Saturday, February 9, 2008

The Battle of Valverde and Rafael Chacón

Paul Harden For El Defensor Chieftain

February always seems to be a special month for New Mexico history buffs. Particularly along the lower Rio Grande.

It was in February 1862, when about 2,600 Texans carrying the Confederate flag invaded the serene Rio Grande Valley. They arrived to capture Fort Craig on Feb. 16 — the Battle of Valverde was fought on the 21st — three days later the "enimigo del Confederada" demanded the surrender of Socorro.

The Confederate flag flew over the Socorro Plaza until late April.

February is the month to remember these historical events.

These Relatos del Pasado articles highlight Fort Craig or the Civil War in New Mexico each February.

History Comes Alive

On Saturday, Feb. 23, El Camino Real International Heritage Center hosts "Historic Forts Day." This is a day of living history activities demonstrating frontier and Army life along the trail in the 1800s.

This event will include a portrayal of Rafael Chacón, a distinguished officer with the New Mexico Volunteers. It is Chacón's memoirs and autobiography that has left a lasting record of the Civil War in New Mexico, the Battle of Valverde, and life in general in Territorial New Mexico.

The following week, Civil War reenactors from around the region, wearing the Blue and the Gray, arrive in Socorro.

The seige of Socorro will take place on Friday, Feb. 29, 4 p.m., at Clarke Field.

This in-town running battle reenactment is the only one like it in the United States.

On Saturday, March 1, the Battle of Val Verde will be fought at the Escondida Bridge on the Rio Grande.

Additional battles and tactical exhibitions continue on Sunday, March 2.

These events include authentic 1860s elements of infantry, mounted cavalry and artillery units typical of the time. Artillery — those are the folks that fire-off those 12-pound Howitzer cannons.

All of these public activities, from the Civil War reenactors at Socorro and Escondida, to the Camino Real Center, is intended to keep this local history and heritage alive. Whether you are a history buff or not, you will enjoy these activities portraying life along the Rio Grande 140 years ago. Bring your camera.

The Civil War

Those who are unfamiliar with these historical events often ask the question, "Did the Civil War change life in New Mexico?"

The answer is yes. Partic-ularly with the Hispanic community.

During the 1600s to 1700s, what would become New Mexico consisted of the native Indian tribes, and thousands of settlers of Spanish and Mexican descent. Since the region was declared part of Spain, its inhabitants were all subject to Spanish law and considered Spanish citizens.

In 1821, the Spanish empire fell and the Southwest region became part of Mexico. Overnight, all inhabitants became Mexican citizens and the area came to be known as "New Mexico."

A generation later, in 1848, Gen. Stephen Watts Kearny marched into Santa Fe, raised the American flag, and declared New Mexico a territory of the United States. All New Mexicans were now Americans.

A dozen years later, in 1861, the United States was split in two with the Civil War. Americans had to choose their loyalty between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va.

This included the people of New Mexico. How confusing this must have been to the native people along the Rio Grande.

In the summer of 1861, a small, advanced guard of Confederates arrived in New Mexico.

They made Mesilla their home, and declared it the western capitol of the Southern states.

They seized nearby Fort Fillmore and peacefully captured the soldiers and families who lived there — they were furloughed and allowed to roam the streets of Mesilla with the promise to not raise arms against the Confederacy.

Although not harmed or imprisoned, the psychological damage of a foreign power capturing New Mexicans and an Army fort was devastating.

A few months later, Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley and 2,600 Texas Volunteers departed San Antonio, Texas, for the invasion of New Mexico. They arrived in El Paso on Christmas Eve.

By January, they occupied El Paso, Mesilla, Doña Ana and Fort Thorn (near present day Hatch). How quickly the word of their arrival must have traveled up El Camino Real to Socorro and beyond.

One can only imagine the conversations that took place in Socorro's cantinas and homes with an enemy force only 150 miles away.

The commanding officer at nearby Fort Craig, Col. Edward Richard Sprigg Canby, certainly got the word of their approach.

As the core of the Confederate Army departed San Antonio, Canby asked for New Mexico's help.

Canby needed men to form the New Mexico Volunteers to match the nearly 3,000-strong force of the Texans.

