The Gettysburg of the West

Colleagues, I'll be away for a week revisiting Santa Fe, New Mexico, as well as the fields where Texas cowboys and miners from Colorado battled for control of the Southwest. I've grown fascinated with this little known campaign (that included a fellow named Kit Carson). Take a look in my library under the SOUTHWEST tag to see some related titles. My favorite is a tiny book that reads like Little Big Man ....My Life with the Army in the West: Memoirs of James E. Farmer. C'ya in a week or so.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Glorieta_Pass

Canyoncito, Apache Canyon, Glorieta Pass, Pigeon's Ranch.... hello & happy reading frmo Santa Fe! Regards, A

Enjoy the trip. Go and see my brother while you are there!

M

Good morning all (and thanks MGE),
back to chillly Maryland from New Mexico. While out west I reread
The Battle of Glorieta: Union Victory in the West, Rebels on the Rio Grande: The Civil War Journal of A.B. Peticolas, My Life with the Army in the West: Memoirs of James E. Farmer and picked up When the Texans Came. I recommend looking into this little-known facet of the Civil War which could have very easily gone the otherway, the Union margin of victory was very slim.
Cheers, A

As a former member of the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) I recall receiving some literature from them explaining Glorieta as one of the most endangered CW battlefields in the country. Did you see evidence of this Ammianus?

LOL, I guess so ...note link & map on site ...
The various portions of the battle fall into three sections (like Gaul) of the
Pecos National Park where the ruins of the Pecos pueblo remain.
Two of the three sections are closed to public; I missed the Saturday only NPS guided van tour. Following the highway you can at least observe the terrain;
in the middle section, where the most serious fighting occurred, you pass the remains of Pigeon's Ranch (about three rooms left of a 23 room complex).
While not being able to trek about on foot you certainly get a feel for what the fighting must have been like particularly in the very narrow Apache Canyon.
I find it hard to understand why the state of New Mexico doesn't make
more of this historic campaign; you really have to dig to see any mention of it in the tourist brochures. Go figure!

http://www.nps.gov/peco/

Re. Endangered battlefields: Is it Valverde that's now completely under water?

Amm/Donogh,

Fort Craig was always closed to the public, being on private land. I assume that is still the case. Amm; did you get to Fort Union - always worth a visit?

Mike

For more on the campaign in the American Southwest - Blood & Treasure : Confederate Empire in the Southwest by Donald S. Frazier (1995) is worth the time.

Good morning all! We're loading up and heading for Santa Fe & Taos. I wouldn't be surprised if we zip by Apache Canyon and Glorieta Pass. Check above entries for reading recommendations, maps etc. I'm hoping this time I can get on the limited NPS guided tour of the battlefield. Regards to all, c'ya in a couple of weeks!

Are we there, yet?!

Yay! Just back from NPS guided tour of the Glorieta battlefield. Park Service intends something for the 150th, will involve the Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas National Guards and the US Army. Finished up at the Horseman's Haven for burrito and chili verde!

29 April 2015 ... flying out to Santa Fe tomorrow. Yippee!

Enjoy a green chile cheeseburger for me.

How about a showing of "the Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" to commemorate the campaign? The film is supposed to take place then and there. :-)

Whaw, whaw,,,whawww..

fascinating part of the country.
Cheers!

15: mission accomplished, Casa Sena, Santa Fe, yum!

Flying out to New Mexico tomorrow!

Great trip, found & read: The Civil War in New Mexico (Southwest Heritage).

Went to the "Gettysburg of the East" yesterday. Was a bit soggy, but walked along Willoughby Run and around Powers' Hill.

lol...it is truly a great park.