Revolt at Taos: The New Mexican and Indian Insurrection of 1847

by James A. Crutchfield

An Uprising by New Mexicans and Native Americans Against American Rule that Continues to Resonate Today
On the morning of January 19, 1847, Charles Bent, the newly appointed governor of the American-claimed territory of New Mexico, was savagely killed at his home in Don Fernando de Taos, a small, remote town located north of Santa Fe. Those responsible for Bent’s murder were New Mexican settlers and Indians from nearby Taos Pueblo who refused to recognize the United States occupation. With emotions rubbed raw, the natives continued their bloodbath until five more leading citizens were massacred in Taos. During the ensuing months, American civilians and soldiers, along with scores of New Mexicans and Taos Indians, were killed and wounded throughout the region. Less than a month following Bent’s murder, in a two-day battle, volunteer and regular elements of an American army under the command of Colonel Sterling Price emerged victorious after bombarding the insurrectionists at their refuge in the church at Taos Pueblo. Surviving participants in the earlier Taos murders were arrested, tried in American-dominated courts, and, within weeks, hanged for their actions. The murder of Bent and the others at Taos and the subsequent trials and executions brought with them misunderstanding, controversy, mistrust, and recrimination on both sides of the issue. The events also subjected President James K. Polk’s administration to censure over what some critics believed was an overextension of presidential authority in claiming New Mexico as a territory.
In Revolt at The New Mexican and Indian Insurrection of 1847 , writer and historian James A. Crutchfield explores the fast-moving events surrounding the bloody revolt which left native inhabitants of New Mexico wondering how their neighbors and kinsmen could be legally tried, found guilty, and executed for acts they considered to have been honorable ones committed in defense of their country. These concerns have never been adequately addressed and their struggle has been all but scrubbed from the history of American expansion.

Genres: History, Native Americans, American History

229 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 1995

About the author

James A. Crutchfield is the author of many books on United States history, including Tragedy at Taos: the Revolt of 1847, Eyewitness to American History, and Legends of the Wild West. His contributions to a variety of newspapers and nationally distributed magazines and journals number in the hundreds. He has been awarded the Spur Award from Western Writers of America and is a two-time award recipient from the American Association for State and Local History.

A native-born Tennessean whose direct ancestors were among the first settlers of Nashville in the 1780s, he has most often turned his probing eye toward their stories. But his writing career has spanned the entire continent, from the days of George Washington and the American fur trade to the Army of the West and the histories of such Western states as Montana, New Mexico and Arizona as part of his It Happened in… book series.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew very little about the Taos Revolt, so I definitely learned from this book. Crutchfield aims for a middle of the road account, though, and that absence of an argument made it a little dry. He packs much of the most interesting material and discussion at the end, when he examines a few key questions about the event.

[Robert Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revolt at Taos is a well researched book about an incident during the Mexican/American War, taking place in what is now New Mexico. While not a major historical event, it says much about the times and the attitudes of people in 1847. In places it is a bit tedious because of the detail it goes into, giving long lists of names of the people involved and other such data. Considering that this is a historical account that tries as hard as possible to be accurate and unbiased, the lists and details, while not fun to read, are completely justified. For anyone interested int he events of the time, I would recommend Revolt at Taos.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A revisionist history of the revolt against the United States in New Mexico following the Mexican-American War. The examination of the causes is cursory and even though he gives some historically accurate facts such as the contents of the treaty ending the Texas Revolution, he does does not let that stand in the way of his view of an imperialistic United States. Overall , Revolt in Taos presents an alternative view of events and should be read by anyone wanting to examine all sides of an issue.

[Matt Heavner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important and interesting New Mexico / US history. Overall, enjoyable. It was a bit dry in parts (listing various volunteer companies and all the counties that volunteers came from wasn't interesting to me). But a great resource and compendium of information. Well annotated/references with useful appendices.

[Rena Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three years ago, took a road trip that included stopping at the Taos pueblo. Saw the site of the first church of San Geronimo and the later built one. Curiosity about the old, burned out shell led me to buy and read this account.

Crutchfield very thoroughly sets the stage and relates from all available sources what happened, which was even debated at the time, what was right or legal and what went wrong. In the final analysis, this fight along with the Alamo battle culminated in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the territory of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona being added to the United States and eventually becoming states.

Anyone interested in southwestern U.S. history will find it interesting, informative and an entertaining read.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mostly straight forward account of a little known incident during the beginning of the Mexican-American war of the mid 1800s. Heavily relying on the occupier's accounts (and not spending very much time on the New Mexican's position until the end), the production seems one-sided though he claims to be aiming for even-handedness.

Those interested in Mew Mexico's history should take a look and get what you can out of it. Those with an abiding interest in the history of the war and legislative attempts to secure land gained by conquest may be interested as well.

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Other than the Mormon Battalion and their heroic journey, I knew very little about the Mexican American war. I thought by reading Revolt at Taos, by James A Crutchfield I would have a greater insight into a particular battle of the war. I was mistaken. The book is poorly written and provides only superficial insight into the battle at Taos. There must be better books written about this critical part of our history.

[Fred Eisenhut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having visited Santa Fe and Taos years ago, I became aware of its history for the first time. I wish I had read this book before going there. I would have known better what I was looking at and could have asked better questions. This is a short book that leaves one with a lot of questions. I read W. Cather's book "Death of the Archbishop" was impressed. Now I wonder if it was correct in any way. Interesting read.