Capture of Tucson (1862)
Encyclopedia
The Capture of Tucson was a United States
attack on Tucson in Confederate Arizona on May 20, 1862. A Union
force of 2,000 took the city from ten Tucson militia
men without a shot fired.
in the 1850s, the cities of Tucson and Mesilla
in southern New Mexico Territory
had petitioned the United States government for permission to separate themselves into their own territory which they called Arizona
. These requests were denied by the United States government and accepted by the Confederacy
. The Arizonans hoped the creation of a new territory would strengthen their communications with the east and allow for more military aid. Apache
s had been fighting a bloody war in the region, leaving Tucson surrounded by occupied Apache land. Only Tucson's old presidio
walls protected the population from harm. When Union troops left Arizona to fight in the South and when the Butterfield Overland Mail
stations closed, the residents of the region were abandoned and had no military support for protection against the Apache.
Small militia garrisons were established in Tucson, Mesilla, Pinos Altos
and other towns in Confederate Arizona. Though these militiamen fought
the Apache successfully in several different engagements
, more military strength was needed to hold on to the territory. By joining the states in rebellion, military support was sure to arrive from the South. In early 1862, just before the first Confederate capture of Albuquerque
in New Mexico Territory, General
Henry Hopkins Sibley
ordered Captain Sherod Hunter
of Tennessee
to proceed to Tucson with a small company of Arizona Rangers
from Dona Ana
and Texas
cavalry. Jack Swilling
was a member of the Tucson reinforcement, by this time he had founded Arizona's future state capital of Phoenix
. The force composed of about seventy-five men. Captain Hunter's orders were to establish a military alliance with the Pima
natives in the area and to watch for a suspected Union advance from California
, which began from Fort Yuma
and ended with the fall of Mesilla
. Colonel
James Reily accompanied Captain Hunter when he left for Tucson. Colonel Reily commanded an escort of twenty men of the Pinos Altos Arizona Guards, another Arizona militia company. The Arizona Guards were composed primarily of men who left their homes around Tubac and Tucson following the Siege of Tubac
in August 1861.
Overall about 100 men arrived in Tucson on February 28, 1862, there is also reason to believe that the arrival of Hunter's company prevented a massive Apache assault on the settlement. There they joined with the small Tucson militia, numbering about twenty-five men. The formal flag raising occurred on March 1, after which Colonel Reily and his escort went south to Sonora
, Mexico
for a mission of diplomacy. In early May, the garrison of Tucson fought two battles with the Apache while foraging for supplies in the Dragoon Mountains
. The first engagement was a defeat for the rebels and the second
was a victory. After the skirmish at Stanwix Station
, the Battle of Picacho Peak, and the capture of a Union squad in the Pima villages, Colonel
James Henry Carleton
and his army of over 2,000 Californians captured the undefended Fort Breckinridge to the northeast of Tucson. On May 14, the Californians left for Tucson from the fort, that same day, Sherrod Hunter ordered the evacuation of Tucson. He left ten of his militia behind under the command of Lieutenant
James H. Tevis. Their orders were to observe the Union attack.
, infantry
and artillery
launched their assault on Tucson from the northeast. The Union bugles played Yankee Doodle
as they swarmed the buildings, outside of the presidio walls. Lieutenant Tevis intended to hold Fort Tucson but was persuaded not to by the cities inhabitants who knew resisting meant suicide. Tevis ordered the withdrawal of his squad and after the war he briefly described his escape from the presidio. "They got too close for my health and I left." Tevis and his men escaped, without losing any men to Union forces. The Tucson militia eventually headed east to Mesilla to rejoin Captain Sherrod Hunter. Tucson fell peacefully and the Union army was met only by uncomfortable Tucson civilians.
