Department of New Mexico facts for kids
The Department of New Mexico was a special area managed by the United States Army in the mid-1800s. It was first called the 9th Department in 1848, right after the Mexican–American War ended. In 1853, its name changed to the Department of New Mexico.
This department had to deal with a lot of challenges. First, it faced an invading army from the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War (from mid-1861 to early 1862). After that, it spent the rest of the war fighting against different Apache tribes. In 1865, after the Civil War, the department was combined with the Department of California and became known as the District of New Mexico.
Contents
History of the Department
How the Department Started
The Department of New Mexico was officially created on October 31, 1853. It was in charge of defending the areas that are now Arizona and New Mexico.
When the Civil War began in April 1861, the department's commander, Colonel William W. Loring, left to join the Confederate army. Colonel Edward R.S. Canby took over on June 11. Canby was told to send his regular soldiers to Kansas. He also had to recruit two new regiments of soldiers from New Mexico. However, Canby was worried about a Confederate invasion from Texas. He also didn't fully trust some of the local people.
The Confederate Invasion
The first Confederate soldiers arrived in New Mexico in July 1861. Lieutenant Colonel John Baylor led a group of Texas soldiers. They moved into the territory on July 23 and reached Fort Filmore near Mesilla the next evening.
The First Fight at Mesilla
Baylor planned a surprise attack on Fort Filmore. But two Confederate soldiers left and warned the Union troops. So, the next morning, Baylor moved into Mesilla instead.
That afternoon, the Union commander, Major Isaac Lynde, tried to force the Confederates out. He failed. Lynde felt his situation was hopeless. He then tried to retreat north to Fort Stanton. But his soldiers struggled in the hot weather. Many became separated.
When Baylor arrived, Lynde surrendered his entire command without another fight. Lynde was later removed from the army for this surrender. It was seen as unnecessary and cowardly. Because of Lynde's surrender, several forts in southeastern New Mexico were left empty. This allowed local Apache tribes to raid nearby towns. Baylor then declared the southern part of New Mexico to be the Confederate Territory of Arizona. He named himself governor.
The Big Battle at Valverde
No more Confederate soldiers arrived that year. Baylor's troops were busy fighting Apache groups in southern New Mexico. Canby spent the rest of 1861 trying to gather five regiments of soldiers. He also asked the governor of Colorado for volunteer troops.
Confederate General Henry H. Sibley brought a large group of Texas cavalry to New Mexico in early 1862. Sibley wanted to invade Colorado to take its gold and silver mines. He arrived near Fort Craig on February 15. By this time, Canby had only a few Colorado volunteers. Only two of his five New Mexico regiments were fully formed.
After some small fights near the fort, Canby refused to leave his strong defenses. Sibley then moved to the east side of the Rio Grande river and headed north. He wanted to cut off Canby's supplies and reinforcements. However, Canby was able to stop the Confederates at a river crossing called Val Verde. This led to the Battle of Valverde on February 21.
The Union forces were defeated, but they managed to retreat back into Fort Craig. They refused Sibley's demand to surrender. Instead of attacking the fort directly, Sibley continued north towards Colorado. Canby sent his local militia ahead of Sibley to slow him down. Canby himself stayed at the fort to stop any supplies meant for Sibley.
Colorado Troops Arrive
Meanwhile, the 1st Colorado Infantry arrived at Fort Union on March 10. This fort was northeast of Santa Fe. Colonel John P. Slough was in command of the Colorado troops. He decided to attack the Confederate forces, who were then in Albuquerque.
Small groups from both sides met at Apache Canyon on March 26. The Union group pushed the Confederates back before returning to Pigeon's Ranch. After a day of rest and getting more soldiers, the Confederates attacked the main Union force on March 28.
Even though the Confederates pushed Slough's troops back several miles, a smaller Union group managed to sneak behind them. This group destroyed the Confederate wagon train, which carried most of their supplies. With very little food and ammunition, Sibley had no choice but to retreat back to Texas.
Canby decided to move north to join the Fort Union soldiers. He arrived in Albuquerque on April 8. The Confederates left the town during the night of April 17. Now with more troops, Canby followed the Confederates to the town of Peralta. There, he fought a day-long skirmish on February 17. It caused a few injuries but not much else.
Canby was running very low on supplies. He decided that capturing more Confederates would only make his supply problems worse. So, he set up camp around Fort Craig and waited for supplies.
During this time, a group of regular army units and volunteers from California were organized at Fort Yuma on the Colorado River. Their mission was to defeat the Confederate invasion. This group, called the California Column, was led by Colonel James H. Carleton. They started moving east through New Mexico in March. They had a small fight with a Confederate company at Stanwix Station on March 30. This is considered the westernmost battle of the Civil War.
Carleton continued towards the Rio Grande. He met Canby's forces on June 29. Carleton then advanced over one hundred miles into Texas.
Fighting Native American Tribes
For the rest of the Civil War, the Union forces in the department mainly fought against Native American tribes. Canby was promoted and moved to a command in the eastern part of the country. Carleton was also promoted to brigadier general and took over from Canby.
Carleton reorganized the New Mexico volunteers into a cavalry regiment led by Kit Carson. Over the next three years, Carleton launched many campaigns against local tribes, especially the Apache and Navajos. The Navajos were forced onto a reservation by the spring of 1864. Other tribes were also forced to stop their raiding.
The Department Changes
On July 27, 1865, a new military area called the Military Division of the Pacific was created. It replaced the Department of the Pacific. This new division included the Department of the Columbia (which covered Oregon, Washington, and Idaho) and an expanded Department of California. The Department of California now included California, Nevada, the New Mexico Territory (under the District of New Mexico), and the Arizona Territory (under the District of Arizona). This meant the Department of New Mexico was no longer a separate department.
Who Was in Charge?
Here are some of the commanders who led the Department of New Mexico:
- Colonel Edwin Vose Sumner (1851–1853)
- Colonel Benjamin Bonneville (1856–1857, 1858–1859)
- Colonel Thomas T. Fauntleroy (1859 – January 22, 1861)
- Colonel William W. Loring (January 22 – June 16, 1861)
- Colonel Edward R. S. Canby (June 16, 1861 – June 22, 1862)
- Brigadier General James H. Carleton (September 18, 1862 – June 27, 1865)
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