[snippy_about_it]

Good morning SAM.

Good thread. I never really thought much about the west as far as involvement in the Civil War. I knew about the States Rights issue for the newly forming western territories and the concerns Davis and the South had but never thought about whether there were western battles.

Good idea tanker. It seems to me the Confederates had so much going on in the east they couldn't put much effort in the west although for the Confederates it was a good idea in concept, to expand west.

[HiJinx]

A companion battle (2 weeks later) was fought north and west of Tucson, Arizona. Here's a link to a description of the Battle of Picacho Pass, fought on April 15, 1862.

This is a view of a trail going up between the two spires that define Picacho Peak. The peak is a volcanic neck, all that remains of an ancient volcano.

The author of this article postulates that the locals weren't very particular about whose army claimed the territory as long as they promised to keep the Apaches at bay!

[SAMWolf]

They didn't even cover many of the battles in the "west" and that includes Kansas, etc in school. You'd never know there was fighting there.

[colorado tanker]

Thanks for the thread! Nicely tells the story of the battle.

The dream of a confederate empire was probably just a dream. The terrain in the arid West was not conducive to plantation agriculture and slavery would not be economical. New Mexico had Spanish settlements for centuries by the 1860's and they wouldn't be keen on Confederate occupation. The Colorado settlements in the Pike's Peak and Denver region were very new, just began with the gold rush. Still, most of the settlers and miners were Union men. Such a small force would have had a hard time keeping such a vast area under occupation.

You can visit the battlefield park today - its just off the highway that transits the Pass into Santa Fe. Fort Union is also a historical park and is an interesting visit.

I wonder what was going through the Confederate commander's mind in leaving a Union army and fort in his rear to advance on Santa Fe and Fort Union. Even if he had managed to advance into Colorado, couldn't the federals take back Albuquerque and Santa Fe and cut him off from his communication and supply line???