Philemon Herbert's battalion of Arizona Cavalry. The Arizonans ceased being militia and officially became Confederate soldiers under General Henry Sibley. After the Battle of Glorieta Pass
and the retreat of General Sibley's army, the Arizona Cavalry battalion was ordered to remain behind to hold on to Mesilla and the surrounding valley. Men under Sherod Hunter fought
with New Mexican militia near Mesilla on June 1, 1862. The skirmish ended with no known casualties on either side and reports indicate a Union victory due to the loss of Confederate horses and equipment at the battle, the rebels retreated from Mesilla a few days later.
The Arizona Cavalry headed for Texas and were some of the last Confederate soldiers to leave Arizona. Though the Confederates, due to lack of man power, failed to hold on to Arizona, the Arizonans themselves achieved the goal they fought a war for. That goal was the creation of a territory separate from that of New Mexico Territory. In 1863 the Union established Arizona Territory
with Tucson as the capital. The towns of Mesilla, Pinos Altos and others were not included in the new Arizona Territory, instead they remained part of New Mexico Territory and are now within the present day state of New Mexico
. By rebelling against the government, Union troops were obligated to invade the territory and reassert control, thus meaning Arizona once again had the support necessary for protection against Apaches.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attack on Tucson in Confederate Arizona on May 20, 1862. A Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
force of 2,000 took the city from ten Tucson militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
men without a shot fired.
Background
Before the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in the 1850s, the cities of Tucson and Mesilla
Mesilla, New Mexico
Mesilla is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,180 at the 2000 census...
in southern New Mexico Territory
New Mexico Territory
thumb|right|240px|Proposed boundaries for State of New Mexico, 1850The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of...
had petitioned the United States government for permission to separate themselves into their own territory which they called Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. These requests were denied by the United States government and accepted by the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. The Arizonans hoped the creation of a new territory would strengthen their communications with the east and allow for more military aid. Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
s had been fighting a bloody war in the region, leaving Tucson surrounded by occupied Apache land. Only Tucson's old presidio
Presidio
A presidio is a fortified base established by the Spanish in North America between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. The fortresses were built to protect against pirates, hostile native Americans and enemy colonists. Other presidios were held by Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth...
walls protected the population from harm. When Union troops left Arizona to fight in the South and when the Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
stations closed, the residents of the region were abandoned and had no military support for protection against the Apache.
Small militia garrisons were established in Tucson, Mesilla, Pinos Altos
Pinos Altos, New Mexico
Pinos Altos, in Grant County, New Mexico, was a mining town, formed in 1860 following the discovery of gold in the nearby Pinos Altos Mountains. The town site is located about five to ten miles north of the present day Silver City, New Mexico...
and other towns in Confederate Arizona. Though these militiamen fought
Battle of Placito
The Battle of Placito or Battle of the Placito was an engagement between ethnic Mexican settlers, Confederate soldiers and Apache warriors. It took place at the now abandoned village of Placito in Confederate Arizona...
the Apache successfully in several different engagements
Battle of Pinos Altos
The Battle of Pinos Altos was a military action of the Apache Wars. It was fought on September 27, 1861 between settlers of Pinos Altos mining town, the Confederate Arizona Guards, and Apache warriors. The town is located about seven miles north of the present day Silver City, New...
, more military strength was needed to hold on to the territory. By joining the states in rebellion, military support was sure to arrive from the South. In early 1862, just before the first Confederate capture of Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
in New Mexico Territory, General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Henry Hopkins Sibley
Henry Hopkins Sibley
Henry Hopkins Sibley was a brigadier general during the American Civil War, leading the Confederate States Army in the New Mexico Territory. His attempt to gain control of trails to California was defeated at the Battle of Glorieta Pass...
ordered Captain Sherod Hunter
Sherod Hunter
Sherod Hunter was the commander of the Confederate unit operating against Union Army forces in present day Arizona during the American Civil War...
of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
to proceed to Tucson with a small company of Arizona Rangers
Company A, Arizona Rangers
Company A, Arizona Rangers was one of the Confederate military units raised in the Confederate Arizona Territory.- Origin of the Arizona Rangers :...
