By Keli Holt
In early 1861, America’s experiment with a democratic republic faced its largest challenge when 11 southern slave states seceded to create the Confederate States of America. The subsequent American Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in America’s history. It saw more casualties than all American wars from independence through Korea combined. Combat raged throughout the continent from the East Coast to the Mississippi River to what is now the American Southwest.
In 1862, Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed Gen. Sibley to recruit Texan volunteers to invade the New Mexico Territory. Their goal was to seize Albuquerque and Santa Fe and follow the Rio Grande north to Colorado to take the gold mines around Denver, before marching west to conquer California. The Confederacy, with its much smaller economy, desperately needed the bullion in California and Colorado to finance the war.
About 3,500 Texans volunteered for this task, and the Confederate “Army of New Mexico” invaded New Mexico in early 1862. Many Texans had never accepted the Compromise of 1850, which had set the border between Texas and New Mexico. It established that all of New Mexico east of the Rio Grande was rightfully part of the state of Texas. Since New Mexico was still a territory and not a state in 1862, Union forces for the North were stationed in garrisons throughout the territory. The Confederate Sibley believed that New Mexicans would rally to the Confederate cause and that his army would have little problem kicking out these federal troops.
The first clashes occurred at Fort Craig, a Union-held fort south of Socorro, manned by mostly Spanish speaking recruits from Albuquerque. Colonels Canby and Kit Carson commanded the Union fort. Since 700 Texans had died of disease and Apache raids on the march to New Mexico, only 2,800 men remained. This meant Confederates were reticent to attack Fort Craig directly.
Sibley thus marched north around the fort to Valverde where the first pitched battle occurred. While the Confederates captured a few Union guns and forced the Union troops to retreat back to Fort Craig, Valverde was a pyrrhic victory for Sibley as it drained the Confederates of badly-needed men and horses. Indeed, so many horses were lost that the Army of New Mexico was now a marching infantry. Safely ensconced at Fort Craig guarding the supply route to Texas, Col. Canby was content to let the Confederates march north to Albuquerque, a large Union supply depot.
Unbeknownst to Gen. Sibley, the population of Albuquerque had fled from the advancing army and on orders from Canby burned all supplies. Denied the much-needed supplies in Albuquerque, the Confederates paused briefly before heading north to Santa Fe. They seized the capital without a fight as the Union territorial government had fled to Las Vegas. The Stars and Bars was raised over Santa Fe Plaza in March 1862.
While most Texans had wanted to conquer Santa Fe for years, their satisfaction at seizing the capital did little to feed their starving army. All supplies had been sent to the Union-held Fort Union 25 miles north of Las Vegas in advance of the Confederate arrival. With Fort Craig in the south blocking any possible reinforcements from Texas, Gen. Sibley had no choice but to try and attack Fort Union if the Confederates stood any chance of reaching Colorado.
Union reinforcements, however, were on their way to Fort Union from Colorado. In 1859, thousands of men had flocked to Colorado when gold was struck at Pikes Peak, and many of these same men now double-timed it to Fort Union to bolster Union defenses, marching 400 miles in 13 days.
The reinforced Union North and the invading Confederates clashed at Glorietta, a mountain pass situated along the historic Santa Fe Trail. The Texans gained ground but never managed to seize Fort Union. Even more harrowing for the Confederates, the Colorado recruits led by the “Fighting Parson” Col. Chivington blew up the remaining Confederate supply wagons by belaying themselves down a cliff wall and slipping behind Confederate lines with explosives.
While the Battle of Glorietta was largely inconclusive, the loss of its remaining supplies proved the death knell for the Confederate dream of conquering the New Mexico Territory, Colorado, and California. After regrouping in Santa Fe briefly, the Confederates began the slow march back to Texas in April. While the Union forces could have easily attacked the starving Confederates, the Union did not want to house and feed 2,000 captured prisoners. Union forces simply followed the defeated Army of New Mexico all the way back to Texas, harassing them just enough to ensure that the defeated rebels marched straight home. The Confederate claim to the American Southwest was over.
