Confederate Monument, Fort Craig, NM
N 33° 43.499 W 107° 00.149
13S E 314466 N 3733463
You may be surprised to learn that there were battles in New Mexico during the American Civil War.
Waymark Code: WMCWNY
Location: New Mexico, United States
Date Posted: 10/19/2011
Views: 4
This sign reads:
"1861 * 1865
In memory of Texas Mounted Volunteers Sibleys brigade C.S.A
J.S. Sutton
Lieut. Col. 7th regt
S.A. Lockridge
Major 5th Regt
M. Heuel
Capt. 4th Regt.
and all unknown soldiers
killed in
the Battle of Val Verde
Feb 21, 1862.
Erected by Texas Division
United Daughters of the
Confederacy.
June 11, 1936"
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This monument is located about 6 miles from the Fort Craig National Historic Site, where part of the Civil War was waged. You will find the monument located on the edge of Ted Turner's 350,000 acre ranch, on a sliver of property that is owned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Texas, and is for public visitation.
This information is quoted from the National Historic Site website:
"Site Description
One of the largest forts constructed in the West, Fort Craig was situated strategically on the primary road between New Mexico and Mexico. In February 1862 the fort supplied U.S. troops to thwart the invasion of Texas Confederates under the command of Gen. Henry H. Sibley. Troops from the fort, under the command of Col. E.R.S. Canby, bolstered by a contingent of New Mexico volunteers commanded by Kit Carson, engaged Sibley's invasion force at a nearby crossing of the Rio Grande. The daylong Battle of Valverde on February 21, 1862, was a decisive Confederate victory. However, the U.S. troops retreated into the fort, which was never attacked. Sibley's Confederates pressed northward to attack Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Their goal was the capture of Fort Union and the Colorado gold fields. Sibley's troops were defeated one month later, southeast of Santa Fe. Today Fort Craig is in ruins."
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For additional history of this area, you may enjoy the extensive write-up on the close-by geocache page:
Men of Valor GC10DVC
(
visit link)