from Dona Ana
Doña Ana, New Mexico
Doña Ana is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, in the United States. The population was 1,379 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
cavalry. Jack Swilling
Jack Swilling
John W. "Jack" Swilling founded the city of Phoenix, Arizona, in 1867. Other pioneers and travelers had seen and commented on the ancient Hohokam canals in that area, but it was J. W. Swilling who organized the first successful modern irrigation project in Arizona's Salt River Valley...
was a member of the Tucson reinforcement, by this time he had founded Arizona's future state capital of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. The force composed of about seventy-five men. Captain Hunter's orders were to establish a military alliance with the Pima
Pima
The Pima are a group of American Indians living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona. The long name, "Akimel O'odham", means "river people". They are closely related to the Tohono O'odham and the Hia C-ed O'odham...
natives in the area and to watch for a suspected Union advance from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, which began from Fort Yuma
Fort Yuma
Fort Yuma is a fort in California that is located in Imperial County, across the Colorado River from Yuma, Arizona. It was on the Butterfield Overland Mail route from 1858 until 1861 and was abandoned May 16, 1883, and transferred to the Department of the Interior. The Fort Yuma Indian School and a...
and ended with the fall of Mesilla
Mesilla, New Mexico
Mesilla is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,180 at the 2000 census...
. Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
James Reily accompanied Captain Hunter when he left for Tucson. Colonel Reily commanded an escort of twenty men of the Pinos Altos Arizona Guards, another Arizona militia company. The Arizona Guards were composed primarily of men who left their homes around Tubac and Tucson following the Siege of Tubac
Siege of Tubac
The Siege of Tubac was a siege of the Apache Wars, between settlers and militia of Confederate Arizona and Chiricahua Apaches. The battle took place at Tubac in the present day southern Arizona...
in August 1861.
Overall about 100 men arrived in Tucson on February 28, 1862, there is also reason to believe that the arrival of Hunter's company prevented a massive Apache assault on the settlement. There they joined with the small Tucson militia, numbering about twenty-five men. The formal flag raising occurred on March 1, after which Colonel Reily and his escort went south to Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
for a mission of diplomacy. In early May, the garrison of Tucson fought two battles with the Apache while foraging for supplies in the Dragoon Mountains
Dragoon Mountains
Dragoon Mountains are a range of mountains located in Cochise County, Arizona. The range is about 25 mi long, running on an axis extending south-south east through Willcox.- Geography :...
. The first engagement was a defeat for the rebels and the second
Second Battle of Dragoon Springs
The Second Battle of Dragoon Springs was one of many skirmishes involving Apache warriors and Confederate soldiers. It was fought during the American Civil War on May 9, 1862 and was a response to the First Battle of Dragoon Springs in which Confederate forces were defeated. Four men were killed in...
was a victory. After the skirmish at Stanwix Station
Stanwix Station
Stanwix Station, in western Arizona, was a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail Stagecoach line built in the later 1850s near the Gila River about east of Yuma, Arizona. Originally the station was called Flap Jack Ranch later Grinnell's Ranch or Grinnell's Station...
, the Battle of Picacho Peak, and the capture of a Union squad in the Pima villages, Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
James Henry Carleton
James Henry Carleton
James Henry Carleton was an officer in the Union army during the American Civil War. Carleton is most well known as an Indian fighter in the southwestern United States.-Biography:...
and his army of over 2,000 Californians captured the undefended Fort Breckinridge to the northeast of Tucson. On May 14, the Californians left for Tucson from the fort, that same day, Sherrod Hunter ordered the evacuation of Tucson. He left ten of his militia behind under the command of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
James H. Tevis. Their orders were to observe the Union attack.
