The Civil War in the Southwest

The Rebel’s Trudge Down the Rio Grande, The Battle of Peralta, & Coopwood’s Gamble

This is the ninth episode in the series over the Civil War in the American Southwest.

In the Battle of Glorietta Pass, A Gettysburg of the West by Thomas Edrington and John Taylor, they finish the entire book with these two paragraphs that are important for our story.

All battles, indeed all wars, have some element of futility and needless suffering, but Glorieta seems to have had more than its share. Consider that even if Chivington had not destroyed the wagon train, the outcome would have been the same-Sibley's New Mexico adventure was doomed to failure. Thus in the final analysis, the Battle of Glorieta Pass might best be viewed as little more than a bloody postscript to a star-crossed campaign.

This, then, is the legacy of Glorieta Pass-not a Gettysburg in the West, but a hollow and bloody addendum to a campaign whose outcome had already been decided. End quote.

For the soldiers on the ground though, the war had not yet been decided. And after arriving to Santa Fe, Scurry would pen his glorious General Order to the men and have it printed in the Santa Fe Gazette on March 30th, 1862. It read, quote:

Soldiers-You have added another victory to the long list of triumphs won by the Confederate armies. By your conduct, you have given another evidence of the daring courage and heroic endurance which actuate you in this great struggle for the independence of your country.

You have proven your right to stand by the side of those who fought and conquered on the red field of San Jacinto. The battle of Glorietta [sic]-where for six long hours you steadily drove before you a foe of twice your numbers-over a field chosen by themselves and deemed impregnable, will take its place upon the rolls of your country's triumphs, and serve to excite your children to imitate the brave deeds of their fathers, in every hour of that country's peril.

Soldiers—I am proud of you. Go on as you have commenced and it will not be long until not a single soldier of the United States will be left upon the soil of New Mexico. The Territory, relieved of the burden imposed on it by its late oppressors, will once more, throughout its beautiful valleys,

"blossom as the rose," beneath the plastic hand of peaceful industry. End quote.

On that same day, March 30th, two days after the Battle of Glorietta Pass, Brigadier General Sibley, in Albuquerque read aloud the news of the Confederate victory by Lt. Col. Dirty Shirt Scurry. At the conclusion of the dispatch, his brass band struck up the notes of Dixie and his men gave three cheers.

Col. Thomas Green then ordered his six companies of the Fifth Texas Mounted Volunteers and two mountain howitzers to saddle up and ride north to meet the victorious Rebels in Santa Fe. He and Sibley would leave only a small one hundred man garrison and four cannons in Albuquerque to guard the all important supply depot. Unfortunately, on account of a complete lack of shells and horses to pull the remaining eight cannons that resided in the city, the Rebels buried them in a garden. They hoped they’d later be able to recover and use them. But for now, they were worthless.

Sibley also sent a letter to Richmond which outlined the recent victory but which also plead, quote, I must have re enforcements, send me re-enforcements. He also sent a letter to the governor of Texas, Francis R Lubbock, and asked for the same thing. The brigadier general needed all he could get. Anything…. He could get. He would receive neither, though, and the whirlwind march he and his Confederate soldiers were about to undertake would be one for the history books and would be one of the longest retreats in the Civil War.

On the 31st, after a daring and difficult ride through a mountain pass, a trail that took them through the San Mateo and Magdalena Mountains, which are both west of Fort Craig and which are both very visible from the fort, but on the 31st, Captain Coopwood and 25 of his San Elizario Spy Company men arrived to Albuquerque all the way from Mesilla. After their arrival, Sibley and the Spy Company headed north to Santa Fe where they assumed the Fedrals would mount a furious counter attack from Fort Union. A counter attack that would never materialize.

Up in the Capital of New Mexico, the tired, cold, and victorious, although they didn’t feel like it, but the men who had just fought at Apache Pass and Glorietta arrived to Santa Fe amidst the ringing of the city’s church bells. The Santa Fe Gazette would write of the incoming men. Quote, Their appearance clearly manifested the severe usage to which they had been subjected, and all were in the most destitute condition in regard to the most common necessities of life. End quote. The men mostly collapsed in the abandoned or burned out shells of the government buildings with empty stomachs and cold hands. They would spend the next few days trading everything they had with the locals for simple pieces of bread or a sip of whiskey. Pork and other meats became nearly impossible to procure. Coats and blankets were hard to find. Glorietta Pass had been yet another hollow victory.

Frazier sums up the plight of the Rebels here in Santa Fe while also mentioning that the wife of Canby, Louisa Canby, who had not left Santa Fe, she graciously and humbly helped the wounded and sick Confederates. The enemy. Now quoting Frazier from his Blood and Treasure, quote:

The suffering of the destitute Texans eventually led Louisa Canby to intervene. "Mrs. Canby was an angel," remembered Bill Davidson, suffering from his flesh wound in the thigh. "I was at the hospital at Santa Fe.... Mrs. Canby came there and a girl with her [carrying] two baskets of delicacies for the wounded." Col. William Scurry noticed her arrival and "met her at the door and told her about the burning of our train, clothing, and bedding, the suffering of the boys and freezing of some of our wounded." Mrs. Canby wept, and she said "Colonel, these men must not suffer any more." The compassionate lady then revealed large caches of government supplies hidden by Union troops as they evacuated Santa Fe. After two days' effort, thirty thousand dollars' worth of equipment turned up. By April 1, the equipping had succeeded to the point that every three men had two blankets, a welcome relief from the cold New Mexico nights. Clothing and shoes, too, had been gathered and distributed, replacing the worn-out Federal uniforms worn by many.” End all quotes.

