Posted on 03/10/2012 10:46:03 PM PST by Kartographer
The Confederates who briefly occupied Santa Fe 150 years ago this month found it an inhospitable city with Jewish merchants who refused their money, terrified nuns and a Hispanic majority neutral in the fight between Anglos.
Much has been written about the Battle of Glorieta Pass, known as the Gettysburg of the West, which took place from March 26 to 28, 1862. But less is known about Santa Fe's few weeks as a Confederate territory.
That is partly because just about anyone who openly sided with the Union had left Santa Fe -- heading either to Fort Craig, south of Socorro, where New Mexico's Union troops had hoped but failed to stop the advancing Rebels, or to Fort Union, north of Las Vegas, N.M., where the Union contingency awaited reinforcements from Colorado.
(Excerpt) Read more at santafenewmexican.com ...
Heston lamented in his autobiography that a proper version of Major Dundee had never been done.
I never heard of “Arizona,” I’ll look for it.
You have to watch it through understanding eyes to appreciate what it is, and could have been.
As for “history”: Let us remember that history is the propaganda of the victor. The true history of why the South went to war will never be written.
This from Confederate General Patrick Cleburne:
The history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be taught by Northern school teachers; will learn from Northern school books their version of the war; will be impressed by all the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors, or maimed veterans as fit objects for derision.
I worked at Pecos National Historic Park. It has a lot of information about the battle, the earlier pre-history of the area, the rise of Pecos Pueblo as a trading power between the Plains Indians and the Pueblos of New Mexico as well as post Civil War residents of the area (most notably Greer Garson, 1942 Oscar Winner for “Mrs Miniver).
There is a large roadside monument to the fallen Texans, and a much smaller, plainer one to the Union soliders of Colorado.
It’s an interesting part of the country, worth a visit IMO.
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