By Christmas, more than 1,500 New Mexicans answered the call by volunteering at Fort Union or Fort Craig. Others would soon follow.

Col. Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson, who spoke Spanish, became the commander of the primarily Spanish-speaking New Mexican Volunteers.

These New Mexican citizens had clearly made their choice by enlisting with the volunteers and giving their loyalty to the United States of America.

These volunteers had to provide their own horses, clothing, guns and, often, ammunition.

In spite of promises of a monthly provisions pay, many had to feed their own horses and purchase other items at their own expense for months, which demoralized the men.

Regardless, they trained and performed maneuvers daily, and waited for the arrival of the Texans.

On Feb. 16, 1862, the whole force of the Confederate Army and the Texas Mounted Volunteers appeared on the southern banks of Milligan Gulch — almost within shouting range of Fort Craig.

Unable to engage the Union soldiers at the fort in a fight, Sibley moved his force to Paraje, then along El Camino Real to the ford at Valverde.

Anticipating a seige of the fort, Col. Benjamin Stone Roberts was sent to fortify the Valverde crossing with a force of regular Army and New Mexico Volunteers.

Early in the morning of Feb. 21, the two armies ran into eachother on the north face of Mesa del Contadero on the Rio Grande. The Battle of Valverde had begun.

As the hours marched on, Fort Craig was emptied. Every available soldier was sent to the battlefield.

Historians will always argue about the tactics of the battle.

However, it is known that in mid-afternoon, Canby arrived and took command of the battle from Roberts and repositioned the battle lines.

Whatever edge the Union army had in containing the Texans was lost.

The Texans stormed out of the hills and inflicted great damage to the repositioning Federal troops, which left them in disarray and confusion.

In this fight were Carson's full regiment of New Mexico Volunteers, supported by two companies of Colorado Volunteers.

Company K, commanded by Capt. Rafael Chacón, was one of the companies that crossed the river to challenge the Texan advance.

The Retreat

In late afternoon, the Texans overwhelmed Capt. Alexander McRae's battery, with the entire battery falling into Confederate hands.

This was a devastating loss to Canby, who ordered a retreat back to the fort. Legally, the battle was over. The Texans had successfully won their first conflict in New Mexico.

This was not a small skirmish along the Rio Grande.

It was a full-scale military battle involving nearly 5,000 troops evenly divided on both sides of the conflict.

The casualties suffered by both armies were the same percentages experienced in the major battles in Virginia.

The only difference is while volumes have been written on the battles at Gettysburg, Bull Run or the Wilderness, the New Mexico battles at Valverde and Glorietta are scarcely mentioned.

From a tactical standpoint, the soldiers from Fort Craig had the advantage.

Something went very, very wrong.

Later that night, Canby penned his official report to Washington on the battle.

In an attempt to explain what went wrong, he blamed the New Mexico Volunteers and language barriers on the field.

For more than 100 years, it was a historical belief that the New Mexico Volunteers were cowards on the battlefield, failed to follow commands and even fled the field when the going got rough.

These men, who served a country they hardly knew, returned to their homes along the Rio Grande with this unwarranted stigma of disgrace.

Recently, through the work of historians such as Jacqueline Meketa and John Taylor, Col. Canby's allegations have been proven to be from highly exagerated to outright false.

For instance, their research, based on the official records of the battle, show the New Mexico Volunteers sustained the same percentage of casualties as those of the regular army.

You don't get killed, mamed or injured unless you're in the thick of battle.

Rafael Chacón

One of the important figures of the New Mexico Volunteers was Capt. Rafael Chacón.

Living in Santa Fe, Chacón volunteered to serve the Union Army in early 1861. He was given officer status and made the captain of Company K of the First Infantry Regiment.

After training and service at Fort Union and in Albuquerque, the 88 men of Company K were sent to Fort Craig.

Chacón was used, in February 1862, on daily patrols to watch for the impending arrival of the Texans.

Chacón and Company K accompanied Col. Roberts to Valverde on the morning of Feb. 21. They were among the first to take fire from the Texans, which continued throughout the day. Chacón, in his memoirs, described the battle by the late afternoon as follows:

"We received the order to advance and attack their flank, sabers in hand. We made the attack, full of courage and almost in a frenzy ... driving the enemy back through blood and fire, we forced them to flee to the hills.

