Army of New Mexico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Army of New Mexico
The Sibley Flag, battle flag of the Army of New Mexico
Active	1861–1862
Country	Confederate States
Branch	Confederate States Army
Type	Field army
Role	Main Confederate force in the New Mexico Territory
Size	2,515
Part of	three regiments and a battalion of mounted rifles, three artillery batteries, other unattached companies
Engagements	New Mexico Campaign
Commanders
Notable commanders	Henry H. Sibley

The Army of New Mexico, also called the Sibley Brigade, was a small army unit during the American Civil War. It belonged to the Confederate States. This army operated in what was then Confederate Arizona and the New Mexico Territory. This happened during the New Mexico Campaign in late 1861 and early 1862. After this, the army was moved to Louisiana.

At first, the army's job was to take control of forts in Confederate Arizona. Most of these forts were still held by the Union (the North). John R. Baylor had already set up the Confederate Territory of Arizona. This happened after the First Battle of Mesilla in 1861. The new goal was to capture the remaining U.S. forts. They also planned to invade the New Mexico Territory. The army hoped to capture gold and silver mines in Colorado and California. This would help pay for the Confederate war effort. However, these plans were stopped at the Battle of Glorieta Pass.

History

Forming the Army

Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley created this army. He started forming it in the summer of 1861. He recruited soldiers from the eastern parts of Texas. Sibley had hoped to use local volunteer groups. But when he arrived in Texas, he found these groups were not ready. So, he started recruiting new soldiers from scratch.

Two main groups were formed first. These were the 4th and 5th Mounted Rifles. Each group had some howitzer cannons with them. A third group, the 7th Mounted Rifles, was also formed. Their job was to guard the territory. The soldiers brought their own weapons, horses, and blankets. The government gave them very few supplies. Because of this, the soldiers used many different kinds of weapons. These included muskets, hunting rifles, and shotguns.

After training in San Antonio, the groups were sent to Fort Bliss. This fort was near El Paso. This happened in October. There, Sibley officially took command of the military units. These units were in the Confederate Arizona Territory. Once all the soldiers were at Fort Bliss, Sibley sent them to Fort Thorn in New Mexico. They stayed there for about a month.

Early Battles

The army began its operations in mid-February 1862. They moved north to attack the Union soldiers at Fort Craig. They arrived at the fort on February 13. Sibley first tried to make the Union soldiers come out into the open. When this plan failed, he tried to move north of the fort. His goal was to cut off the fort's supply lines.

The Union commander, Colonel E.R.S. Canby, followed Sibley north. He then attacked Sibley at Valverde Ford. During this time, Sibley was sick with kidney disease. Early in the battle, he had to give command to Colonel Thomas Green. The battle was very close for a long time. In the late afternoon, the Union left side attacked. This created a gap in the Union lines. Green ordered a charge into this gap. The Confederates pushed the Union forces back. They also captured four cannons.

Even though he lost the Battle of Valverde, Canby did not surrender. Sibley had expected him to. Sibley felt the fort was too strong to attack. So, he decided to keep moving north. He crossed into New Mexico Territory. He left Canby and his forces behind him. Many horses were lost in the battle. Because of this, the 4th Texas soldiers had to walk. Many supply wagons were also left behind and burned.

Moving North and Supply Issues

Sibley continued moving north. He captured Albuquerque on March 2. He then captured Santa Fe on March 13. But he failed to capture the Union supplies there. This meant the Confederates had to find food and supplies from the land. But they could only find a small amount of what they needed. Also, taking supplies from the locals made the people angry.

Sibley set up his main base in Albuquerque. He sent a small group ahead. This group was led by Major Charles Pyron. They went to Apache Canyon to watch for Union movements. Another group went south to watch Canby's forces. The main army, led by Lieutenant Colonel William R. Scurry, moved slowly north. They planned to meet up with Pyron.

A Union group from Fort Union was moving south at this time. This group was led by Col. John P. Slough. An advance part of this Union group met Pyron's forces on March 26. The Confederates were pushed back through the pass. That evening, Scurry arrived with the main force. He spent the next day watching the Union force. He expected an attack.

Battle of Glorieta Pass and Retreat

At the Battle of Glorieta Pass on March 28, the main Confederate force fought a Union force. The Confederates pushed them back through the pass. However, a Union group managed to go around the Confederates. This group burned the Confederate wagon train. This destroyed most of the Confederate army's supplies. This was a huge loss for Sibley's army.

After hearing about the Union victory, Canby moved north. He wanted to join with the northern Union force. His goal was to surround Sibley. Sibley's army was almost out of ammunition and food. He retreated back to Albuquerque with less than 2,000 men. He arrived on April 8, just a few hours after Canby.

After the Union force from Fort Union arrived, Sibley decided to keep retreating. They were very short on food, ammunition, and supplies for their horses. The only battle during the retreat was a small fight at Peralta on April 15. Canby tried to capture part of the Confederate army. The Confederates took strong positions in the adobe houses and ditches. Canby decided these spots were too strong to attack directly. So, he tried to cut off the Confederates' retreat.

During this movement, Sibley arrived with the 5th and 7th Texas regiments. He managed to stop Canby's attack. Both sides fired cannons at each other. Then a sandstorm blew in. During the storm, the Confederates left the battlefield. The Confederates had to leave behind eight howitzer cannons. They also left dozens of wounded soldiers during their retreat. A small group was left to guard Fort Thorn in New Mexico. But they also had to retreat in early July. This was because Union forces from California were advancing. During the whole campaign, the army lost about a thousand men. Nearly half of these were missing or captured.

After the Campaign

The Army of New Mexico was sent east to Louisiana. There, they fought in several smaller fights and battles. This included the Red River Campaign. Sibley was removed from command of the brigade. He was then given the job of directing supply trains. The cannons captured at Valverde were made into an artillery unit. This unit was called the Valverde Battery. It was staffed by volunteers from the 5th Texas.

Composition

The army was led by Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley. It had about 2,500 soldiers. Three groups of mounted rifles first formed the army. Other units already in the territory joined as the campaign went on.

4th Texas Mounted Rifles

• Colonel James Riley, Lieutenant Colonel William R. Scurry, Major Henry Raguet (wounded at Valverde)

5th Texas Mounted Rifles

• Colonel Thomas Green, Lieutenant Colonel Henry McNeill, Major Samuel Lockridge (killed at Valverde), Major John Shropshire (killed at Glorieta Pass)

7th Texas Mounted Rifles

• Colonel William Steele
• Advance battalion - Lieutenant Colonel John Sutton (killed at Valverde), Major Powhatan Jordan

Battalion, 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles

• Major Charles L. Pyron

Provisional artillery battalion

• Major Trevanion Teel
• Battery, 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles - Lieutenants Joseph H. McGinnis and Jordon H. Bennett
• Battery, 4th Texas Mounted Rifles - Lieutenant John Relly
• Battery, 5th Texas Mounted Rifles - Lieutenant William Wood

Arizona units

• Company A, Baylor's Arizona Regiment - Captain Sherod Hunter
• Arizona Rangers - Captain George Frazier
• Brigands - Captain John Phillips
• San Elizario Spy Company - Lieutenant Lemuel Nicholson, later Captain Bethel Coopwood
• 1st Arizona Mounted Rifles Battalion - Lieutenant Colonel Philemon T. Herbert