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TERRITORIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



NEW MEXICO. This Territory was organized 

 in 1850. Its capital is Santa Fe. Area, before 

 Arizona was separated from it, 256,300 square 

 miles ; population, in 1860, 83,009, besides 55,- 

 100 tribal Indians. Territorial governor, Henry 

 Connelly; Territorial secretary, "W. F. M. 

 Amy. Both have their official residence at 

 Santa F6. The slave laws of the Territory were 

 repealed in December, 1861. New Mexico, 

 during the year 1862, was the theatre of some 

 of the most desperate and hard-fought bat- 

 tles of the war. On the 4th of Jan., 1862, it 

 was ascertained that a Texan force 1,500 

 strong, under command of the Confederate 

 general Sibley, were approaching Fort Craig, 

 200 miles south of Santa Fe, which Col. E. R. 

 Canby held with about 1,000 regular troops, and 

 1,500 volunteers. Finding the Federal force 

 too strong to be attacked, Sibley and his Tex- 

 ans fell back, and did not again approach Fort 

 Craig till they had been largely reenforced. In 

 the last days of January, having received re- 

 enforcements, which brought his force up to 

 fully 3,500, the Confederate general again ad- 

 vanced slowly and cautiously, in two columns, 

 toward the fort. Col. Canby, hearing, on the 

 13th of February, from scouts and deserters, 

 that the enemy were within 30 miles from Fort 

 Craig, sallied out with a large force to meet and 

 attack them, but could find no trace of them, 

 and returned to the fort. On the 18th the 

 Confederates appeared in front of the fort, 

 about 2,000 strong, but retired the same day, 

 and it was supposed commenced a retreat. 

 Col. Canby despatched Major Duncan, with a 

 squadron of dragoons and mounted men, to 

 follow and harass them. The Texans retreated 

 down the valley of the Rio Grande to a ravine 

 about eight miles below the fort, where they 

 had a battery of eight guns strongly planted. 

 From this, after a sharp skirmish, Major Duncan 

 was recalled. On the 19th and 20th the Tex- 

 ans attempted to cross the Rio Grande, in or- 

 * der to take possession of the heights opposite 

 Fort Craig, but were driven back by the Fed- 

 eral forces without material loss on either 

 side. On the 21st a desperate battle was 

 fought, lasting most of the day, at a place 

 called Valverde, about 10 miles below Fort 

 Craig. Early in the morning the Federal 

 forces captured 200 mules belonging to the 

 Texans, and burned many of their wagons, and 

 soon crossed the Rio Grande to attack them, 

 with a battery of six pieces and two mountain 

 howitzers. Both parties fought with the great- 

 est desperation, the Texans, to capture the 

 battery, the deadly execution of which cut 

 them off from access to water, for want of 

 which they and their animals were near per- 

 ishing, and the Federal troops to hold the 

 ground they had gained. The two howitzers 

 were under command of Lieut. Hall, who suc- 

 cessfully, and with great carnage, repulsed their 

 attempts to capture them ; the six-gun battery 

 was commanded by Capt. McRae, and to the 

 capture of this the main efforts of the Texans 



were directed. They would not have succeed- 

 ed, however, had not the New Mexican volun- 

 teers (Col. Pino's regiment) been panic-strick- 

 en and fled in great disorder, and the regulars 

 refused to obey their commander. The Texans, 

 repeatedly repulsed by the terrible fire of the 

 battery, which was admirably served by Capt. 

 McRae, finally came np to the charge, armed 

 with only their long bowie knives and Colt's 

 revolvers, and though more than half their 

 number fell before they reached it, they finally 

 succeeded in killing all the gunners, and captur- 

 ing the battery. The brave McRae and his two 

 lieutenants, Michler and Bell, stood at their 

 guns when all the rest had fled, and defended 

 themselves with their revolvers till they were 

 killed. The loss of this battery compelled Col. 

 Canby to fall back to Fort Craig. His loss was 

 62 killed and 140 wounded ; that of the Con- 

 federates was very much greater, and effectual- 

 ly crippled their subsequent operations. They 

 did not attempt to capture Fort Craig, but pro- 

 ceeded up the Rio Grande to Albuquerque 

 and Santa F6, both of which towns were 

 evacuated by our forces, which fell back to 

 Fort Union, 100 miles east of Santa F6, a 

 strong position, where tlie Government stores 

 for the department were concentrated. Col. 

 Canby intercepted and captured a force of 400 

 Texans on their way north to reenforce 

 Gen. Sibley. Col. Slough, in command of a 

 force of 1,300 Colorado mounted volunteers, 

 reached Apache Pass, on the 26th of March, 

 on his way to reenforce Col. Donelson at Fort 

 Union, and there met a considerable force of 

 Texans, whom, after a severe action, he routed, 

 capturing 100 men and officers, killing and 

 wounding between 300 and 400, and burning 

 50 loaded wagons. The Federal loss was less 

 than 150 killed and wounded. On the 28th he 

 had another battle at Pigeon's Ranche, 25 

 miles north of Sante Fe\ and captured more 

 prisoners and supplies. He then fell back to 

 Fort Union, and there received orders from 

 Col. (now General) Canby to form a junction 

 with his forces at Galesto, which he accomplish- 

 ed on the 9th of April, and there learned that 

 the Texans were retreating from the Territory. 

 Major Duncan, commanding the advance guard 

 of Gen. Canby's forces, had a battle with a 

 body of Texans in the early part of April, and 

 defeated them. Finding themselves hard press- 

 ed in their retreat, the Texans took a strong 

 position at Parillo, on the Rio Grande, and for- 

 tifying it hastily, awaited an attack there about 

 the middle of April; Gen. Canby attacked 

 them in front, and sent Major Paul, in command 

 of the Colorado troops, to assail them in the 

 rear. After a sharp action, in which the Fed- 

 eral forces lost 25 killed and wounded, the 

 Texans were defeated with great slaughter, and 

 compelled to fly to the mountains. From this 

 point their retreat was a succession of disasters ; 

 the destruction of the greater part of their 

 train reduced them to the verge of starvation, 

 and more than one half of the original number 