The story is in reality a little more devious than that. The Union had all of these supplies as annuities for the Navajo, but when they left, they hid them… really well. Eventually, the Gazette, and a few Rebel soldiers began to wonder how on earth this cache was found. But it turns out, it was Louisa Canby. She had apparently told Scurry, quote, there are a large number of government blankets where you never could find them, but I will tell you where they are. End quote. It was a god-send to many of the battered Rebels.

But even with this welcome relief, the Rebels knew… the situation, their Empire in New Mexico, was becoming hopeless. The often quoted Peticolas, whose journal I have, he would write, quote: there is a sort of gloom resting on the company. We have lost three companions who were very dear to all of us, and though a soldier's life is calculated to render a man properly callous, it will be long before we forget [them]. End quote. He also wrote that his comrades now, quote, seldom sing… save when liquor abounds. The sound of a violin makes me sad. End quote.

The Texan Rebels also began to loathe the Land of Enchantment which surrounded them. They began to question if the cost of conquering it was even worth it. One private William Henry Smith, another man I have quoted from quite a bit, he wrote in his journal quote, This country is very disagreeable. I do not see what the inhabitants have ever done to live here so long. If the lord will spare me to get out of this country I will never come back. End quote.

Yet another Confederate Private, William Randolph Howell, he wrote, I am completely disgusted with church bells and Mexicans generally. End quote.

Frazier in Blood and Treasure sums up the Rebel’s attitude and concludes with quote, Despite the Confederacy's imperial ambitions, the troops were eager to turn south and leave the despised territory behind. End quote. It wouldn’t be long before that’s exactly what would happen.

On the third of April, Colonel Green, his men, and his cannons arrived in Santa Fe. He immediately told Scurry and the Rebels that so far, down south, everything was quiet on that front. Canby, it seemed, wasn’t pressing his advantage. But the opposite, was in fact, true, and Canby was actually heading to Albuquerque at this very moment. But more on that in a minute.

Right behind Green was Sibley, but he was in very rough shape and he was by now, always in pain or drunk or both. And by early April, the men in Santa Fe were bored. So, they followed Sibley’s suit and stayed as drunk as they could. And they threw fandangos and parties. They began gawking at the Hispanic women or spying on the Anglo Catholic nuns. These women, as some Rebels wrote, seemed to be the only white women in the whole territory. But they couldn’t hang in Santa Fe forever and they still desperately needed supplies, mounts, and reinforcements. And resentment towards their superiors began to grow. Not necessarily their immediate superiors. The men who accompanied them into battle were celebrated. One artilleryman, a man named Frank Star wrote, quote, Our regimental officers one and all have, in battle, shown themselves gallant, brave men-always in the front where the balls flew thickest. End quote. A Captain Lee Alexander would write quote, I can say this, The men did THEIR duty. End quote. But for the drunk officers in their tents? That was a different story.

But the Fedrals at Fort Union weren’t overly happy with their superiors either.

After the Battle at Glorietta Pass, instead of rallying his men and heading towards Santa Fe, as Sibley and a few other Rebel commanders had predicted, the Coloradan Slough took his men and his prisoners east towards Fort Union. Once at the fort, Slough would resign and head north back to Colorado. I read that he resigned both because of the defeat, and because he couldn’t press his advantage and immediately invade Santa Fe… But Slough would personally say later that he resigned because he was afraid he would be assassinated by his own men. Either way, the man returned to Colorado… although he would die only a few years later in a bar fight in Santa Fe.

At Union though, the Rebel prisoners caused quite a stir and one Private Gardiner of the First Colorado would write, quote: They are the most ignorant set of white people I ever came across in my life. If I was asked once, I was twenty times, in good earnest, if it was a fact that Abe Lincoln was a Mulatto. They are mostly boys from 15 to 20, though there are some very intelligent Germans among them. End quote.

Now the previously slighted Col Gabriel Rene Paul, was back in charge at Fort Union. And he would soon attempt to lead his men in a march towards Canby, who at that very moment was preparing to march up the Rio Grande and retake Albuquerque.

By April 2nd, Canby would retake Socorro, south of Albuquerque.

This news quickly reached Sibley in Santa Fe and he would immediately realize his untenable position. He realized, his Confederates needed to relocate to a more strategically sound location or they’d be routed and captured. So after only a month of taking the capitol of Union New Mexico, Sibley ordered its abandonment. Sibley wrote, quote: After the occupancy of the capital of the Territory for nearly a month from the time of our first advance upon it. the forage and supplies obtainable there having become exhausted, it was determined to occupy, with the whole army, the village of Manzano, intermediate between Fort Union, Albuquerque, and Fort Craig. End quote.

His plan was to attempt to block the reunion of Canby in the south and the Fedrals from Fort Union. Also at this town in the Manzano mountains, not far from my home, really, at Manzano Sibley also hoped to receive reinforcements and supplies from Texas.

At the same time as he was preparing to relocate southeast, Sibley sent a George Madison and some fo the Brigands north to Colorado to recruit some Confederate sympathizers. Any and all help was necessary at this time.

