Manuel Antonio Chaves facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Manuel Antonio Chaves
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Major Manuel Antonio Chaves
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| Born | October 18, 1818 Albuquerque, New Spain (Spanish Empire) |
| Died | January 1889 San Mateo, New Mexico Territory (now Cibola County, New Mexico, U.S.) |
| Allegiance |  Mexico United States Union |
| Service/ |
Militia (Mexico) United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1839–1846 (Mexico) 1847–1848, 1861–1865 (USA) |
| Rank |  Lt. Colonel, USV |
| Battles/wars | Revolt of 1837 Mexican–American War |
Manuel Antonio Chaves (born around October 18, 1818 – died January 1889) was a brave soldier and rancher from New Mexico. He was known as El Leoncito which means "the little lion." Chaves was famous for his courage and amazing shooting skills.
He fought for both Mexico and the United States. As an American soldier, he played a key role in the American Civil War's Battle of Glorieta Pass. He also led important fights during the Navajo Wars. As a Mexican soldier, he helped arrange the surrender of a large group from the Texan Santa Fe Expedition.
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Early Life and Adventures
Manuel Chaves was born in Atrisco, a village near Albuquerque. This area was part of the Spanish Empire at the time. He was a descendant of the early Spanish explorers who came with Don Juan de Oñate.
When he was about 16, Chaves went on a trading trip to the Navajo lands. His group of about 50 people met a huge gathering of thousands of Navajos, possibly at Canyon de Chelly. Chaves was badly hurt by arrows, but he was the only one to make it back home. He traveled almost 200 miles alone, without food or supplies.
Historians believe Chaves's first military experience was in 1837. He served under his cousin, Manuel Armijo, who became governor of New Mexico. In 1839, Chaves became an ensign, a junior officer, in the local mounted militia. In 1841, he likely helped negotiate the surrender of part of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition. For this service, he reportedly received a special award from the Mexican government.
Fighting for the United States
In 1846, the United States invaded New Mexico. Chaves prepared to fight with Armijo's militia. However, Armijo surrendered, and the Battle of Santa Fe never happened.
In 1847, Chaves swore loyalty to the United States. He joined the U.S. forces as a private, even though he was offered an officer's rank. He helped put down the Taos Revolt. During the Siege of Pueblo de Taos, he saved his captain, Ceran St. Vrain. Chaves used his rifle to hit a Puebloan fighter who was struggling with St. Vrain.
Life as a Rancher and Indian Fighter
For the next ten years, Chaves worked as a rancher and businessman. He traded with different Native American groups and also fought in conflicts. In 1860, he became a lieutenant-colonel in a militia unit. This unit, the Second New Mexico Mounted Volunteers, was formed to fight the Navajos and Apaches.
In 1861, Chaves was in charge of Fort Fauntleroy (later Fort Wingate). An agreement had been made with the Navajos. However, a dispute over a horse race led to a fight between Chaves's men and visiting Navajos. Several Navajos were killed. This event was a major reason why fighting started again, leading to the forced Long Walk of the Navajo in 1863. Kit Carson arrested Chaves after the fight. But because the details were unclear and the Civil War was happening, Colonel Edward Canby ended his house arrest after two months.
The American Civil War
In 1862, General Henry Hopkins Sibley led Texan forces to try and take New Mexico for the Confederacy. Chaves supported the Union and fought with his militia at the Battle of Valverde, where the Union forces were defeated.
Later, at the Battle of Glorieta Pass, Chaves was chosen by General Canby and Major John Chivington to guide Chivington's troops. Chaves led them to the Confederate supply train. The Union soldiers and New Mexico militia destroyed the supplies. This forced the Confederates to retreat back to Texas. While official military records didn't mention Chaves much, other accounts from that time praised his actions.
Chaves was honorably discharged from the army in 1863. That same year, he fought what he called his greatest battle. A group of Navajos were raiding the Rio Grande valley near Socorro. They were killing people and stealing animals. They also captured the son of Matías Contreras, a local leader. Contreras wanted to act immediately, so Chaves led about 15 civilians on mules to chase the Navajos.
The Navajos attacked Chaves's group at a spring called Ojo de la Mónica. They quickly shot all the mules, forcing Chaves and his men to take cover. Chaves was the best shot, so he fired his own rifle and also used others' rifles while they reloaded his. By nightfall, only Chaves, Contreras, and one other man were left alive. At dawn, they found that the Navajos had left. The Navajos didn't know that Chaves only had three bullets left. Contreras later got his son back.
In 1863, the Long Walk helped end the major Indian wars in New Mexico. Manuel Chaves spent the rest of his life ranching in the San Mateo Mountains. He built his home near the oak trees where he had rested as a teenager after his escape from Canyon de Chelly. He also built a family chapel behind those trees, where he was buried with his wife and children.
Chaves in Stories
Manuel Chaves appears as a small character in the book Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather. The author even talked to Chaves's son, Amado, for her book. In the story, Chaves is shown as a friend of Archbishop "Latour" (Jean Baptiste Lamy).
However, in real life, the only known interaction between Chaves and Lamy was a disagreement. Around the late 1850s, Lamy removed Chaves from the church (excommunicated him) because of a dispute over a property line between a chapel and Chaves's house in Santa Fe. At the next church service, Chaves, his half-brother, and a servant came with loaded rifles. Because of this, the priest did not read the order of excommunication.
See also
- Hispanics in the American Civil War
