Manuel Antonio Chaves
| Manuel Antonio Chaves | |
|---|---|
Major Manuel Antonio Chaves
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| Born | October 18, 1818 Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Died | January 1889 San Mateo, New Mexico |
| Allegiance |
Mexico United States Union |
| Service/branch | 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 or Chávez (October 18, 1818? – January, 1889), known as El Leoncito (the little lion), 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. In documented history, as an American soldier he helped win the American Civil War Battle of Glorieta Pass and was in command during an important fight in the Navajo Wars. As a Mexican soldier he probably negotiated the surrender of a large part of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition.
Chaves, a lineal descendent of one of the Spanish conquistadores led by Don Juan de Oñate, was born in the village of Atrisco, just west of Alburquerque, then part of the Spanish Empire. At the age of about sixteen, he participated in a trading expedition or slave-taking raid to the Navajo country. His party of approximately fifty ran into a ceremonial gathering of thousands of Navajos, probably at Canyon de Chelly, and was overwhelmed. Chaves, severely wounded by arrows and the only survivor, made his way home alone and without provisions, a journey of almost 200 miles.
The historian Marc Simmons speculates that Chaves's first formal military experience may have been in August, 1837, under the command of his cousin Manuel Armijo, who put down an uprising in Santa Fe and made himself governor of New Mexico, by then a province of an independent Mexico. At any rate, in 1839 Chaves was commissioned as a sublieutenant (alférez) in the rural mounted militia. In 1841, he probably negotiated the surrender of about half of the Texas Santa Fe Expedition. According to Twitchell (1909), Chaves received the cross of honor from the Mexican government for that service.
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Wikipedia