Unfortunately for these men, they were captured in the Sangre de Cristos but… they were shortly afterwards released. While they wouldn’t recruit anyone to help with the army that was quickly retreating down south, they would stay as Rebel commandos in southern Colorado and cause quite the pain for the Fedrals. Frazier writes of them, quote, The marauders eventually entered southern Colorado. Once there, Madison and his guerrilla band would continue their war against the Union by interdicting the Federal mail and communications with New Mexico and the east. End quote.

While traveling to the Manzano Mountains, on April 8th, Sibley got more bad news. Canby with 860 regulars and 350 New Mexico volunteers from Fort Craig had arrived outside Albuquerque and they’d begun tempting the Rebels to fight. The Fedrals eventually fired a few cannons into the city which caused the 120 Rebels to return fire. Although they hit a Union major, they did no other damage. Then the Fedral cavalry began making inroads into the city. The Rebels were quickly becoming surrounded, trapped in the old city. But just as hope began to run out, Green and his reinforcements rode into the city and saved the besieged Rebels who cheered throughout the streets. At this, Canby and the Fedrals retreated. Or… so the Rebels thought. This faint was only a ruse and Canby stayed very nearby in the hopes that the Rebels would very soon abandon the city… which they would very shortly do.

The remainder of Sibley’s army was not far behind Green and his mounted men. The problem was, the men of the Fifth Mounted Texas was on foot. They were slow and they were tired and they were keeping up a thirty mile a day pace. They had to save their supplies at Albuquerque.

It was a grueling and challenging hike in a long line of many such hikes that had taken place and were about to take place. Peticolas writes of the march, quote, In spite of new shoes and long rest, we marched rapidly, but towards night the wagon guard got very strong. Numbers we would pass on the road lying flat on the ground, entirely given out. Many clung to the wagons and sat on the tongues to get a little rest. End quote. He also recorded that a few of them had found themselves some quote unquote first rate wine. Many got drunk while others sipped only enough to bolster their strength and quote unquote refresh themselves.

By April 10th, the men began to trickle in small groups into Albuquerque and by the 11th, they had all arrived. Sibley wrote that they were, quote, too late to encounter the enemy but time enough to secure [the] limited supplies from the contingency of capture. End quote.

Over at Fort Union, Col. Gabriel Paul assigned Lt. Col Tappan to take control of the First Colorado. They were then ordered by Canby to rendezvous east of Albuquerque in the Sandia Manzano Mountains where they would begin pursing the Rebels for as long as they needed to, in order to force them from the Territory.

The same day that the Rebels finished re-occupying Albuquerque, the Fedrals retook Santa Fe.

Frazier writes well of this re-occupation and says quote:

Nearly two hundred invalid Texans and their attendants had remained behind in the capital and now faced an uncertain fate. At first the Rebels were largely ignored as Federals kept clear of the hospital. The defenseless Texans remained somewhat defiant of their enemies until rations got short. Private Wright, who had remained behind to nurse his wounded friend, noted that "our provisions were exhausted and our officers were obliged to appeal to [the enemy] for assistance." In exchange for food, the Texans agreed to become prisoners of war. "Then liberal supplies of everything we needed were issued to us. Food such as we had not enjoyed for many months was in abundance. Coffee, sugar, and other luxuries that we had long been deprived of made me think that life was again worth living." Medicines, too, were issued. End all quotes.

A similar situation occurred down in Socorro to the injured and sick troops from the battle of Valverde after Canby sent Kit Carson to re-occupy that town south of Albuquerque. There too, the sick and injured Rebels had to beg with the famous hero for food. Confederate Dr. Hal Hunter wrote, that the agreement of food for surrender quote, can be broken on our part at any time if we let the [Federals] know. End quote. Apparently, 116 Rebels took this oath which promised to avoid any, quote, connection in any way with our army or do anything against the U.S. so long as we are in the hospital. End quote. Carson kept his word and for these 116 men, ten days of rations with sugar, coffee, tea, salt, bacon, molasses, vinegar, and flour were issued to the Rebels. But, 33 of the Confederates refused the offer and began marching north in the hopes of reconnecting with Sibley.

Eventually, Canby and Paul’s forces would indeed link up east of Albuquerque. Within the city, the Rebels only had ten days of supplies and next to no ammunition. They’d already had to bury a number of their cannons, if you’ll recall. The situation was dire. The Confederates were bleeding men and supplies. They’d had to leave over 100 in Socorro, over 200 in Santa Fe, not to mention the 150 who had died in battle. They were losing men every single day to sickness. They’d had over 100 captured. The Rebels had lost over 600 men throughout the campaign so far, while the Unionists had lost half of that… Private Howell writes of this in his journal quote, I don't see how as many of us escaped as have, taking into consideration the hardships and exposures we have had in this cold climate the past winter. End quote.

Sibley knew all of this and he knew they were about to run out of food entirely. He knew the Fedrals were surrounding his men and he knew that reinforcements were no doubt on their way. He had only one choice… he and his men had to now march all the way back to Mesilla. Once there, he would have the protection of Col. Steele and his fresh troops, and they could wait for the absolutely crucial reinforcements from Texas. Reinforcements that were certainly coming, right? Right?!