Capture
On May 20, 1862, Colonel Carelton's army of cavalryCavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
, infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
and artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
launched their assault on Tucson from the northeast. The Union bugles played Yankee Doodle
Yankee Doodle
"Yankee Doodle" is a well-known Anglo-American song, the origin of which dates back to the Seven Years' War. It is often sung patriotically in the United States today and is the state anthem of Connecticut...
as they swarmed the buildings, outside of the presidio walls. Lieutenant Tevis intended to hold Fort Tucson but was persuaded not to by the cities inhabitants who knew resisting meant suicide. Tevis ordered the withdrawal of his squad and after the war he briefly described his escape from the presidio. "They got too close for my health and I left." Tevis and his men escaped, without losing any men to Union forces. The Tucson militia eventually headed east to Mesilla to rejoin Captain Sherrod Hunter. Tucson fell peacefully and the Union army was met only by uncomfortable Tucson civilians.
Aftermath
When Captain Hunter arrived in Mesilla on May 27, his company, along with the Arizona Rangers and the Arizona Guards, were formed into Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Philemon Herbert's battalion of Arizona Cavalry. The Arizonans ceased being militia and officially became Confederate soldiers under General Henry Sibley. After the Battle of Glorieta Pass
Battle of Glorieta Pass
The Battle of Glorieta Pass, fought from March 26 to 28, 1862 in northern New Mexico Territory, was the decisive battle of the New Mexico Campaign during the American Civil War. Dubbed the "Gettysburg of the West" by some historians, it was intended as the killer blow by Confederate forces to break...
and the retreat of General Sibley's army, the Arizona Cavalry battalion was ordered to remain behind to hold on to Mesilla and the surrounding valley. Men under Sherod Hunter fought
Second Battle of Mesilla
The Second Battle of Mesilla was an unusual engagement of the American Civil War, it was fought on July 1, 1862 and was the last engagement between Union and Confederate forces in Arizona Territory...
with New Mexican militia near Mesilla on June 1, 1862. The skirmish ended with no known casualties on either side and reports indicate a Union victory due to the loss of Confederate horses and equipment at the battle, the rebels retreated from Mesilla a few days later.
The Arizona Cavalry headed for Texas and were some of the last Confederate soldiers to leave Arizona. Though the Confederates, due to lack of man power, failed to hold on to Arizona, the Arizonans themselves achieved the goal they fought a war for. That goal was the creation of a territory separate from that of New Mexico Territory. In 1863 the Union established Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
with Tucson as the capital. The towns of Mesilla, Pinos Altos and others were not included in the new Arizona Territory, instead they remained part of New Mexico Territory and are now within the present day state of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. By rebelling against the government, Union troops were obligated to invade the territory and reassert control, thus meaning Arizona once again had the support necessary for protection against Apaches.
See also
- Capture of Tucson (1846)Capture of Tucson (1846)The Capture of Tucson was a United States attack on the Mexican city of Tucson, Sonora, now the present day Tucson, Arizona. The would be combatants were provisional Mexican Army troops and the American Mormon Battalion. Tucson fell in December of 1846 without resistance.-Capture:The...
- First Battle of TucsonFirst Battle of TucsonThe First Battle of Tucson was a confrontation at Tucson, Arizona on December 6, 1779, as part of the Apache-Mexico Wars. Captain Pedro Allande y Saabedra with a force of only fifteen men defeated an army of around 350 strong.-Battle:...
- Second Battle of TucsonSecond Battle of TucsonThe Second Battle of Tucson or the May Day Attack was a battle in Tucson, Arizona, and the neighboring pueblo. It occurred during the Mexican Apache Wars on May 1, 1782, between a small garrison of Spanish soldiers and hundreds of Apache warriors....
- Third Battle of TucsonThird Battle of Tucson (1782)The Third Battle of Tucson was a battle during the Spanish colonization of Sonora, now the present day Arizona in the United States. The battle pitched the Apache warriors against the Spanish cavalry garrison of Tucson.-Battle:...
- Fourth Battle of TucsonFourth Battle of TucsonThe Fourth Battle of Tucson was a raid during the Spanish-Apache Wars. At break of day, on March 21, 1784, a force of no more than 500 Apaches and Navajos attacked Spanish cavalry guards protecting a herd of livestock at the Presidio San Augustin del Tucson in southern Arizona.-Battle:The Spanish...