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Battle of Glorieta Pass | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Campaign Strategy And Objectives —
Battle of Glorieta Pass.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
The southern portion of the New Mexico Territory had been largely neglected by both the federal government and the territorial government in Santa Fe. Confederate sympathy was strong there, with residents hoping for better treatment under a new government. Following secession moves by local residents, Confederate forces seized Mesilla and captured federal troops who made only a halfhearted attempt to retreat toward Santa Fe. In early 1862, the Confederacy established the Confederate Arizona Territory, which included the southern halves of modern Arizona and New Mexico. The territorial capital sat at Mesilla, some distance from El Paso and near today's major city of Las Cruces.
Strategic goals drove this ambitious campaign forward. Leaders sought access to gold and silver mines in California and the Colorado Territory while aiming to reach seaports in Southern California. This route allowed them to evade the Union naval blockade that restricted their movement along the Atlantic coast. The invasion became the westernmost military operation of the war and represented the South's only real attempt to conquer and occupy Union territory. Confederate Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley commanded these forces with clear objectives in mind.
Forces And Commanders
Union forces were led by Colonel John P. Slough of the 1st Colorado Infantry, with units under Major John M. Chivington. Canby had called up local militia and volunteer forces alongside volunteers from Colorado. During the action on March 26, Chivington commanded three infantry companies and one mounted company of the 1st Colorado plus a detachment from the 1st and 3rd U.S. Cavalry regiments. In the main battle on the 28th, Slough personally commanded nine companies of the 1st Colorado, a detachment from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd U.S. Cavalry regiments, and two artillery batteries.
Chivington commanded five companies of the 5th U.S. Infantry, one company from the 1st Colorado, James Hobart Ford's independent company from the 2nd Colorado, and some New Mexico militiamen during the fighting. The Confederates were led by Charles L. Pyron and William Read Scurry. From late summer to early autumn of 1861, the Confederacy raised a brigade of three volunteer mounted regiments, the 4th, 5th and 7th Texas Mounted Volunteers, along with supporting artillery and supply units. Virtually every field officer was a veteran of the Indian Wars or the Mexican-American War.
The Skirmish At Apache Canyon
Pyron's force of 300 camped at Apache Canyon, at one end of Glorieta Pass, leaving a picket post of 50 men at the summit of the pass. Chivington led 418 soldiers to the pass, and on the morning of March 26, moved out to attack. After noon, Chivington's men captured the picket post and found the main Confederate force behind them. Chivington advanced on them, but their artillery fire threw him back.
He regrouped and split his force to the two sides of the pass, catching the Confederates in a crossfire before forcing them to retire. Pyron retired about 1,000 yards to a narrow section of the pass and formed a defensive line before Chivington's men appeared. The Union forces flanked Pyron's men again and punished them with enfilade fire. Pyron ordered another retreat, but the withdrawal of the artillery caused the Confederates to become disorganized and start fighting in separate clusters of men. Chivington ordered a mounted Colorado company to make a frontal charge against the artillery; this succeeded in capturing several Confederates and scattering the rest.
Tactics Of The Main Battle
Both Scurry and Slough decided to attack on March 28 and set out early to do so. Expecting the Confederates to remain at Apache Canyon, Slough sent Chivington with two infantry battalions, under Lewis and Wynkoop, out in a circling movement with orders to go hide out at Glorieta Pass and hit the Texans in the flank once Slough's main force had engaged their front. Chivington did as ordered, and his men waited above the pass for Slough and the enemy to arrive.
Instead of remaining at Apache Canyon as Slough had expected, though, Scurry advanced down the canyon more rapidly than Slough had anticipated. Scurry believed the Union force was retreating to Fort Union. He intended to attack them until Green could arrive. One cannon and a small guard were left at Johnson's Ranch, while the rest of the Confederate force, more than 1000 men, marched eastwards along the Santa Fe Trail. When Slough found the Texans so far forward, he launched an attack, hitting them about 11:00 am, some 3 miles from Pigeon's Ranch.