To secure supplies for the march, the Confederates sent men out into the countryside to gather corn and beeves. One ranch held the promise of tons of wagons full of corn so they marched 25 miles to retrieve it. As they were about to leave, they noticed dust from the north. The Fedrals were in hot pursuit. So the Rebels hightailed back down to Albuquerque where they were relieved to find 100 reinforcements join them from the city. They then high-tailed it back to the old city with the Yankees hot on their trail. Yet another small defeat for the starving Rebels.

On April 12th, with no more hopes of relief, Sibley ordered the Confederates to abandon Albuquerque. They destroyed what they couldn’t carry and left enough supplies for the sick and wounded at the hospital. Frazier writes of this retreat, quote: The three remaining six-pounders of Teel's Battery and the guns captured at ValVerde proudly rolled out of town. Scurry's men, along with the troops of the Seventh Texas, forded the Rio Grande to the west side, while Green's and Pyron's soldiers headed down the east bank, looking for a better crossing. Pro-Southern citizens accompanied the army, adding a refugee element to the retreating column. End quote.

The Rebel’s woes were far from over though and their retreat south was met with near constant harassment. Not only from the Yankees, but also from disaffected New Mexicans who had toiled under the Confederate occupation since the beginning of the year. One particularly violent small town was Las Padillas. There, New Mexican riders killed three Rebels before Texans under the Texas Ranger captain Alfred Sturgis Thurmond, returned for revenge and to bury their dead. But, to their surprise, the locals had already buried the Rebel soldiers in their local cemetery but Thurmond still met out some frontier justice. He wrote, quote, Before they left the place they sent a few greasers to their father, the devil, in payment for their treachery. End quote.

Things were turning un-civil during the retreat as old resentments under Rebel rule began to show. As the retreat trundled down the Rio Grande, even the Teamsters, who had been nicknamed Mexico, they began to refuse orders as they slowed their pace, leaving the wagons to fall behind the already very slow pace of the Rebel soldiers. They were sick and tired of the deep sand, the bad roads, and the tough pace so they began to unhitch their teams to graze whatever grass they could find.

The often quoted and now wounded Davidson, he was shocked at this so he and some fellow men organized some teams to run out and gather what supplies they could. But after working until 2am, they gave up and collapsed at camp. The troubles were only increasing for the Confederates, but it was about to get a lot worse.

On April 14th, two days after leaving Albuquerque, the Rebels arrived to the town of Peralta. Once there, the soldiers, despite the need for rest, instead threw themselves a fandango! But as they ate and drank and dances, the Unionists were quickly approaching the town.

The day before, the 13th, Canby and his Fedral forces from Fort Union finally reunited in force in a place known as Tijeras Canyon. Tijeras Canyon is a nice little spot today with a few businesses, some abandoned old buildings, Route 66, I-40, and quite a few lovely houses with incredible views towards the Southwest into the Rio Grande Valley. It is a place I am intimately familiar with. At Tijeras Canyon, the Fedrals then made a fast and strong march southwest towards the retreating Confederates. They would reach Peralta on April 14th, the same day the Rebels were throwing themselves their fandango.

Frazier writes of the Yankees approach:

Fiddle music was drifting from Governor Connelly's house and hundreds of dying campfires twinkled in the distance as the Union troops arrived. This was the crucial moment that Canby had been seeking. While the main force of Canby's army took positions near the town, planning to surprise the Rebels at daybreak, other detachments scouted the enemy forces, discovering the stranded wagons. For the Federals, the news was all good. The Rebel army was divided by the Rio Grande and, better yet, was totally unaware of his presence. At first light, Colonel Paul and some of his Federal horsemen swooped upon the outlying Rebel wagons and killed, scattered, or captured their surprised guards after a brave defense. Meanwhile, Union gunners fired twenty-four-pounder shells into the Southern camps, and infantry massed for an assault. End quote.

With the Rebels caught off guard, the Yankees began the battle. One Lt. Benton Bell Seat had just started his breakfast that morning when the guns rudely interrupted. He wrote, quote: I was sitting down at our fire with a frying pan in my hand frying bacon when the enemy ... opened fire. One ball struck the center of the pan I held and knocked the pan and its contents into the fire. End quote.

Davidson, just as surprised as the others, was quick to respond to the coming battle. He wrote, quote, We were aroused from our peaceful slumbers by a volley fired right into our sleeping camp. This . . . was very rude and ungentlemanly yet a very effectual way of waking a fellow up. End quote.

The town was surprisingly easy to defend, much to Canby’s dismay. He hadn’t notice in the dead of night that the pueblo was sectioned off into fields with each field being bordered by an adobe fence and an irrigation ditch. These already in place defenses, would be difficult to advance through and easy for the Rebels to defend. Canby even remarked that besides Fort Union, this position had to be the quote, strongest in New Mexico. End quote.

Canby couldn’t very well send his tired and hungry men into this meat grinder, they had been marching strong for two days and they hadn’t eaten in a day and a half. So, he began to look for a weakened section of the town to invade through. He began this probing with his cannons. Naturally, the Rebel cannons responded.

As cannons fired from both sides, both armies attempted to maneuver into a fortuitous position. Paul and his Coloradans under Tappan were positioning themselves into some cottonwoods to the west and to the north of the town. These trees practically hid the Union’s movement from the Rebels in the town. They were beginning to surround it. And they had the superior numbers.

