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Battle of Apache Canyon ...
Riding Into History ...
Black Jack ...
Dick Francis and Devon Loch ...
Blue and Gray Cavalry Clash in New Mexico
Santa Fe was gray and cold with intermittent rain. Adjacent to a fast moving creek in an open pasture, Confederate horsemen of the 5th Texas Mounted Volunteers formed three lines, four abreast. With pistols waving in the air, the Texans advanced towards the blue-clad Union infantrymen, who were kneeling in close formation. Pipers and drummers played in the rear. Suddenly, a sharp, loud volley rang out from the Federal infantrymen, and the air was filled with smoke. Through the smoky haze that floated skyward, the Texans fired their pistols and retreated with their horses.
The action took place at El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, a 200-acre living history museum. It was part of a Civil War reenactment that observed the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Apache Canyon (March 26, 1862) in the New Mexico Territory. The reenactment of Battle of Glorieta (March 28, 1862), referred by some historians as the Gettysburg of the West, took place the next day.
Charles Mandeville, a Confederate cavalry reenactor, and his horse Goldie participated in the reenactment of the Battle of Apache Canyon. Mandeville, who wore a gray wool tunic with a gray cap with a yellow-trimmed top, was a friendly man. Solidly built and sporting a sweeping mustache, Mandeville had been participating as a reenactor for fifteen years. "I like portraying a Confederate cavalryman - even in bad weather," Mandeville laughed as the rain began to fall. "I like horses and am very interested in the history of the Civil War," he said. "I enjoy experiencing the life of a mounted soldier in one of the most important times in American history."
Mandeville pointed out that his Confederate uniform and pistols, as well as Goldie's tack, were authentic reproductions based on actual Civil War gear at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. He explained that Goldie's saddle was a Federal [McClelland] issue, as were her bridal and blanket. "The reason," Mandeville explained, "was the Union equipment was better than that of the Confederates, and the Southerners took Federal equipment whenever they could."
Goldie was a good-looking chestnut with a black mane and tail. Half Spanish Mustang and half Quarterhorse, the horse was well-groomed and had a gentle personality. Mandeville explained that Goldie had to be trained not to shy away from the sound of gunfire, but acknowledged that she hated the noise of cannon.
Another reenactor that day was Lisa McKenna and her horse Bodie. Dressed in a dark brim hat and civilian clothes of the Civil War era, Lisa rode with Charles Mandeville and others. Horses, like McKenna's Bodie and Mandeville's Goldie, played a prominent role in the Civil War. These animals transported the soldiers, pulled the artillery, and hauled the supply train. Weather (heavy snow) and terrain (rugged mountains) of the Far West made daily existence more difficult for horses, as compared to other theatres of operation. This was witnessed by the campaign in the New Mexico Territory that led to the Battle of Apache Canyon and Glorieta Pass.
The campaign began with an ambitious plan by Confederate Brig. Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley. With the approval of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Sibley organized a 3,300 mounted volunteer force of Texans. The mounted volunteers were soldiers who rode horses, but dismounted and fought with rifles. The mission of Sibley's brigade was to invade and occupy the Federal stronghold of the New Mexico Territory (present states of New Mexico and Arizona plus the southern end of Nevada). The prize was Fort Union in northeast New Mexico, which was the Federal's supply center for the entire Southwest.
With the capture of Fort Union, Sibley's grandiose plan called for his brigade to restock with supplies and then head north and capture Colorado's lucrative mines for the Confederacy. Sibley then planned to push westward and capture Salt Lake City, from where he would move on to California and occupy the strategic seaports of Los Angeles and San Diego.
In February 1862, Sibley and his Texas mounted soldiers, supply train, and artillery headed west from San Antonio over the Overland Coach route and then north along the Rio Grande. Sibley's Confederates met and defeated Union forces at Valverde, a few miles from Fort Craig, in southeastern New Mexico Territory. The Texans then occupied the Federal sub-depot in Albuquerque and the territorial capital of Santa Fe. While combating heavy snows in the Sandia Mountains, the Texans and their horses suffered from a scarcity of food.
Two significant battles between the North and South then took place along the Santa Fe Trail on the way to Fort Union. Federal regulars and mounted volunteers from Colorado, who rode down from Fort union, clashed with Sibley's Confederates in Apache Canyon and Glorieta Pass. There Union soldiers defeated the Texans ending the Confederate's dream to conquer the West.
For an excellent account of the Confederate invasion of the New Mexico Territory in 1862, please refer to The Battle of Glorieta: Union Victory in the West by Don E. Alberts (Texas A&M University Press, College Station, 1998.)
While watching re-enactors like Charles Mandeville and Lisa McKenna at Santa Fe on that dreary, cold day,
I thought about the bravery of those that had actually fought and died so long ago.
Soldiers of both armies believed in their cause and courageous men died in remote places, often unknown to many,
like Apache Canyon and Glorieta Pass.
Goldie and Bodie, Mandeville's and McKenna's horses, also reminded me of the steadfastness of the Union and Confederate soldiers'
faithful steeds, of which one million were estimated to have died during America's long and bloody Civil War.
