Title: Hispanics and the Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)
Headings: Hispanics and the Civil War
Hispanics and the Civil War
Civil War Defenses of Washington , Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, Pecos National Historical Park, Stones River National Battlefield
Context for Conflict
Spanish Roots in American Soil
Soldiers in the Southeast
Soldiers in the North
Sailors: North and South
Immigrants Fighting under Different Flags
Soldiers in the Southwest
Hispanics on the Homefront
From Civil War to Civil Rights
Conclusion

Content: Some traced their ancestry to explorers who settled in North America generations ahead of the English. Many had suddenly found themselves classified as Americans when the United States expanded its boundaries. Others were recent immigrants from Spain and Latin America, drawn to the United States to improve their lives. When the nation split in two, many were forced to choose whether to support the Union or the Confederacy. Some had little choice as they were swept into the maelstrom. From the first shots at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, in 1861 to the last action at Palmito Ranch, Texas, in 1865, many Hispanics made a conscious decision to join the fight: some for the Union and some for the Confederacy. They responded to a variety of motives, public and private. They represented all socio-economic levels, from wealthy aristocrats fighting to preserve a way of life to impoverished laborers seeking to improve their fortunes. Patriotism, personal gain, regional conditions, and history all played a role in their decisions.