Marc Simmons: An uprising at Taos Pueblo in 1847

Opinion

Monday, April 27, 2009

"During the 1846-47 U.S. conquest of New Mexico, an uprising at Taos against American occupation proved to be one of the bloodiest and least understood episodes of the entire military campaign.

All arrived at Taos late on a cold Jan. 18. Early the next morning, a rampaging mob composed of Taos Indians and Taos town residents went on a killing spree, slaying in a horrible manner Gov. Bent and all his traveling companions.

On receiving word of the tragedy, Col. Price and his troops started for Taos, vanquishing on the way opposing forces at Santa Cruz and Embudo. On Feb. 3 they attacked the Taos pueblo, where Hispano and Indian rebels joined to make their stand.

The battle continued on the following day, the American artillery blasting away at the thick-walled adobe church where most of the defenders were concentrated. On Feb. 5 Taos pueblo fell to the attackers. It had lost 154 men, a devastating blow for such a small place.

More deaths were to come. The revolt's ringleaders and their chief accomplices were placed on trial and promptly hanged after conviction by an American-style 12-man jury. One of the judges who presided over the proceedings was Justice Charles Beaubien, whose son Narciso had been killed in the uprising. No time was allowed for appeals."

Get the Story:
Trail Dust: Vicious fighting marked Taos revolt (The Santa Fe New Mexican 4/25)