Department of New Mexico
Encyclopedia
The Department of New Mexico was a department
of the United States Army
during the mid-19th century. At first a part of the Department of the West
, it was created as an independent department following the breakup of that Division into various departments during the Civil War. It had to contend with an invading Confederate force during the New Mexico Campaign
from mid-1861 to early 1862, then with Apache tribes during the remainder of the American Civil War
. When the Civil War started, the commander of the department, Colonel William W. Loring, resigned on June 11 to join the Confederate army and was succeded by Colonel Edward R.S. Canby of the 10th U.S. Infantry. Canby was ordered to send all of his regular infantry to Kansas and raise two New Mexico regiments as replacements; however, Canby was reluctant to do so, both because he feared a Confederate invasion from Texas and also he didn't trust the local population, which he suspected of disloyalty.
but failed; feeling that his position was hopeless, Lynde then tried to retreat northward to Fort Stanton. However, the Union column quickly lost its cohesiveness during the hot daylight hours, so that when it reached San Augustine Springs Lynde reported that not "more than 100 men of the infantry battalion" could offer effective resistance. When Baylor arrived at the springs near midday, Lynde surrendered his command without further fighting. Lynde would be cashiered from the army in November for this surrender.
No further Confederate reinforcements arrived that year, and Baylor's battalion was tied down fighting Apache bands. Canby spent the remainder of the year trying to raise five regiments of infantry, and wrote to the governor of Colorado, William Gilpin, asking him for Colorad volunteer troops to help defend New Mexico. Henry Sibley raised a brigade of Texas cavalry over the summer and it arrived in New Mexico in January and early February 1862. Intending to invade Colorado to seize the gold and silver mines located there, Sibley arrived outside Fort Craig on February 15.
was created under Major General
Henry W. Halleck, replacing the Department of the Pacific
, consisting of the Department of the Columbia
that now consisted of the State of Oregon and the Territories of Washington and Idaho and the expanded Department of California
that now consisted of the States of California
and Nevada
and the Territory of New Mexico and Territory of Arizona.
Department (United States Army)
Department, is a term used, by the U.S. Army, mostly prior to World War I. In 1920, most of the departments were redesignated as corps areas. However, the Hawaiian, Panama Canal, and Philippine Departments retained their old names...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during the mid-19th century. At first a part of the Department of the West
Department of the West
The Department of the West, later known as the Western Department, was a major command of the United States Army during the 19th century. It oversaw the military affairs in the country west of the Mississippi River to the borders of California and Oregon.-Organization:The Department was first...
, it was created as an independent department following the breakup of that Division into various departments during the Civil War. It had to contend with an invading Confederate force during the New Mexico Campaign
New Mexico Campaign
The New Mexico Campaign was a military operation 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 Colorado and the...
from mid-1861 to early 1862, then with Apache tribes during the remainder of the American Civil War
American 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...
Formation
The Department of New Mexico was first organized as a subordinate department under the Department of the West on October 31, 1853. It became an independent Department on November 9, 1861; the bounderies of the department were coextent with the New Mexico TerritoryNew 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...
. When the Civil War started, the commander of the department, Colonel William W. Loring, resigned on June 11 to join the Confederate army and was succeded by Colonel Edward R.S. Canby of the 10th U.S. Infantry. Canby was ordered to send all of his regular infantry to Kansas and raise two New Mexico regiments as replacements; however, Canby was reluctant to do so, both because he feared a Confederate invasion from Texas and also he didn't trust the local population, which he suspected of disloyalty.
Confederate invasion
The first Confederates to invade the department did so in July 1861. Lieutenant Colonel John Baylor, commander of a battalion of the 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles, moved into the territory on July 23rd and by the next evening had arrived outside of Fort Filmore, near the settlement of Mesilla. He planned to take the fort by surprise attack, but two Confederate deserters alerted the Union garrison to his plans; instead, the next morning Baylor moved into Mesilla. In the afternoon, the Union commander, Major Isaac Lynde attempted to drive out the ConfederatesBattle of Mesilla
The First Battle of Mesilla, fought on July 25, 1861 at Mesilla in what is now New Mexico, was an engagement between Confederate and Union forces during the American Civil War. The battle resulted in a Confederate victory and led directly to the official establishing of a Confederate Arizona...
but failed; feeling that his position was hopeless, Lynde then tried to retreat northward to Fort Stanton. However, the Union column quickly lost its cohesiveness during the hot daylight hours, so that when it reached San Augustine Springs Lynde reported that not "more than 100 men of the infantry battalion" could offer effective resistance. When Baylor arrived at the springs near midday, Lynde surrendered his command without further fighting. Lynde would be cashiered from the army in November for this surrender.
