Battles
| Name | Date | Location | War | Campaign |
| Battle of Pecos River | January 4, 1864 | near Fort Sumner | Navajo Wars | |
| Battle of Mount Gray | April 7, 1864 | Mount Gray, modern Hidalgo County | Apache Wars / American Civil War | California Column |
| Skirmish in Doubtful Canyon | May 3, 1864 | Hidalgo County | Apache Wars / American Civil War | California Column |
| Battle of Columbus | March 9, 1916 | Columbus | Mexican Revolution | Mexican Border War (1910–1919) |
- First Battle of Mesilla.
- Second Battle of Mesilla.
- Sibley's New Mexico Campaign.
- Battle of Valverde.
- Battle of Glorieta Pass.
What were the 10 major battles in the Civil War?
Major Battles Of The American Civil War
- Battle of Gettysburg (1863)
- Battle of Appomattox Station and Court House (1865) The Battle of Appomattox Station and Court House took place on April 9th and was one of the final battles of ...
- First Battle of Bull Run (1861) The First Battle of Bull Run took place on July 21st in Fairfax County and Prince William County near the city of Manassas, ...
What are the best Civil War sites to visit?
Best Civil War Sites: Vicksburg, MS. Credit: Ian Dagnall / Alamy. Vicksburg was not just the location of individual battles but also endured a painful 47-day siege. Pemberton’s Headquarters ...
Did the Civil War have influence on New Mexico?
The New Mexico Territory, which included the areas which became the modern U.S. states of New Mexico and Arizona as well as the southern part of present-day Nevada, played a small but significant role in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War.
Did Mexico beat us in a war?
The armies sent to Mexico were relatively small, peaking at about 8,500 soldiers. The Americans were outnumbered in nearly every battle they fought. The entire war was fought on Mexican soil, which should have given the Mexicans an advantage. Yet not only did the Americans win the war, they also won every major engagement.
Were any Civil War battles fought in New Mexico?
The Battle of Valverde, fought in the Rio Grande bottomlands north of Fort Craig on February 21, was the largest and westernmost battle of the Civil War campaign in New Mexico.
How many major Civil War battles took place in New Mexico Territory?
Two large battlesTwo large battles and several smaller ones were fought in New Mexico territory between 1861 and 1865.
What was the main battle fought in New Mexico in 1862?
Battle of Glorieta PassBattle of Glorieta PassDate March 26–28, 1862 Location New Mexico Territory; United States Result Tactical draw, strategic Union victoryBelligerentsUnited StatesConfederate StatesCommanders and leaders9 more rows
What did New Mexico do during the Civil War?
The New Mexico Volunteers provided over 8,000 Union soldiers — more than any other Western state — led by Lt. Col Manuel Chavez for this tremendous effort of sacrifice and bloodshed in order to end slavery in America and to help in the formation of a more “perfect Union.”
What are the three major battles fought in New Mexico during the Civil War?
The Civil War in New MexicoFirst Battle of Mesilla.Second Battle of Mesilla.Sibley's New Mexico Campaign.Battle of Valverde.Battle of Glorieta Pass.
Were there battles in Southwest Civil War?
The Southwest Borderlands saw multiple civil wars and struggles for survival and dominance between 1861 and 1867, when the last of the U.S. Volunteer troops were mustered out of service.
Why did the Confederates want New Mexico?
In 1861, the Confederacy claimed the southern half of the vast New Mexico Territory as its own Arizona Territory and waged the ambitious New Mexico Campaign in an attempt to control the American Southwest and open up access to Union-held California.
What happened in Santa Fe on August 18th 1846?
On August 18, 1846, Stephen W. Kearny captured Santa Fe without firing a shot as part of the Kearny Expedition.
When did Texas invade New Mexico?
The Texan Santa Fe Expedition was a commercial and military expedition to secure the Republic of Texas's claims to parts of Northern New Mexico for Texas in 1841.
Did the Confederates invade New Mexico?
The New Mexico campaign was a military operation of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War from February to April 1862 in which Confederate Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley invaded the northern New Mexico Territory in an attempt to gain control of the Southwest, including the gold fields of ...
Was New Mexico a Confederate or Union?
The southern part of the New Mexico Territory, which was the Gadsen Purchase, sided with the Confederacy, while the northern section was Union. New Mexico supplied 26 Union military units. The Wikipedia article, New Mexico in the American Civil War, has more information about New Mexico's activities during the war.
Who invaded New Mexico?