Coopwood and his Spy Company, along with some Arizonans, they were also attempting to maneuver into a fortuitous position in the center and the right of the town. Meanwhile, Pyron and his men were fortifying the north side of town from the men they could see sneaking through the woods. Green’s Fifth Texas held the right side of the town.

Eventually, to ease some of this fog of war, Green ordered the injured Davidson up to the top of the Church Tower in the center of the town of Peralta. Davidson wrote, quote, Col. Green gave me a field glass and sent me up in a cupola to observe and report to him the movement of the enemy. I went up and had a fine view of the surrounding country and the enemy which I thought to be about three thousand strong… he continues, They finally massed their forces, placed a battery at the head of the column, and started on our left in between the river and the town. End quote. Green only had one thousand men, the coming battle for the Rebs would be overwhelming odds.

Frazier writes of the coming battle well. Quote:

Green, realizing his danger, ordered artillery to support Pyron at this threatened point. Lt. Phil Fulcrod led four six-pounders around the church and, after his gunners pulled down an adobe wall to clear the path, trotted the pieces to the left. The Texan guns took position as Federal guns began to find their range; a long-distance duel of solid shot erupted. From his perch in the bell tower, Davidson saw "cannon balls rolling along like a parcel of marbles . . . without the least respect for persons." The Unionists, checked in their advance on Pyron and the Rebel left, doubled back behind the woods to threaten Coopwood's men on the right. The Texan lookout in the tower called out their movements, and Green shifted his forces to meet the new danger. Federal artillerists decided to destroy the church tower and thus end the Rebel reconnaissance. "The enemy ran a cannon upon a little mound directly in front of our center," Davidson recalled, "a puff of smoke and then a ball passed directly over the house and about twenty feet in rear of the cupola. They sent another ball still closer than the first." The third shot crashed into the tower. The Texan lookouts, shaken but alive, quit the position after recovering from the shock. End quote.

With the lookout tower gone, the battle looked rough for the Rebels. The Fedrals were continuing their maneuvers and slow advancement. Soon, the Confederates would be enveloped.

To counterattack, Green ordered his men on the left of the town to run and take a wall that sat two hundred yards south of the trees where the Fedrals were hiding. His men wasted no time and ran through the fields, over the walls, and in the irrigation ditches to the wall where they immediately opened up on the Yankees in the woods. This forced the Unionists to retreat.

Over on the right side of town, the Northerners were pressing their advantage though. Lt. Col. Benjamin Roberts who had successfully commanded at Valverde, until Canby took over, but to the right side of the town, he and his Valverde veterans amassed to form a siege. Coopwood and eventually Fulcrod’s guns were the only thing that were holding back the Yankees. But surprisingly, Roberts did not advance. The Rebels would take advantage of this.

By 11am, Sibley had sent most of the rest of his men across the River to reinforce his besieged troops. Scurry, was in the lead and he rushed his men to Coopwood’s position on the right side of town. Davidson was here and he wrote quote, The enemy were marching and maneuvering around us and making demonstrations . . . and we were beginning to think that the time had come to pass in our checks, when a yell from the right announced that something had occurred… Davidson continues, quote, Hats went into the air, and [a] yell went from our throats, for there coming up the road, was brave Scurry with the 4th and 7th at his heels. End quote. The battle had been saved. Scurry and his men then took up positions wherever they could to help Green, Coopwood, and the rest of the threatened Rebels.

Sibley and Teel, the artillerist then attempted to also cross the river to command the battle but their crossing was blocked by Fedrals which forced Sibley back to the town of Los Lunas. Sibley would miss yet another battle…

The artillery were the stars of the raging Battle of Peralta as they fired at one another from only a few hundred yards away. Most of the men as the battle continued, began to just steer clear of the deadly trajectories. Skirmishes between men began to dwindle. Davidson remembers a close call. He wrote, quote, While we were laying behind the wall ... the enemy were dropping shells among us.... One shell fell right behind our company. The fuse was burning `chew, chew.' Of course I was spread out as thin as I could, but it still seemed to me that I was nineteen feet thick and forty-eight feet long, and when the thing exploded it was bound to hit me. End quote. But it wouldn’t explode among the men. Instead, a righteously courageous comrade ran to the ticking time bomb and threw it over the wall and into one of the water filled irrigation ditch. Relieved and thankful, Davidson asked him what on earth he was thinking. The Rebel responded and said, quote, it was better for it to kill him than the whole company. End quote.

The Fedral shells were wreaking havoc among the Rebels, as that story illustrates. One shell hit the field hospital and exploded. Another exploded in the center of their beef herd which caused it to stampede. This was unacceptable to the low on supplies and starving Rebels, so a Major Hoffman of the Seventh sent his Texans in hot pursuit. With a Rebel Yell, the men attempted to chase down the fleeing animals. Davidson, who witnessed the stampede, wrote, quote, The enemy, supposing it was another charge on their battery, limbered up and started off the field. End quote. The Yankees wanted no part of yet another Valverde charge and capture. But when the Texans cowboyd up the herd and returned, the Unionists also returned to their guns.

Eventually, the Battle of Peralta, which had devolved into an artillery duel by the end, ceased when a sandstorm descended upon the town and the countryside.