No further Confederate reinforcements arrived that year, and Baylor's battalion was tied down fighting Apache bands. Canby spent the remainder of the year trying to raise five regiments of infantry, and wrote to the governor of Colorado, William Gilpin, asking him for Colorad volunteer troops to help defend New Mexico. Henry Sibley raised a brigade of Texas cavalry over the summer and it arrived in New Mexico in January and early February 1862. Intending to invade Colorado to seize the gold and silver mines located there, Sibley arrived outside Fort Craig on February 15.
Reorganized out of existence
On July 27, 1865 the Military Division of the PacificMilitary Division of the Pacific
The Military Division of the Pacific was a major command of the United States Army during the 19th century.-Formation:On July 27, 1865 the Military Division of the Pacific was created under Major General Henry W...
was created under Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Henry W. Halleck, replacing the Department of the Pacific
Department of the Pacific
The Department of the Pacific was a major command of the United States Army during the 19th century.-Formation:The Department of the Pacific was first organized on October 31, 1853, at San Francisco, California, taking over from the previous Pacific Division. The department reported directly to...
, consisting of the Department of the Columbia
Department of the Columbia
The Department of the Columbia was a major command of the United States Army during the 19th century.-Formation:On July 27, 1865 the Military Division of the Pacific was created under Major General Henry W...
that now consisted of the State of Oregon and the Territories of Washington and Idaho and the expanded Department of California
Department of California
The Department of California was one of two Army Departments created September 13, 1858, replacing the original Department of the Pacific and was composed of the territory of the United States lying west of the Rocky Mountains and south of Oregon and Washington territories, except the Rogue River...
that now consisted of the States of 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...
and Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
and the Territory of New Mexico and Territory of Arizona.
Commanders
- Colonel Edward R. S. Canby June 16, 1861 - June 22, 1862
- Brigadier General James H. Carleton September 18, 1862 - June 27, 1865
Districts
There was a total of ten districts in the department at various times; most were merged together after the Confederate invasion. A list of districts include the following:- District of ArizonaDistrict of ArizonaDistrict of Arizona was a subordinate district of the Department of New Mexico territory created on August 30, 1862 and transferred to the Department of the Pacific in March 1865.-District of Arizona Commanders:...
Posts in the Department of New Mexico
The following is a list of posts occupied by the Union Army in the department at various times during the war:- Post of Albuquerque (1846–1867)
- Fort MarcyFort Marcy (New Mexico)Fort Marcy was a military reservation in New Mexico.At the height of the Mexican War, an undersized military and trading expedition left Austin, Texas, to seize the Santa Fe Trail in 1841. The troops assembled were inadequately equipped, disorganized, and warded off by the Mexican army. As a...
(1846–1867) - Post of TaosTaos, New MexicoTaos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
(1847–1852, 1860–1861) - Camp Tecolate (1850–1860)
- Fort FillmoreFort FillmoreFort Fillmore was a fortification established by Col Edwin Vose Sumner in September of 1851 near Mesilla in what is now New Mexico, primarily to protect settlers and traders traveling to California. Travelers in the Westward Migration were under constant threat from Indian attack, and a network of...
(1851–1862) - Fort Union (1851–1894)
- Fort Burgwin (1852–1860)
- Camp Los Lunas (1852, 1859–1860, 1862)
- Fort Thorn (1853–1863)
- Fort CraigFort CraigFort Craig was a U.S. Army fort located along El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, near Elephant Butte Lake State Park and the Rio Grande in Socorro County, New Mexico....
(1854–1885) - Fort StantonFort StantonFort Stanton was a U.S. military fort built in New Mexico in the United States. It was established to protect settlements along the Rio Bonito in the Apache Wars...
