It was June 18, 1847. New Mexico had been conquered by the American forces fighting the Mexican War. There were malcontents among the conquered citizens. Some of the leaders had been arrested and the Americans in charge thought the rebellion had been scotched, but it hadn’t. There was a revolt. The Missourian who was the governor and five other people died. Some members of the governor’s family escaped by digging through the adobe walls of their home and taking refuge in a house next door. It was up to another Missourian to restore order. The governor was Charles Bent, the first civilian governor of New Mexico. He was part of a trailblazing Missouri family. He was about six years old when his father, Silas, became a judge of the common pleas court in St. Louis. He had ten brothers and sisters.