The Confederates took the opportunity to leave Peralta. They’d reach Los Lunas and Sibley by 4 am on the morning of April 16th. During the battle, the Rebels lost seven wagons, 22 men to capture, 8 wounded, and 4 dead. But at least they weren’t completely routed during the battle which really should have ended in a crushing defeat.

On the Union side of the lines, many of Canby’s men and officers complained heavily that Canby had not acted wisely and by not engaging the Rebels that night, they had not pressed their advantage. One officer even mentioned that Canby and Sibley were related, so naturally, Canby was allowing the Texans to escape with their lives instead of destroying them. One Colorado cavalrymen wrote, quote, it was the most harmless battle on record, Canby and Sibley are comrades of old. End quote. Many times his officers asked to charge and every time, they were rebuked by Canby.

Only a few hours after reaching Los Lunas, the Rebel’s retreat continued for the wet, sleepy, and exhausted Southerners. Davidson would write about the engagement and how it had truly taught them a valuable lesson. He wrote, quote, The events of Peralto have disclosed the fact to our leaders, which they ought to have known at first, that we have a wise and vigilant foe, who is keeping a close watch on our every move. End quote. This close watch would continue for the next few days as the Rebels retreated further south.

The sandstorm had not let up by the following day and as the Rebels retreated, the Fedrals were in hot pursuit. Sergeant Peticolas would write that, quote, two or three companies of Cavalry have been dogging us down the river all day, trying to pick up stragglers but cautious to keep out of range. End quote. The Rebels realized they were not marching fast enough. So to help lighten their load… they began to abandon any and all extra weight in their wagons and on their persons. Peticolas wrote, quote, We burnt and destroyed everything we had ... save blankets, cooking utensils, a suit of clothes, and overcoats. This was to lighten our teams so that we could travel more rapidly. End quote.

But they still weren’t fast enough and on the next morning of April 17th, they awoke to find their quote unquote blue shadow still following their every move. Peticolas wrote, quote, We discovered that confounded cavalry of the enemy right opposite us on the other side of the river this morning. End quote. Frazier sums up the odd and ominous situation the Rebels found themselves in that morning, quote:

As the day progressed, all of Canby's army came into view, and the opposing armies marched within a mile of each other, with only the Rio Grande between. Pickets sniped at each other, but neither side seemed interested in bringing on a general engagement. "We looked for an attack all day," Peticolas wrote, "but did not have our expectations realized.” End all quotes.

Davidson would write, quote, Marching together, halting together, one imitating every move of the other, neither seeming anxious to bring on a battle, yet neither trying to avoid it. End quote. The Rebels, were confused… One of Davidson’s friends, then decided with much much bravado, to go have a chat with these Yankees to see what on earth they were doing. So, this friend mounted a mule, and rode down to the river. At its banks, he yelled to the Northerners, quote, Say, I want t know whether you fellows have gone crazy, or whether you are a set of damned fools, naturally. End quote. The Union troops, none too thrilled to be insulted, answered Davidson’s friend with quote, a piece or two of lead. I don’t think they tried to hit him, but merely intended to admonish him to stay with his own crowd. End quote. Davidson’s friend, then quote, took the advice kindly and lovingly administered, end quote, as he raced back to his comrades.

By that afternoon, the Rebels were camped at the banks of the Rio Puerco where, quote, the enemy, who had The enemy, who had now become like our very shadow, stuck with us like a love-sick swain following the footsteps of his sweetheart, went into camp too. End quote.

Up ahead though, South of their position, the Rio Grande valley tightened and if the Fedrals beat the weary Rebels to this point, they’d have the high ground in the tight spot and they’d force a battle, and with their superior numbers, superior strength, superior arms and ammunition, and superior position, they’d win that battle. Not to mention, both armies were approaching Fort Craig and inside it were 800 men with Kit Carson. Davidson wrote, quote, The alternative was now presented to us of continuing down the river to the `narrows,' make battle at Pulvadeer with the enemy's cannon sweeping every inch of ground, exhaust our ammunition in a futile attempt to go through their lines, make an honorable surrender, and pine away in a Northern prison. End quote.

With no desire for that outcome, Sibley called a meeting. As the meeting was held, the men of the Second Texas began to pack all of their belongings and strapped em to their horses. Davidson, perplexed, asked these men what they were up to. Davidson wrote their reply, quote, They replied that there was talk of going down to Pulvadeer, making a fight, and then surrendering; they would go down, fight as long as Sibley said fight, but the moment he said surrender, they were going ... into the mountains and make their way to Texas. End quote.

