The Gettysburg of the West
When Union and Confederate forces clashed in the New Mexico Territory in the Glorieta Pass.
For many, the Civil War stirs visions of epic battles east of the Mississippi. Antietam. Shiloh. Gettysburg. Yet the fight over slavery spread much further west than many realize.
In the desert southwest, the New Mexico Territory was largely ignored by both federal and territorial governments. This was especially true of the lower region.
As a result, the Confederate had quietly established strong sympathies in the region. This provided them the foundation to establish the Confederate Arizona Territory in 1862.
The Confederates Eye Colorado and California
With a secured stronghold in the American Southwest, the Confederacy looked for strategic assets. Vital seaports in Los Angeles and San Diego were of interest. So too were the gold and silver mines of California and Colorado.
Confederates believed that if they gained control of these targets, they would control the West. And with the West in their hands, they were confident in winning the war.
For the Confederacy to be successful they would need to gain control of the Glorieta Pass. The pass was a key point along the Santa Fe Trail as it provided access to the high plains of Colorado.
The Glorieta Pass sits southeast of Santa Fe on the southern tip of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It was an essential geographical point. If the Confederates were to launch an assault into Colorado, they’d need the pass.
Marching on Glorieta Pass
It was March 1862. Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley had defeated the Union at the Battle of Valverde. As a result, the Confederates occupied nearby Santa Fe.
While in Santa Fe, Sibley planned his attack on Glorieta Pass. Hoping to secure the pass and advance on nearby Fort Union in Colorado, Sibley called a Texan force to join the advance. With six companies and the 200-300 Texans, the Confederates set out to capture Glorieta Pass.
Meanwhile, the Union had planned on the Confederates pursuing Glorieta Pass. Union soldiers, who had marched some 400 miles from Denver awaited them. With little time to rest from the long journey, the troops hunkered in on the other side of Glorieta Pass.
It was March 26, 1862. At 7,000 feet, the rock and forest covered mountains were a difficult landscape. The high altitude resulted in frigid temperatures and the winter’s snow had yet to melt. It would be the setting for a clash along the Santa Fe Trail.
The Battle of Glorieta Pass
The first day of the battle was intense. The Union successfully repelled the Confederate forces and drove them back to their camp. They would also capture many Confederate troops. The Union tallied a win for the day.
Both sides stayed at their camps awaiting reinforcements on March 27th. Deciding to stay within their encampments, they waited for extra men and supplies to arrive. They rested up for the next day.
On the morning of March 28th, 500 Union soldiers stealthiy scaled the Glorieta Mesa. While the main fighting took place in the pass below, these Union troops hoped to flank the Confederates. A successful flank would cut the Confederates off from reinforcements.
The Confederacy pushed the Union forces back down the Glorieta Pass. As they did so, Union troops atop the mesa completed their maneuver. Dropping down into Johnson’s Ranch, the Unions had surrounded the Confederates. They also found themselves in the home of the Confederacy’s supply train.
Running horses and mules off and setting fire to the camp, the Union troops were perfectly positioned. As the Confederate advance down the pass faltered, they called for reinforcements. It was then they realized what had happened.
Their supply cache destroyed and their lines severed by the Union, the Confederates were done. They would continue to fight on until sunset.
When darkness settled in, the Confederates made their way back down the Glorieta Pass and retreated. The march on Fort Union was over.
The End of Confederates in the Southwest
The three days at Glorieta Pass resulted in an estimated 375 casualties. The battle also marked the closest the Confederates would ever get to Fort Union. Over the coming months they would launch more advances to reach and sack Fort Union. All would prove fruitless.
After repeated failures, the Confederates began to withdraw from the New Mexico Territory. The Confederates found the desert southwest to difficult to conquer. When the Union sent the famous “California Column” eastward the Confederates abandoned the region.
Residing in Pecos National Historical Park, the Glorieta Pass Battlefield is a National Historic Landmark. It is one of eleven out of 10,500 Civil War confrontations to received a priority 1 (class A) rating from the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission.
On that same list you’ll find Gettysburg and Antietam. Which is why the Glorieta Pass has been dubbed by some as the Gettysburg of the West.
History for the Hurried:
June 4, 1972: A train packed with more than 600 people rammed into a stalled train at full speed in Jessore, Bangladesh, killing 76 and injuring over 500 persons.
June 6, 1872 - Pioneering feminist Susan B. Anthony was fined for voting in a presidential election at Rochester, New York. You can read more about bad ass women here or here.
June 6, 1978 - By a vote of almost two to one, California voters approved Proposition 13, an amendment to the state constitution severely limiting property tax rates.