Title: History | Hispanics in the United States Army
Headings: 
History
Civil War
1861-1865
1850
Spanish-American War
1898
World War I
1914-1918
World War II
1939-1945
Korean War
1950-1953
Vietnam War
1959-1973
Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm
1990-1991
1950
Profiles
War Against Terrorism/Contigency Operations
2003-Present
2000

Content: History | Hispanics in the United States Army
History
1850 to Present
1850
1900
1950
2000-Present
Civil War
1861-1865
Like other ethnic groups of Americans, Hispanics were divided in their loyalties, fighting heroically for both the Union and Confederate armies. Most Hispanics were integrated into the regular Army or volunteer units, although some served in predominantly Hispanic units with their own officers. Hispanics were especially instrumental in protecting the Southwest against Confederate advances, most notably in California, Arizona and New Mexico. A very unusual historical figure was a woman named Loreta Janeta Velazquez, who was born in Cuba. During the Civil War, she masqueraded as a Confederate soldier using the name of Lt. Harry T. Buford, enlisting in 1860 without her soldier-husband’s knowledge. According to her controversial biography and the confirmation of others, she fought fearlessly at the Battles of Bull Run, Ball’s Bluff and Fort Donelson, but was detected in New Orleans and discharged. Loreta Velasquez re-enlisted and fought at the Battle of Shiloh until rediscovered. She spied in both male and female disguises, and her bravery in the Civil War showed extraordinary courage and commitment. The illustration depicts Loreta Janeta Velazquez and her alias, Lt.