"At the hour the sun went down the order was given to retreat. I, who already found myself very deep into the enemy zone because of the violence of our attack, did not understand the order at first for we considered that our charge upon the enemy's main cavalry had won the battle.

"I was so loath to leave the field that my company was the last of our army to retreat and cross the river ...

"We crossed the river when they fired on us with our own cannons (the captured McRae battery), but without doing us any damage."

Chacón also records one of the largest misconceptions about the involvement of the so-called deserters of the New Mexico Volunteers.

Chacón continued in his memoirs, "After the battle, we (numerous companies of the New Mexico Volunteers) made quarters at nine at night and there rested from our fatigue and in groups commented on the events of that day."

The following day, the men, mostly on foot, continued their march back to muster in at Fort Craig.

Each company commander was asked to submit a written report on their activities in the battle. Chacón wrote and filed his.

This is an important distinction. Following the retreat from the battlefield, the regular Army troops returned to Fort Craig. Most of these men were mounted.

That night, Canby penned his initial report, including the unknown whereabouts of the New Mexico Volunteers.

For The Record

History now tells us many of the volunteers were the last to leave the battlefield, such as Chacón's company.

Few had horses and, thus, they were required to walk the 5 miles back to the fort.

At 9 p.m., in the pitch dark, they stopped for the night due to fatigue. The next morning, the men continued their march to Fort Craig.

Unfortunately, Canby's report of the missing volunteers had already been written. The damage from the false reports of the deserters remained with these fighting men for years.

The Battle of Valverde was a small part of Rafael Chacón's distinguished service to his country. He eventually earned the rank of Major, one of the few of Mexican descent to attain such a high a rank.

Before his resignation from the U.S. Army in 1865, he had served as Commanding Officer at Fort Stanton.

After military service, Chacón moved his family to Trinidad, Colo., where he lived until his death in 1925.

In his 70s, Chacón began writing his memoirs following the urgings of his son.

This unfinished work was discovered by historian Jacqueline Meketa.

Combined with her own research, Chacón's memoirs and letters were published in book form by Meketa, entitled "Legacy of Honor — The Life of Rafael Chacón, a Nineteenth-Century New Mexican."

This remains one of the most important works of this era.

With honesty and no malice intended, Chacón describes the honor and pride with which the New Mexico Volunteers served their country — and the frustrations and prejudices they endured as well. It is a unique insight into life in New Mexico at the end of the Mexican era, the beginnings of the American occupation, and through the Territorial days leading up to statehood.

Although "Legacy of Honor" is now out of print, it is often found in used book stores and well worth reading.

Recording An Era

What makes Chacón's recollections invaluable is that he was one of the few Hispanics of this era to commit his history to paper.

As described by University of New Mexico professor Dr. Enrique Lamadrid, "His memoir is the most complete Hispano autobiographical writing from the 19th century. His voice is clear and strong on all the issues of his day, issues important for us today as Nuevo Mexicanos."

Lamadrid has spent years studying the life of Rafael Chacón.

Lamadrid will honor Chacón, in life and dress, as part of the Historic Forts Day at the Camino Real Center on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Rafael Chacón was also honored by the City of Socorro and the Bureau of Land Management, in 2004, for the 150th anniversary of the founding of Fort Craig. The sign dedicated to Chacón is located at Clarke Field.

Many of Socorro's older families, whose men fought at Valverde, have similar oral history stories of the details of the battle, how men from Socorro found, and burned, some of the Texan's supply wagons, or proudly served in Capt. Paddy Graydon's Spy Company.

The stories are no different than those penned by Rafael Chacón.

Whether written or oral, their history tells the same stories of early Territorial New Mexico.

It is a part of Socorro's history and heritage that should never be forgotten.

Some of the references used in this article: "Legacy of Honor: The Life of Rafael Chacón, A Nineteenth-Century New Mexican" by Jacqueline Meketa; "Turmoil in New Mexico," by William Keleher; "Bloody Valverde," by John Taylor.

na5n@zianet.com

E-mail this story Printer-friendly version