A few weeks later, on this day in 1916, Villa led an army of about 1,500 guerillas across the border to stage a brutal raid against the small American town of Columbus, New Mexico. Villa and his men killed 19 people and left the town in flames.
When did New Mexico get full control?
Full administrative control of New Mexico was established on February 2, 1848 with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the Mexican–American War . The Mexican–American War, American Civil War, and Plains Indian Wars all directly affected the region during westward expansion.
When was New Mexico established?
Full administrative control of New Mexico was established on February 2, 1848 with the signing of the Treaty ...
What battles did Sibley fight in New Mexico?
Sibley’s New Mexico Campaign. Battle of Valverde. Battle of Glorieta Pass. Prior to the Civil War, residents in the southern part of New Mexico Territory had long complained that the territorial government in Santa Fe was too far away to properly address their concerns. Their sense of abandonment was further confirmed at the beginning ...
Who led the New Mexico campaign?
Sibley’s New Mexico Campaign (February-March 1862) Led by Confederate Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley, southern troops invaded northern New Mexico Territory beginning in February 1862 in an attempt to gain control of the Southwest, as well as the goldfields of Colorado and the ports of California. One of the most ambitious Confederate ...
What did Lynde order to do when the Confederates refused to surrender?
Lynde then ordered his cavalry and three companies of the Regiment of Mounted Rifles, to charge the Confederate forces.
What was the significance of the Battle of Mesilla?
The Battle of Mesilla led to the official establishment of a Confederate Arizona Territory, which would consist of the southern portion of the New Mexico Territory and Arizona, and paved the way for the Confederate New Mexico Campaign the following year.
How many horses did Baylor capture?
That same night, Baylor’s men managed to capture 85 of the fort’s horses, which formed most of the fort’s transportation. Foreseeing the oncoming attack, Lynde destroyed the ammunition and supplies and the fort and retreated northeast towards Fort Stanton, some 150 miles to the northeast.
Where was Fort Fillmore located?
About six miles southeast of Mesilla sat the tiny post of Fort Fillmore. Originally established to control the local Apache, the post had declined over the years, fallen into serious disrepair and its troops removed. However, when the Union found out that the Texans were coming into the territory, they reinforced the fort.
What was the name of the garrison along the Oregon Trail?
The plan called for an invasion along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, seizing Colorado Territory, which was in the height of a gold rush, as well as Fort Laramie, Wyoming , which was the most important garrison along the Oregon Trail.
When did the Confederate advance into New Mexico?
Confederate Invasion of New Mexico, 1862 Map illustrating the Confederate advance into New Mexico in 1861 and 1862, including major battles.
What was the purpose of the Civil War in New Mexico?
At first, the strong military presence was to secure New Mexico as U.S. territory. Between 1848 and 1853 troops remained to guarantee the promise made in Article XI of the Treaty ...
Why did Colonel Canby say that Nuevomexicanos did not join the Union?
Similarly, Colonel Canby declared that nuevomexicanos not join Union ranks because they carried “no affections for institutions of the United States.” 6 Yet, following the shock of Baylor’s victory in Mesilla, pragmatism pushed Canby to encourage nuevomexicanos to join his forces.
What was the Battle of Glorieta Pass?
Both proved to be easy targets for the Confederate army. The Battle of Glorieta Pass has been referred to as the “Gettysburg of the West.”. Colorado volunteers joined New Mexican Union troops at Glorieta to halt General Henry Hopkins Sibley’s Confederate advance in 1862. Painted by Roy Anderson.
Why did Sibley convince Jefferson Davis to join the New Mexico campaign?
The Confederacy desperately hoped for a transcontinental rail connection to the Pacific to counter the rail supremacy of the North.
What were the forts in Mexico?
These included Fort Union on the lands of the Llaneros band of the Jicarilla Apache people, Fort Conrad to the south of Socorro, Fort Fillmore near Mesilla, Fort Stanton among the Mescaleros, and Fort Defiance in ...
Who was the leader of the Sand Creek Massacre?
Scurry, however, was unaware of the movements of four hundred Union forces under Major John M. Chivington, a Methodist minister from Denver who later enacted the infamous Sand Creek Massacre. With Lieutenant Major Manuel Chávez of the First New Mexico Volunteers as a guide, Chivington’s party marched for five hours in an attempt to flank enemy forces. In the process, the group accidentally happened upon the Confederate supply train. Following a short skirmish, Chivington’s men captured the provisions, which included eighty well-stocked wagons and nearly five-hundred horses. Due to the loss, Scurry retreated to Santa Fe and, having lost one-third of his troops and the bulk of his supplies, Sibley had no choice other than to abandon New Mexico. His men marched southward and returned to Texas.
