MARCH 26, 1862:
The Battle of Glorieta Pass, New Mexico Territory (Day One):
The definitive battle of the Far
Western Theater, the Battle of Glorieta Pass (in the Sangre de Cristo
Mountains) decided control of the Arizona and New Mexico Territories in the
Civil War. Union Major John M. Chivington (who in 1864 would become famous and
later infamous for the Sand Creek Indian Massacre) led an attack of 400
soldiers, capturing some Rebel pickets and finding and engaging the main Rebel
force. After an artillery barrage, Chivington temporarily fell back, regrouped,
and split his force to the two sides of the pass. This caught the Rebels in a
Union crossfire, and soon forced them to retreat, costing them their rearguard.
Chivington harried the Confederates until dusk.
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