During the meeting, the men of Sibley’s tempers began to flare. Sibley, by now, had lost a lot of respect from his men and at one point during the meeting, he even threatened to arrest one of his captains! They did not want, nor could they win, an engagement on the Rio Grande at these narrows. They had to abandon the road. Frazier again, quote, The Confederate Army of New Mexico was doomed, it seemed, unless an alternative route could be used to bypass the Union road blocks. Capt. Bethel Coopwood, the veteran campaigner and frontiersman, suggested using the same mountain trail he had used days earlier to make his way from Mesilla to Albuquerque. Sibley's council debated the question. Colonel Green at first favored Coopwood's plan, but as the debate wore on, he became sullen and detached realizing, according to one observer, that one plan meant "death in a northern prison, the other death in the mountains." One of Sibley's staff argued that if the route proved successful, Sibley would get the credit. If not, the failure would be known as Coopwood's folly. With his reputation thus safeguarded, this officer argued, the general should take the risk. "The discussion waxed hot,” remembered Davidson, "and Coopwood got mad and left the council. The [others] lounged about seemingly indifferent as to the course the leaders concluded to adopt." Eventually the meeting concluded that Coopwood's gamble-an arduous march through the hills without roads suitable for wagons-was the army's only hope. The rude trail around the north end of the rugged Magdalena Mountains in front of the San Mateo range, some twenty miles west of Fort Craig, seemed the only possible salvation for the army. The officers adjourned and went to prepare their commands. Maj. Alexander M. Jackson, Sibley's adjutant, took sixteen men and rode hard for Mesilla with news of the retreat for Col. William Steele. End all quotes.

I camped in the San Mateo Mountains in late November of 2024 before visiting Fort Craig. I passed the Magdalena Mountains and briefly thought of camping their if the sun had set before I could make camp. In my research I learned the mountains have Ancestral Puebloan ruins at their base and they were, of course, used as an Apache Mountain Stronghold as were the San Mateo. But there was no mention of this Coopwood’s gamble. I wonder if I hiked, or drove, or stopped to enjoy the beautiful surroundings on the same path that the Rebels took… I will have pictures of the range from my visit up at the site.

Deep into the night of April 17th, with a full moon to help light the way, Sibley’s ragged and tired Army of New Mexico moved around the Magdalena Mountains on their way to the San Mateo. With the road rough and the men needing to move fast, nearly every single things that wasn’t absolutely necessary was left behind or burned. The Rebels threw off overcoats, stuffed their pockets with ammo, and strapped the necessary items to the worn out mules. Teel, determined to save the ValVerde guns, hitched them to whatever they could roll on and the march began. Peticloas would write, quote, Now commenced, one of the most remarkable retreats ever read of. End quote. 

The Confederates left 30 wagons and their sick behind. The men bid them good luck as they passed them by and slithered off into the darkness. Davidson wrote of the injured, quote, They had come on this far to save being made prisoners, and now they had to be made prisoners at last. End quote.  Frazier writes of the scene quote, Huddled around a fire with the yellow flag waving over them from the corner of a wagon, the wounded and infirm shook hands with their friends, fearful that they may never meet again. Peticolas, moved by the pathos, watched sadly. "It was affecting to see the brave companions in arms of these sick men grasping them . . . and bidding them an affectionate farewell." Slowly, pathetically, the abandoned Texans watched as their comrades moved quietly away in the moonlight.” End all quotes.

On the morning of April 18th, with the sun’s rays illuminating the Rio Grande Valley, scouts brought the news of the Rebel retreat to Canby. But this news did not worry him. His first order of business was securing the loot that was left behind, Canby then sent his troops south towards Palvadera, the choke point he had originally planned on using to stop the Rebel’s retreat. Canby then realized the Rebels had two ways of escaping. The first would take them through the Apache infested Cook’s Canyon and then over to the road to Mesilla. The other would take them through the battle torn Alamosa, that town I talked about a while ago where Coopwood had the overnight engagement. Canby wrote, quote, If they have taken the route by the Mimbres it will be impossible to overtake them. If they have taken that by Canada Alamosa I am not without hopes of intercepting them, although my scouts report that they have abandoned everything that would encumber them in their flight. End quote.

Unsure of which route they took, Canby marched his forces to Fort Craig.

In Socorro, the stranded Rebels continued to hear rumors that they were going to be rescued by Sibley but eventually, those rumors turned to dust and they soon realized they were to be taken prisoner by the Fedrals. One of the men there wrote, quote, Is this to be the glory of our brave men? Must they suffer reproach for their General? This is more than human nature can bear. We soon will be taken prisoners. Sibley stampeded last night and went to the mountains leaving his sick and wounded with a part of his train in the road unprotected with no medicine, no physician and but few attendants. Sibley is gone to Texas-we are sold. End quote. He wasn’t wrong.

The following week would be hell for the retreating Rebels though. Again, I was just in these mountains and while they are rugged and harsh, they are quite beautiful. But I was in my truck. These men were on foot. And the trail was over 100 miles long. Water was scarce and a lot of the watering holes they would find held brackish and salty water. And each watering hole was an entire day’s journey from the next. And as usual, up in these mountains, they were cold and the wind was relentless. Not to mention, these were Apache strongholds, both mountain ranges. And any stragglers left behind… could end up facing an Apache arrow.

On the first night, the Rebels made 14 miles before making camp. Even the wagons had made it, what few they took. The following day though, the going got tough with deep sand and a lack of water. And when they did finally find a spring, Capt. Julius Giesecke wrote, quote, It was so salty that we could hardly use it for coffee. End quote.

The second day of Coopwood’s Gamble, the 19th, proved far tougher than even the first. Thirst, was really getting to the men. Even the saltiest brackish water became a delicacy. Peticolas wrote, quote, the strong pressed feverishly and frantically on ... the cry [becoming] more intense and universal for water. End quote. One Texan would write of the thirst, quote, with lips black and parched, and throats swelled and dry, and breath hot and voice husky, on we rushed till we reached the water. End quote. Once at the rare watering holes the men could find, they would immediately throw themselves at the water’s edge, quote, regardless of the crowding horses and mules, regardless of the swearing men, regardless of everything, and drank the cool clear soft water, drank until we sank back completely satiated. End quote.  