What was the role of New Mexico in the Civil War?
states of New Mexico and Arizona as well as the southern part of present-day Nevada, played a small but significant role in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War . Despite its remoteness from the major battlefields of the east and its existence on the still sparsely populated and largely undeveloped American frontier, both Confederate and Union governments claimed ownership over the territory, and several important battles and military operations took place in the region.
How many troops were in the New Mexico Territory during the Civil War?
Additionally, over 7,000 troops from the New Mexico Territory served the Union.
Why did the Union leave Arizona?
Federal troops left Arizona early in 1861 to reinforce operations in the east , the territory had been left open to Apache attack. Most notably, Mangas Coloradas and Cochise led a series of raids on white civilians that left dozens dead and spread fear and terror across the territory. The Apache appeared to show equal hostility to both Union and Confederate forces, and both armies attempted to control them; the resulting engagements are often considered part of both the Civil War and the American Indian Wars. The remaining Union troops in the New Mexico Territory were concentrated in forts along and near the Rio Grande; the commander of the Union Department of New Mexico, Colonel Edward R.S. Canby, started raising regiments of New Mexico volunteers and militia to replace the regular army units which had been ordered east.
What was the first proposal for the New Mexico Territory?
The first proposal dates to a conference held in Tucson that convened on August 29, 1856. The conference issued a petition requesting organization of the territory and signed by 256 people to the U.S. Congress, and elected Nathan P. Cooke as the territorial delegate to Congress. In January 1857, a bill for the organization of the territory was introduced into the United States House of Representatives, but the proposal was defeated on the grounds that the population of the proposed territory was yet too small. Later, a similar proposal was defeated in the Senate. The proposal for creation of the territory was controversial in part because of the perception that the New Mexico Territory was under the influence of southern sympathizers who sought to expand slavery into the Southwest.
What territory did the Confederacy claim?
In 1861, the Confederacy claimed the southern half of the vast New Mexico Territory as its own Arizona Territory and waged the ambitious New Mexico Campaign in an attempt to control the American Southwest and open up access to Union-held California.
Why was the New Mexico Territory controversial?
The proposal for creation of the territory was controversial in part because of the perception that the New Mexico Territory was under the influence of southern sympathizers who sought to expand slavery into the Southwest.
Which state was recently annexed from Mexico?
Politics. Main article: Confederate Arizona. Having been only recently annexed from Mexico following the Mexican–American War, the majority of New Mexico's population was apathetic to the ongoing secession crisis in the United States.
What was the American Civil War?
The American Civil War crossed borders throughout many states as the nation was plunged into turmoil. Key battles were fought throughout the land with the most being recorded in the state of Virginia followed by the state of Tennessee. The war stretched into loosely established territories in the West as well and involved actions in international waters and support from foreign powers. In the end, the fractured country required decades of healing and its scars can still be seen today.
How many Union troops were in the Battle of Glorieta Pass?
The Battle of Glorieta Pass is fought between 1,300 Union troops and 1,100 Confederates. The engagement is a two-day affair spanning from March 26th until March 28th and leads to a Union Victory in northern New Mexico Territory.
Who is forced to retreat from his postions at Santa Fe?
General Henry Sibley is forced to retreat from his postions at Santa Fe.
Who claimed Fort Fillmore?
Confederate Colonel John Baylor, with forces from Texas at his disposal, claims Fort Fillmore at San Augustine Springs in New Mexico.
What were the major battles of the 1880s?
Battle of Hembrillo Basin (1880) Battle of Fort Tularosa (1880) Battle of Little Dry Creek (1885) Battle of Ojo Caliente Canyon (1854) Battle of the Pecos River (1864) Battle of Pinos Altos (1861) Battle of Placito (1861) Battle at Turley’s Mill (1847) General Carleton’s Operations in New Mexico (1862-1866)
What battles did Kiowa and Comanche fight?
Kiowa & Comanche Fight the Troops at Fort Union, New Mexico (1851-1861) Taos Revolt (1847) Tiguex War (1540-1541) Wagon Mound Massacre, New Mexico (1850) White Massacre on the Santa Fe Trail (1849) The Battle of Taos in 1847, during the Mexican-American War, depicting the death of Captain John H.K. Burgwin during the siege of the Taos Pueblo.