Destruction Of The Supply Train
With the sounds of battle echoing in the distance, Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Chaves of the 2nd New Mexico Infantry informed Major Chivington that his scouts had located the Confederate supply train at Johnson's Ranch. After watching the supply train for an hour, Chivington's force descended the slope and attacked, driving off or capturing the small guard with few casualties on either side. Three Confederates were killed and several wounded, including the regimental chaplain; two officers and 15 men were captured. The only Union casualty was one man injured by flying debris from the exploding ammunition wagons.
They then looted and burned 80 supply wagons and spiked the cannon, either killing or driving off about 500 horses and mules before returning with their prisoners to Kozlowski's Ranch. With no supplies to sustain his advance, Scurry had to retreat to Santa Fe, the first step on the long road back to San Antonio, Texas. Thanks to Chaves' assistance, the Union had turned a defeat into victory and stopped further Confederate advances in the Southwest. Glorieta Pass became the turning point of the war in the New Mexico Territory.
Controversy Over Heroism
Many New Mexicans disputed the view that Chivington was the hero of Johnson's Ranch. Many Santa Fe residents credited James L. Collins, a Bureau of Indian Affairs official, who had suggested the roundabout attack on the supply train. He was also accused of almost letting the opportunity slip by him. On the 23rd of January 1864, the New Mexico Territorial Legislature adopted a resolution that did not mention Chivington and instead asked President Lincoln to promote William H. Lewis and Asa B. Carey, both regular army officers, for distinguished service in the battle.
On March 8, the Rio Abajo Press of Albuquerque complained about Colonel Chivington's strutting about in plumage stolen from Captain William H. Lewis. According to the newspaper editor, someone of the party suggested the attack, which Chivington only agreed to after two hours persuasion. Furthermore, Lewis had led the attack, while Chivington was viewing the scene from afar. A more serious charge made against Chivington was that if he had hurried to reinforce Slough as soon as he heard gunfire coming from Pigeon's Ranch, his 400 men might have been enough to win the battle for the Federals.
Battlefield Preservation Efforts
In 1987 two Confederate burial sites were discovered at Pigeon's Ranch. One was the solitary grave of Major John Samuel Shropshire, the other was a mass grave of 30 Confederates. Only Shropshire and five others could be positively identified. On the 5th of August 1990, Major Shropshire's remains were reburied next to his parents in his family's cemetery in Bourbon County, Kentucky. The remaining 30 Confederates were reinterred in the Santa Fe National Cemetery.
In 1993, the congressionally appointed Civil War Sites Advisory Commission issued its Report on the Nation's Civil War Battlefields. Of the roughly 10,500 actions of the U.S. Civil War, 384 (3.7%) were identified by the commission as principal battles and rated according to their significance and threat of loss. The Battle of Glorieta Pass received the highest rating from the commission, priority I (class A). Class A battlefields are principal strategic operations having a direct impact on the course of the war. With this rating, the commission placed Glorieta Pass on the same level as battles such as Gettysburg and Antietam.
Who commanded the Confederate forces at the Battle of Glorieta Pass?
Confederate Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley commanded the overall Confederate forces, while Charles L. Pyron and William Read Scurry led specific units during the fighting.
When did the main engagements of the Battle of Glorieta Pass take place?
The first engagement occurred on the 26th of March 1862, and the decisive battle took place on the 28th of March 1862.
Where was the Confederate supply train located when Union forces attacked it?
Union scouts located the Confederate supply train at Johnson's Ranch, which is situated near Pigeon's Ranch along the Santa Fe Trail.
Why is the Battle of Glorieta Pass considered significant to the American Civil War?
The Battle of Glorieta Pass became the turning point of the war in the New Mexico Territory because destroying the Confederate supply train forced their retreat back to San Antonio, Texas.
What rating did the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission give to the Battle of Glorieta Pass in 1993?
The commission gave the Battle of Glorieta Pass a priority I class A rating, placing it on the same level as major battles such as Gettysburg and Antietam.