the rank of Colonel in the Mexican Army, wanted to fight the invading American forces headed towards the Mexican city of Santa Fe
Santa Fe
Santa Fe or Santa Fé may refer to:-Places:*Argentina**Santa Fe, Argentina, a city in Argentina**Santa Fe Province, a province of Argentina*Bolivia**Santa Fé , Bolivia...
. He was joined by other militia officers Manuel Chaves
Manuel Antonio Chaves
Manuel Antonio Chaves or Chávez , known as El Leoncito , was a soldier in the Mexican Army and then became a rancher who lived in New Mexico. His life was full of incident, and his courage and marksmanship became literally legendary in his own time...
and Miguel Pino, who wanted Governor Manuel Armijo
Manuel Armijo
Manuel Armijo was a New Mexican soldier and statesman who served three times as governor of New Mexico. He was instrumental in putting down the Revolt of 1837, he led the force that captured the Texan Santa Fe Expedition and he surrendered to the United States in the Mexican-American War.-Early...
to muster a defense. Armijo set up a position in Apache Canyon, a narrow pass about 10 miles (16.1 km) southeast of the city. On August 14, before the arrival of the American Army, Armijo decided not to fight and dismissed Archuleta. No shots were fired in the Capture of Santa Fe and the New Mexican Militia retreated from Santa Fe while Armijo fled to Chihuahua.
Archuleta also participated in the January 24, 1847, Battle of Cañada
Battle of Cañada
The Battle of Cañada was part of the Taos Revolt, a popular insurrection against the American occupation of New Mexico by Mexicans and Pueblo Indians...
which was part of the Taos Revolt
Taos Revolt
The Taos Revolt was a popular insurrection in January 1847 by Mexicans and Pueblo allies against the United States' occupation of present-day northern New Mexico during the Mexican–American War. In two short campaigns, United States troops and militia crushed the rebellion of the Mexicans and...
, a popular insurrection against the American occupation of New Mexico by Mexicans
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Pueblo Indians.
The U.S. won the Mexican-American War and forced Mexico into the cession of its northern territories, which included New Mexico. After the war, Archuleta returned to New Mexico and swore allegiance to the American government. He became involved in the politics of what was now a territory of the United States, and was elected to the New Mexico territory assembly. John S. Watts, a pro-Lincoln Republican congressional delegate from New Mexico, advocated for Archuleta's appointment as the U.S. Indian (Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
) agent.
In 1857, Archuleta was named the U.S. Indian agent for the Ute Indian tribe.
American Civil War
From 1861 to 1865, eleven SouthernSouthern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
slave state
Slave state
In the United States of America prior to the American Civil War, a slave state was a U.S. state in which slavery was legal, whereas a free state was one in which slavery was either prohibited from its entry into the Union or eliminated over time...
s of the United States of America declared their secession from the U.S.
Secession in the United States
Secession in the United States can refer to secession of a state from the United States, secession of part of a state from that state to form a new state, or secession of an area from a city or county....
and formed the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. The U.S. government (The Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
) rejected secession as illegal, and the Civil War ensued.
Initially, Archuleta's sympathies lay with the Confederates. This led Watts and other pro-Union colleagues to lose faith in Archuleta. In 1861, Watts asked the president of the Union, Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, to replace Archuleta and to name Jose Antonio Mansinares to the position of Indian agent.
Archuleta recanted from his secessionist views, joined the Union Army with the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, and was assigned to the "New Mexico Volunteer Infantry" (NMVI). With 157 Hispanic officers, the NMVI had the most Hispanic officers of any unit in the Union Army. Besides Archuleta, who served as the commanding officer of the NMVI, the unit included Colonel Miguel E. Pino, Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Jose Maria Valdez, Colonel Jose G. Gallegos, and Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Perea. These units fought in the Battle of Valverde
Battle of Valverde
The Battle of Valverde, or the Battle of Valverde Ford from February 20 to February 21, 1862, was fought near the town of Valverde at a ford of Valverde Creek in Confederate Arizona, in what is today the state of New Mexico. It was a major Confederate success in the New Mexico Campaign of the...
on February 21, 1862. When Archuleta was promoted to Brigadier General, he became the first Hispanic in history, to reach that rank in the United States Military.
Later years
In March 1865, after the war's end, President Lincoln re-appointed Archuleta as an Indian agent in New Mexico. Archuleta was later elected to the New Mexico State Legislature, where he served until his death in 1884. He died in Santa Fe, and was survived by seven children.Awards and decorations
Diego Archuleta's awards and decorations include the following:Further reading
- Diego Archuleta, Primer Brigadier Mexicano de Estados Unidos (Spanish); by Gerardo Flores; Publication: Contenido (Magazine/Journal); Publisher: Thomson Gale
- Violence Over the Land: Indians and Empires in the Early American West; by Ned Blackhawk; Publisher: Harvard University Press; ISBN 0674027205; ISBN 978-0674027206
See also
- Hispanics in the American Civil WarHispanics in the American Civil WarHispanics in the American Civil War fought on both the Union and Confederate sides of the conflict. It is estimated that approximately 3,500 Hispanics, mostly Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans living in the United States joined the war: 2500 for the Confederacy and 1000 for the Union...
- Capture of Santa Fe
- Battle of CañadaBattle of CañadaThe Battle of Cañada was part of the Taos Revolt, a popular insurrection against the American occupation of New Mexico by Mexicans and Pueblo Indians...
- Manuel ArmijoManuel ArmijoManuel Armijo was a New Mexican soldier and statesman who served three times as governor of New Mexico. He was instrumental in putting down the Revolt of 1837, he led the force that captured the Texan Santa Fe Expedition and he surrendered to the United States in the Mexican-American War.-Early...