(1855–1896) - Gila Depot (1857, 1863)
- Camp Loring (1858–1861)
- Camp at (Alexander) Hatch's Ranch (1859–1864)
- Post at Beck's Ranch (1859–1860)
- Camp Ojo Caliente (1859–1861)
- Fort Butler (1860)
- Camp Cogswell (1860)
- Fort FauntleroyFort WingateFort Wingate is near Gallup, New Mexico. There were two locations in New Mexico that had this name. The first one was located near San Rafael. The current fort was established on the southern edge of the Navajo territory in 1862. The initial purpose of the fort was to control the large Navajo...
(1860–1861), Fort LyonFort WingateFort Wingate is near Gallup, New Mexico. There were two locations in New Mexico that had this name. The first one was located near San Rafael. The current fort was established on the southern edge of the Navajo territory in 1862. The initial purpose of the fort was to control the large Navajo...
(1861–1862) - Fort McLane (1860–1864)
- Post at Abó Pass (1861)
- Camp at Alamosa (1861)
- Mesilla PostMesilla, New MexicoMesilla is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,180 at the 2000 census...
(1861–1864) - Camp Robledo (1861–1863)
- Fort Webster (1861)
- Camp Connelly (1862)
- Post at Cubero (1862)
- Las Cruces Post (1862)
- Camp Johnson (1862)
- Camp Lewis (1862)
- Camp at Pigeon's Ranch (1862)
- Paraje Post (1862)
- Los Pinos Depot/Station, Camp at PeraltaPeralta, New MexicoPeralta is a town in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. Prior to its incorporation on July 1, 2007, it was a census-designated place...
, or Camp Peralta (1862–1866) - Post of Socorro (1862–1863)
- Fort SumnerFort SumnerFort Sumner was a military fort in De Baca County in southeastern New Mexico charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863-1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo.-History:...
(1862–1869) - Fort WingateFort WingateFort Wingate is near Gallup, New Mexico. There were two locations in New Mexico that had this name. The first one was located near San Rafael. The current fort was established on the southern edge of the Navajo territory in 1862. The initial purpose of the fort was to control the large Navajo...
, or Fort El Gallo. (1862–1868) - Camp Anton Chico (1863–1864)
- Fort BascomFort BascomFort Bascom, established in 1863, is located in New Mexico on the Canadian River slightly west of the Texas border. The fort was named in honor of Captain George Nicholas Bascom who was killed during the American Civil War on February 21, 1862 while defending Fort Craig against Confederate forces...
(1863–1870) - Camp in Cañon Largo (1863)
- Fort CummingsFort CummingsFort Cummings , , a former U. S. Army post located near Cooke's Springs, in Luna County, New Mexico. It is located 20 miles northeast of Deming, New Mexico.-Cooke's Springs:...
(1863–1873) - Camp Magoffin (1863–1865)
- Fort McRae (1863–1876)
- Camp Mimbres (1863–1864)
- Camp Pinos Altos (1863–1864)
- Camp San Pedro (1863–1864)
- Fort West (1863–1864)
- Camp La Hoya (1864)
- Camp Valverde (1864)
- Fort SeldenFort SeldenFort Selden was a United States Army post, occupying the area in what is now Radium Springs, New Mexico. Established in 1865 for the purpose of protecting westward settlers from Native American raids, the post fell into disrepair after the American Civil War...
(1865–1877)
See also
- New Mexico Territory in the American Civil WarNew Mexico Territory in the American Civil WarThe 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 Nevada, played a role in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. Both Confederate and Union governments claimed ownership and territorial...
- Arizona in the Civil War
- California in the American Civil War
Sources
- Colton, Ray C. The Civil War in the Western Territories: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1959.
- Eicher, David J. Civil War High Commands. Stanford University Press, 2001.
- Welcher, Frank J. The Union Army 1861-1865 Organization and Operations Volume II: The Western Theater. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1993. ISBN 0-253-36454-X.
- Whitlock, Flint. Distant Bugles, Distant Drums: The Union Response to the Confederate Invasion of New Mexico. Boulder, Colorado: University Press of Colorado, 2006. ISBN 978-0-87081-835-6.
- David Stephen HeidlerEncyclopedia of the American Civil War
- United States War Dept, Oliver Diefendorf, Thomas M. O'Brien, General orders of the War department, embracing the years 1861, 1862 & 1863, Derby & Miller, 1864