Food was also becoming increasingly scarce. But some of the troops did get to enjoy a bear and some deer which, unfortunately for them, wandered past the trundling soldiers. But the weariness of the journey also began to weigh on the Rebels. Peticolas wrote, quote, No order was observed, no company staid together, the wearied sank down upon the grass, regardless of the cold, to rest and sleep. A great many of the infantry, tired of marching through the heavy sand, have picked up mules, little poor scrawny things, upon which they tie a fold of blankets for a saddle, and with a rope for a bridle strike out, every man for himself. End quote.

When night finally fell on this second day, the men, attempting to find their companies, which had what few belongings they still carried, the men attempted to find their comrades by calling into the night. Private William Randolph Howell, wrote of that evening, quote, For hours, as the scattered men came in, a confusion of voices hallooing for different companies, individuals, and regiments rendered the place a perfect babel. End quote. He continues, quote, this is my first day on foot and me very feeble, I don't get into camp until 10 P.M. as all have gone to bed, I can't find my company and have to lay by the fire all night without my blanket. End quote.

Despite littering their trail with everything worthless as the going got extremely more difficult, the Rebels never left the guns of Valverde behind. It was their only trophy that still remained with them. The rest of their trophies had been burned at Johnson’s Ranch during Glorietta. Frazier sums up the battle that dragging these prizes was, quote:

With little sleep, empty canteens, and bad rations, the soldiers struggled with the pieces, oftentimes dragging them up and down canyons with teams of men working ropes. By April 20, the ragged Texans began talking of leaving the guns. "Some talk of spiking the artillery and leaving it," Peticolas wrote. "Green [has] gotten tired ... of helping their battery along." Lt. Col. William Read Scurry, obsessed with saving the battery, took charge of getting the guns through and himself aided the men as they manhandled the weapons over the formidable terrain. Teams of soldiers lowered the guns by ropes down the steep sides of canyons then dragged them up the other side. The backbreaking effort sapped strength, but Scurry refused to let his men give up. Eventually the officers assigned responsibility for a cannon to each of several companies; troops then destroyed all of the remaining caissons, limbers, and ammunition. End all quotes.

Several of the New Mexican refugees accompanied the men. Some of these people had been with them since Santa Fe, while others Albuquerque, and even still others, the smaller towns they’d passed through since their retreat from the Union Capital. Peticolas comments on these New Mexicans.

We have quite a number of women along, the wives and daughters of Mexican citizens who have thought it most prudent for them to leave because of their southern principles. These people have light wagons and ambulances along, to take their provisions and property. End quote. While these civilians were in their wagons, the Rebels became jealous. Their feet were so sore, they were mostly walking on instinct. And then they look up and see these people… AND their officers, like Sibley, in a wagon, and their anger came out. Private Howell, the injured man I just quoted, he wrote, quote, My health is very bad yet. I am compelled to walk while mean Mexican women ride. End quote.

By April 21st, they were in the San Mateo Mountains, and far below them, was the Rio Grande and, Fort Craig. They could no doubt see the lights at night from the fires. Maybe they could convince themselves they could see movement and they were counting their blessings at being able to avoid a siege against it. Maybe a few of the men looked on at Valverde and had flashbacks of the fierce fighting there. Or they remembered fallen comrades. Peticolas wrote of this part of the journey and said, quote, On this day, marking the 2nd month since our Val Verde battle, we ... passed in sight of Ft. Craig. Every man knew the table mountain and could distinguish the glistening waters of the river away down in the valley 10 miles from where we were crawling along the side of the mountain. We traveled along in full view of this rather (to us) noted place for two hours. End quote.

After five days and 80 miles of walking through the tough southern New Mexican mountains, the Confederate Rebel Army had relinquished any appearance or attitude of an invading army. Especially of an invading army that had succeeded in so many skirmishes and battles. The men now had little to no discipline and the units dissolved away into a line of straggling men. The Rebels actually stretched in a line from San Mateo to the north for fifty… miles…

What little the men had carried with them on this retreat, now littered the trail. Ammo, clothing, carriages, ambulances, wood pieces of the artillery, everything not essential was tossed. And eventually, the wounded and sick began to fall on the trail as well. Frazier writes well of this last bit of the trail, quote:

William Kirk, the onetime wagon master, spy, and soldier, endured the amputation of his leg from a wound received at Glorieta. Surprisingly, he survived, and after a little rest, continued the journey with help from his friends. Union scouts under Capt. James "Paddy" Graydon shadowed the Rebels-on occasion, even mingled with them by their firesides-and reported back to Colonel Canby all that they had seen. A final battle for New Mexico, these spies reported, would not be necessary. End quote.

Eventually the weary Confederates made it to the canyons that led to Fort Thorn. Steele sent men to greet them as they approached the town. Steele himself was six miles away at the fort. Of this march, Howell would write, quote, Surely such a march over such a country and made by men mostly on foot, not accustomed to walking, was never surpassed. It reminds one of ... Bonaparte's celebrated march over the Alps. End quote.

In the next episode, we will switch locations, as Captain Hunter in Arizona, does battle with Carleton’s incoming California Column.